Best Of My Children have gone into the world (sniff, sniff) - Bearden Models

[u18b]

And now the second group that came back home to me.

I had a dear train friend I’ve known for almost 40 years who is trying to mostly liquidate his collection.

He so very graciously gave back to me  several pieces I’ve done for him, and gave me a chance to purchase a few others that I had worked on.

As you can see, he’s a big Southern and Norfolk and Western fan.

So the next 7 pieces have come back home.


Arnold S2

In a way, nothing terribly exciting about this one.   It’s an Arnold S2.     But what makes this interesting is I installed an operating headlight.  Not an easy thing to do to drill into that zinc alloy which is hard as a rock!  Space is also very tight. 

The LED micro wires are embedded in the circuit board by cutting a channel in the board with a fine motor tool.   Not my idea.    I saw it in a magazine about 30 years ago- so I don’t know who to credit.
But the headlight really brings this loco to life.

[u18b]

Bachmann 2-8-0 Consolidation

Some of my friend’s steam was pretty old.  He did have a Kato Mikado, but he also had a very old metal shell Rapido Pacific. 
So one year I surprised him with a more modern model.

I think this began life as Consolidation for UP.  I scratched the lettering off and decalled this one for his road.

[u18b]

BLI  E8A

This child came back and required surgery.

This was an E8A (single) with sound.  I picked this up at a swap meet years ago.   However, the Paragon 2 decoder had problems which I could not solve.    The funny thing is… the sound works, and lights work.   But motor just would not work.   No voltage goes to the motor.



I tinkered with it and hotwired the motor directly to the red and black track wires.   Thus it could now run as an analog loco….. but with rumbling prime mover sound.  You just could not blow the horn.

When I got it back, it was not well.    The motor was locked up, and I posted about neodynium rot.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=59592.0

I installed a new motor but the decoder would still not power the motor under DCC.   Then I had an idea.   I had an extra TCS old M-4 decoder.   So I installed it and only connected the black, red, orange, and gray wires.

In other words, the motor gets power from the TCS decoder, and the sound and lights are run by the BLI Paragon decoder.



And it worked!
So this child has new life.

[u18b]

Brass Sunset KMT/Kumata Trainmaster Southern

My friend had a custom painted brass Kumata Trainmaster.   It was very professionally painted and weathered.   He loved it…. But like most Kumata, it would not run.

Years ago, I told him about my Kumata project and book I was writing.   I said I could fix it for him.

I insulated the frame, shimmed the shell, added a flywheel, a modern u-joint and Delryn main drive gears.  Now it runs reliably and much quieter now.

I was glad to have it because I once had a Trainmaster that I slightly over-cooked after painting.  The solder joints melted!

Thus,  I’m now glad to have this one.

[peteski]

Bachmann 2-8-0 Consolidation

Some of my friend’s steam was pretty old.  He did have a Kato Mikado, but he also had a very old metal shell Rapido Pacific. 
So one year I surprised him with a more modern model.

I think this began life as Consolidation for UP.  I scratched the lettering off and decalled this one for his road.

That's a Bachmann!

[mu26aeh]

I need a few GP16 for YorkRail portion of the layout

[u18b]

Brass Hallmark Samhongsa 2-8-2 Mikado Southern



This one had an interesting story for me.

I did not remember that he had a brass Mikado, but he gave me a good price, so I bought it.

I told him that some of these pieces sometimes did not run very well.  But before I bought it, I tested it back and forth on his layout and was impressed that his was a really good one.

I got it home and ran it and was still impressed.

Then 2 weeks later, my son comes over and I’m showing him what I bought.   And after running the Mikado and placing it back in the box, I noticed a gray paper in the box.   



I started to throw it away… but then I looked at it.

Much to my surprise, it was my handwriting.   Many years ago, this locomotive was dead and he commissioned me to try to get it running.   



I had completely forgotten that I had worked on this.

