Building an engine from scratch?

I made frames only, using shells from lionel and Williams.

I have no idea if is practical, but was a lot of fun to make all those pieces.

Andre.

Holy Running Boards Batman...er...AG!

That Looks Great....I mean GREAT.

More please.

Rick.

Yes.

The only parts that are difficult to purchase new are the drive wheels. Still, the rough centers are available from Stevenson Preservation Models.  For this particular model, I have the tender truck master, but PSC trucks are available.  Stevenson has the main and side rod patterns, and most of the rest of the difficult-to-make castings are still available from PSC.  Proper diameter brass tube is not as easy to find as it once was, but it is still available.

This question brings a smile...  You see, I'm what they call 'an old phart' model railroader.  When I was a 'whippersnapper', Model Railroader magazine had a frequent, popular writer called Mel Thornburgh.  Mel  scratch built BEAUTIFUL steam engines...in brass.  In January 1959 he began a 6-part series on building the Wabash 2-6-0...in O scale.  In December 1952 he began a series on building a 4-4-0. 

What's especially amazing about his craftsmanship probably never was discussed in the articles.  It was some of his 'precision' shop tools.  For example, he was noted for doing brass turnings...valves, domes, etc....using a hand drill clamped in a vise to hold the stock, and a flat-b_stard file to shape the part as he turned it with the other hand. 

So....would YOU have the patience to do that?  I wouldn't.

But it was i-n-s-p-i-r-i-n-g, to say the least.  What it did to the young mind was convince someone that a thing of beauty could be made with simple tools, simple materials, patience, and willingness to not have success on the first try.  Today, scratchbuilding, kit-bashing are some of my favorite parts of this hobby...although I still never tackled a brass steam engine ala Mel Thornburgh!!

Of course, today there are a myriad of parts, materials, tools....and advice from helpful folks on an internet forum!!!!...to get you to success...and inspiration...a lot quicker and easier.

I think you've got the right idea, however.  Start with some simple freight cars, structures.  Maybe modify a production engine...rebuild the tender, add some detail parts/piping to a commercial model.  Try different materials...styrene is amazing, by the way!!   Or, how about cardboard?...more specifically, Strathmore board?  In the 50's there was another Model Railroader contributing author, Jack Work, who made incredible structures simulating wood...down to the wood grain!!...using Strathmore board...high-falootin' cardboard. 

Then, don't be too critical of your own work to not share it with us.  You can inspire others to venture forth with your effort.  And the pros are most often kind enough to make helpful suggestions for improvement.

KD

A picture  of Harry Heike's scratch built PRR E6 ,Atlantic, taken about 5 years ago.

Very nice.  I like the trackwork too.  I have heard it said that Harry does not do scratchbuilds; only highly detailed upgrades.  I guess that info was not correct.

A couple decades ago we did the world's simplest O gauge steam model.  Complete drawings and instructions were spread over maybe three issues of OGR.  This was the first - I measured an HO Roundhouse 0-6-0 and reproduced it in four days flat.

Just because it was so easy, I built four.  Here is the three rail version:

Readers built at least three more that I am aware of.

i am also a big fan of those early MR articles.  but at that point (1930's - 50's), scratch building was mostly to capture models that could not easily be adapted from the very  few production models of the time.  fast forward to 2013 and i cannot think of a diesel or steam locomotive that hasn't been manufactured.  it probably would not be very cost effective to build anything these days versus finding even an out of production model.

of course scratch building is still taking place in the larger scales.

1:16, 1:12 & 1:8 scale models are still mostly built from the ground up from raw castings and metal stock.

I built a vanderbuilt tender for my friend's G scale pacific because he wanted one...PVC tubing was used there and could be used in O scale too. As far as brass tubing, why not find a flat sheet and roll your own?

Building a chassis would be somewhat easy, boiler yeah, but the correct drivers...that would worry me...that beauutiful 4-4-2 would've required the correct high wheeled drivers to look right, and he did it, just don't know if I could.

How long a list would you like?

Let's see - never made or imported and waiting forever for......... vs. building and having one built & having one.  I'm thinking the latter is the cost effective option.

 Well one thing I've learned, you will come to appreciate the available models more. I wouldn't call them a deal to make. Just one ended up costing much more. I bought enough materials to make more so I guess they'll be cheaper??

 It has some special gratification knowing that you made it. You will have to look past the flaws that are glaring because they bug you. Those little things you get stuck on or maybe just didn't flow that day.

 For me it's a push. I'm not overly proud. It will help my talent develop maybe to be better on the next one? It will prove what you are good at!  and.....

Ear Joe has the right idea.  It is a hobby - if your hobby is to accumulate locomotives inexpensively, scratchbuilding is not the way to go.

for me, scratchbuilding in brass is a form of art and an act of creativity.  My locomotives cannot compete with Sunset (and often lose to factory painted Sunset and Overland in contests), but they give me great pleasure.

I've been working on a Seaboard Vanderbilt tender and Ten-Wheeler for well over a year now:

I guess I ought to call this a "3-foot" model.  From 3 feet away it looks great , but the closer you get the more "free-lancing" (aka mistakes) I spot.

The tender is being built from a drawing I made using prototypical photos and drawings, as is the engine.  The chassis is one I bought from Keystoned Ed that came from a Weaver GS5 model.  However, no Ten-Wheelers that I know of owned by Seaboard ever pulled a Vanderbilt tender, still I think it looks kinda right.

The boiler is an old RailKing 2-8-0 that I extended at the smokebox, also shaved off the Bellpaire boiler and filled in 2 windows in the cab.  Most if not all the brass parts came from Bob Stevenson at Stevenson Preservation Lines.

If Precision Scale EVER comes out with a new Steam Engine catalog I'll get back on this thing as I think they're the only supplier of the few things I still need to get.

Once I finish putting on the details, I'll paint it and install, most likely, PS2 electronics, unless I can get something from ERR for around the same price.  I may even run it using just the DC motor and a DC power pack.  It's 3-rail, but I see no  reason I can't connect the DC pack to the outside and center rails to power it.

Not 100% scratchbuilt, but a combo of scratch/bought/modified parts.

AG,

Does your "Williams Upgrade" mount as a fixed pilot or as a much improved swinging pilot?

Looks really nice in the photo.

Rick.

Rick!

The upgrade is for swivel pilot only.

I can make it fixed, but will require a little more work.

here is one of my Williams using the upgrade.

Andre.

I like the idea of a scale style coupler on a swivel pilot. Greatly improves the look.

Rick.

I also add air lines.

Andre.

AG...

Sweet!

Rick.

Some very nice work is pictured in this thread.  Well done!