More Projects

I finally ordered a PowerMAX unit for use on my Shapeways East Broad Top M1, and it arrived yesterday, so this is finally on my build list.

I also received several Kato Mikado boiler shells to see if they can be used on the Erie K5A project. Perhaps with some modifications (and a lot of cutting) it would be possible, but they look kind of small so I'm not so sure they will work.

What I really need to do is learn to cast so I can reproduce that Arnold Pacific shell. I did get a book from BHI Publications about white metal casting, so maybe I'll educate myself enough to try it.

Another Locomotive Project

One of the problems in modeling Nn3 is the lack of RTR equipment. There are a few mostly Colorado prototype locomotives but for the East Broad Top everything has to be built.

Building an Nn3 locomotive usually involves starting with a Marklin chassis. In the case of the surviving EBT Mikados the 8827 Class 41 Marklin Mikado is a good starting spot, the drivers are a touch too small but with the oversize flanges the dimensions are about right. The same chassis is used for all the Mikados, and a kit is available for them through Republic Locomotive Works.

Since some of their earlier 2-8-0 locomotives were standard designs also shared by the western roads there are kits available to build them as well, and with the new PowerMax chassis you can find kits for Brill Motorcar M1 and the dinky locomotives also owned by the road. Some of the existing Marklin chassis can also be used to create the road's Mogul and ten-wheeler locomotives as well. There is one, however, that is a bit more difficult.

This is East Broad Top locomotive 11. It is a Prairie 2-6-2 locomotive and was the road's first wide firebox loco. The design was so successful that the railroad used it as the pattern for their six existing Mikado locomotives, essentially just adding another set of drivers and extending the trailing truck a bit. I have long wanted to build this locomotive but have been unable to decide how to go about it. The choices seemed to be shortening a Mikado chassis, something that I didn't feel my modeling skills to be equal to, or modifying a Marklin 8803 Mogul chassis to accept a different motor, also beyond my skills. However, there did seem to be an alternative...

This is the Marklin 8806 chassis. I first saw this locomotive on the popular online auction site but didn't have any dimensional information for it. At first glance it looked to be a promising start, the drivers appeared to be the same as the 8827 chassis and the motor is horizontal rather than vertical as it is on the 8803 chassis. However, I had problems finding one that was in a price range I felt comfortable about taking apart for a donor chassis.

And then...one came up. No box so collectors weren't interested in it, so it was had for a bit over a C note, which is about what an 8827 chassis goes for. A few clicks of the mouse and it was on its way.

When it arrived the disassembly began apace:

Once the lid was off the mechanism looked even more promising. The motor is a bit long, but the large cab of the EBT prototype should cover it adequately. There was a light board at the back of the locomotive and the frame extended back to support it, but it looks as if the chassis can be cut off aft of the rear motor mount without too many problems. The solid bottom of the motor mount platform can be filed flat as well to get rid of the arches, and the whole thing should be covered by the bottom of the cab.

With the light boards and leading and trailing trucks removed the chassis looks even more promising. The front of the locomotive is actually going to be more problematic than the back. The cylinders are going to have to go right in front of the drivers and they are mounted on a solid bar. The two options are to cut the top of the chassis flush with the front driver edge or file the bottom of the chassis in front of the drivers up to mount the bar underneath. Either way the front of the chassis is going to have to be cut away more than the rear.

The only other issue I can see is the front motor mount. It stretches the width of the locomotive and it looks like its going to hit the bottom of the boiler just forward of the cab. I am hopeful that it can be disguised behind air piping and whatnot under the running boards. At any rate I don't think it will be an insurmountable obstacle.

So all in all it looks like my prospects of having this locomotive on my roster one day is promising.

Scenery

It's about time I finally posted some of the scenery that has been done already.

The train room is in a state of flux right now as I am rearranging things. This necessitated the separation of the two halves of the layout, so while they were apart and more or less moveable I decided to do some scenicing using some of the items salvaged off of the layout mentioned in the previous post.

Most of the structures that I salvaged are going to have to be disassembled (they were glued together with what looks like rubber cement) and cleaned before being reassembled, but they were good for place markers. Other items I was able to transplant without too much trouble, and some of the scenes I was able to lift completely off with their underlaying turf intact and use as-is.

So, without further ado, here are some of the results:

Trucks in the gravel parking lot of the trackside transfer. This was the building I chose to stand in for the meat packing plant on the prototype, it looks nothing like the building in question but then again the only thing that is following the prototype at this point is the basic track layout...mostly.

A covered hopper takes a load of grain from the elevator while a couple of farmers get things they need at the feed store.

Today at the church we have a burying...

and a marrying.

Thankfully no one has been agitating for the removal of this statue at the Jamestown Memorial Park.

The cabin here serves as the park offices.

Some of the locals have put on a play in the open air theater at the park.

The milk man and the ice cream man are both doing well as one resident gets ready to go to work and another mows his lawn.

Meanwhile, under the old shade tree, there's some snuggling going on!

The neighborhood kids take a chance to enjoy the pool while school is out across the street.

Some fruit on the trees and some veggies in the hothouse contribute to a well balanced dinner table.

As it stands the scenery is about half done. I'm having some troubles deciding how the downtown is going to look, not helped by the prototype since "downtown" was several miles away from the railroad stations. Also, since I've been in the North Raleigh Model Railroad Club I've been exposed to some bad influences, so to speak, so now my empty buildings just don't look right...which means I am having to do some interior building and maybe even some lighting before I'm all done. It may make me a better modeler, but it sure does add some complications.

The worst part about all of this is my layout is non-operational for the time being. Good thing I have a collection of Unitrack to fall back on when the urge to run trains overtakes me.

In other news...I really do have too much junk in my train room. I'm probably going to have to go on an extensive downsizing spree soon.