So it was the second time in my modeling career that I was admiring a locomotive’s quality- not remembering that I was the one who created it.   I was admiring my own work and didn’t know it at first.

         (not sure which emoji to use)

[u18b]

Bearden/GHQ  Alco T6 switchers

Well, the best is for last.

When my friend told me he was downsizing, I knew immediately there were two locomotives that I would love to have back in my possession.  I was more attached to these than I realized.

I created a T6 shell master for an Arnold S2 chassis and handrails.   I sent it to GHQ to get an estimate to pay them to make some pewter shells for me.

Much to my surprise, the owner offered to buy the master from me so they could sell it.   Along with money (I think it was $200), he also gave me 4 pewter masters and a couple of production shells.  All total I build 6 fully painted working models.... and I sold or gave away all 6.   I'm not sure why I didn't save myself at least one.

The production masters are very rare and valuable because they are the very first castings that come out of the original single mold and are of the highest quality with limited shrinkage.    GHQ then would take about 8-12 production masters and create one big new mold that can cast several at one time.    Those mass produced castings are the ones they sold to the public.  They are not quite as good because a casting of a casting doubles the skrinkage in high density areas.   You can see the slightly hollow spot in front of the cab in this shot of a regular production casting.



So I was given 4 of those production masters and I know where at least two of them are (hint, I just got one back).

My original styrene master was of the Pennsy prototype.   GHQ made a mold of it and cast at least 2 production masters for me.   I painted one for Pennsy and one for Conrail.  Bryan Bussey   @bbussey     has at least one of them.   The Conrail is superdetailed.

GHQ then kitbashed my styrene master kitbash and made a N&W master.   He used that new master to make some production masters (I received two).     

So of the two T6s I just reacquired, the one painted in the Norfolk and Western early scheme is a regular  commercial casting.   It now has the dreaded clicking sound of death from split gears.   NWSL still has wheelsets (@ over 50 bucks- ouch!) and I look forward to installing them when I get them in the mail.




The T6 in the more modern N&W scheme is a production master, and I confess I regretted ever letting that one go.        Wow, it is fabulous.   I’m really glad to have that one back.   So I obviously sold the other N&W production master.



I offered to pay for these two, but my freinds refused money and gave them to me.

One day I will add operating headlights to these two T6s.

This was one of the most creative and innovative kitbashes I ever did.

Two articles were published on these.

[u18b]

Well, until I build something else (a few are in the works) or I discover more I missed.... that's all for now.

The could stands at 93.

And when I started this thread in 2017, I had no idea that I might reacquire about 12 pieces back!


Maybe one day I'll share the children I'm keeping.   

[bbussey]

T6 - I have the Pennsy model.  I never saw the Conrail model as far as I recall, neither pics nor in person.

Didn't a highly-detailed Soo Line diesel make its way back into your fleet?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

T6 - I have the Pennsy model.  I never saw the Conrail model as far as I recall, neither pics nor in person.

Didn't a highly-detailed Soo Line diesel make its way back into your fleet?

I've seen photos of the CR model. Not sure where it is though.

[u18b]

Yeah, don't know if I sold or gave away the Conrail.   It was pretty cool.

I found this old thread from 2014.    Has a lot of pics.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34181.0

In that thread I offered it to this board if anyone was interested.
So maybe someone here has it.

[bbussey]

Yeah, that Conrail is pretty hot.

[u18b]

Didn't a highly-detailed Soo Line diesel make its way back into your fleet?

Yes,
It's proudly sitting in the GE section of my display case.

It's one of the handful of non-CSX related locos in my keeper collection.

Thanks again!

[u18b]

Someone asked about a T6 for the Bachmann S4 chassis.

Someone has made a 3d shell.
looks like the Pennsy/Conrail version

https://www.cmrproducts.com/N-Scale-Alco-T-6-Alt-Vent-Placement-Locomotive-Shell-p620631260