norfolk & western 4-8-0 blue prints needed.

[Mark5]

Max,

The M1 was essentially the same as the M class but with different valve gear.

Mark

[draskouasshat]

I'll keep this updated as I attempt this build. Time to check my parts bin so I can get the boiler built.

[randgust]

Are you trying to build the same locomotive class as Strasburg's 475?

You may not know it, but the president of Strasburg - Linn Moedinger, is an excellent modelbuilder and scratchbuilder - does HOn3, and has had the cover of RMC at least once.  If you need to know anything about the actual locomotive, he'd probably be pretty cooperative.   His layout has been in RMC as well.

[draskouasshat]

Thanks randgust! Things are [ Guests cannot view attachments ] moving along for now. I believe I need to look at the model power 2-6-0/4-4-0 boiler. It looks like it will be the ticket once the mechanism is done. Does anyone have one they want to sell?

[Iain]

I've had success with 3D printing a boiler, something you may want to look into.

[randgust]

After simply making my first boilers out of brass tubing, I'd never bother fighting with trying to file cast-on detail off a stock boiler again.   Brass is just so much easier to work with and is structurally solid, and it holds up to pouring Type 160 metal into for weight.   Nothing against RP, but that stuff is too light and you'll have too many artifacts on what should be a perfectly smooth boiler jacket surface.

Remember that for the most part, you don't have the entire tube here for diameter.   You're going to cut out part of the bottom all through the firebox and waist area, probably the only part that's still a complete tube is around the cylinders and smokebox.   So if you cut out all or part of a brass tube to clear the mechanism, you can gently bend the brass to whatever the proper diameter and clearances are.   Don't stress over finding the perfect tube diameter, when you cut it it will expand anyway.  The only place you have to be right-on is around the smokebox.

What I liked was flattening out the rear part to do the firebox.

As far as for the transitions, I simply filled the spaces between layers with more brass tube, roughly soldered it from the inside (really rough!!) with a torch, and then did the tapers with auto body putty and filed it down to shape.   Then I added the jacket bands with ACC and .005 styrene strip.  The only stuff I soldered on were the running boards and structural mounts, everything else was either ACC'd on or done from borrowed parts or styrene.   Getting the domes right is where you'll want to hack up other plastic boilers if you can't find the parts.

So far I've done the 25-ton shay, 30-ton Climax, the masters for my Climax A's, and my medium-sized Lima 2-6-0 this way.  The Lima 2-6-0 was always a dream in N, but the California State RR Museum had the blueprints (amazing!) and I had good photos from all sides.
http://www.randgust.com/Hv5C.jpg

I've got an old YouTube video of my 2-6-0 that has pretty clear shots of the brass-tube boiler, styrene cab, cast domes, etc.:

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The cab wasn't right at all and was redone lower (see below), but the boiler was right-on spec as I had original blueprints.    I'm pretty happy with the end result, and the post-paint surface looked 'right'.

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Because most N boilers are in the range of stock K&S tubing, my approach was to buy at least one piece of every size they made and add it to the parts drawer.   

The whole idea of scratchbuilding a steam locomotive over an existing chassis sounds impossible when it's really a lot easier in N than in some of the larger scales.   I still won't tackle a frame and running gear though - I'll search the world to find one that will work as a starting point.

FWIW I used the Climax A boiler as a master, and used rubber molds to do my kits.  I now do the kit boilers in Type 160 metal out of the rubber molds I made from the brass master, so it is possible to make more if you start with brass tubing for a 'basic' boiler.   I made a second 2-6-0 boiler to start a conversion kit, but the whole project was just horribly expensive and complex with the drive and tender so I gave that idea up.

[up1950s]

I always loved this loco . I wish you great success with this and hope some manufacturer does this . Ok it is just one road , but in undec it can be used on many home grown roads and fantasy themed train sets .

[mmagliaro]

I have to say that having had both experiences (hacking up plastic boilers and making them from scratch using brass, or even styrene tube), I agree with Randy.  While it appears to be more work to make the whole thing from scratch, it's really not.
By the time you cut off all the offending pieces, reshape, and then sand off and replace rivets and boiler bands, you may as well just telescope some piece of tubing together and then use epoxy or some other material and sand to get the contours and transitions.    And YES... a thin-wall brass tube boiler is very strong and actually leaves you a lot more room inside for the mechanism than the necessarily thicker plastic commercial one.

(And BTW, Randy, the engine you showed in that video is fabulous!  It runs like a dream.  Hooray for gearheads!  LOL!)

And in this case, if you were trying to use a Model Power Mogul boiler, the complications get even worse because those boilers are made of that super-hard weird metal alloy they use that is agony to cut.

[draskouasshat]

Randy and max, I am merely looking at the possibilities of a boiler that could possibly be right with slight modifications before I scratch build it. My first choice was the Bachmann ten wheeler but it's a tad small. Next round is to take a look at the MP Mogul. Hell I might get lucky and not have to scratch build everything. I like to explore my options before jumping to scratch building.

Adam Draskovich

[draskouasshat]

At this point, the boiler is my last concern until I decide on a suitable mechanism. The roundhouse 2-8-0 just looks off to me with those blind drivers!

Adam Draskovich

[draskouasshat]

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnndddddddddd, we have a mechanism!  Tomix type 9600 chassis with life like mallet drivers and running gear! That is why I but junk and broken locomotives!

Adam Draskovich
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[mmagliaro]

Nice drivers.
Are they really 56"?

By the way, on the Athearn/MDC 2-8-0, I know what you mean about those inner blind drivers.  I never liked them.
I got one of those engines, which is one day destined to be an NP F-1, and not liking the blind drivers, I called Athearn
and they sent me another pair of flanged drivers.  As it turns out, they are interchangeable, so when the time comes,
I will have an Athearn 2-8-0 with 4 flanged drivers on it.  You could probably do the same thing if you do decide to use that
mechanism.

[randgust]

That looks pretty darn good.  I'm assuming the rods came from the original one to match the axle spacing or you got REALLY lucky.

Don't forget to check your lateral movement in curves and make sure the rods can deal with it.  I hope those drivers don't have to be blinded.

The other thing my 2-6-0 taught me was that I'll never look down my nose on tender drive again.   If it means I can get a gearhead motor in there and get the RPM and torque I want, I'll throw an universal and a drive shaft in there and move it to the tender and pack the boiler with lead instead of motor.    Just if you get frustrated by motor placement, remember that.

BTW my mechanism is a complete copy of the design that Chris333 did on an Atlas 2-6-0 to a 2-6-2 that Jerry DeBene now owns.  Chris helped me on every part, photo'd the mods, etc.  The only thing I did different was a Kato+gizmozone in the tender instead of a Faulhaber.   But the design is all Chris'.  I tried a Faulhaber, a Mashima and this rig for power - and this was by far the best slow-speed drive of the three.

[draskouasshat]

Yup, right at 56" max!
Randy,  those are the LL mallet side rods! Lol on and they still have the ll bearing boxes! Literally everything speed right in, unnoticed the geared ll driver. It even meshes with the tomix idler lol.
Now you see why I look at all of my options before jumping to scratch building anything.
As for tender drive, I'm not sure on this one. This is for a friend that's well known and is the owner of a well known model company so I need to see what he does and doesn't want visible.

Adam Draskovich

[Cajonpassfan]

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnndddddddddd, we have a mechanism!  Tomix type 9600 chassis with life like mallet drivers and running gear! That is why I but junk and broken locomotives!

Adam Draskovich

I'm confused about the "life like mallet drivers"
Why not use the Tomix, too small?
Otto