Great Northern railway

Train show in Springfield, Ohio.

A one day event at the clark county fairgrounds.  Two buildings and a connecting hall. 

Picked up two Lionel 072 switches and two 90 degree crossing and one 45 degree crossing.  Have Lionel under the HO layout and put in a siding so I can run another train that I didn't have 'any place to run' it.  The 'Erie' now has a 'home'.

Americana:

I take the 'back roads' when possible for the view.

Lebanon has a train ride.

A county court house.

My 'kind of house': executive ranch with huge basement and a 6 car garage space

Painting (cont)

Got 4 engines painted black and masked off 3 for the silver smoke box (the Milwaukee engine is all black: unusual not to have any silver 'up front').

The bulk of the 'hardware' around the smoke box is masked off but some hand painting is always needed.

Milwaukee S-3 4-8-4:

Most engines have springs for the journals to ride on but this engine has a wire for independent driver movement.

Painting (cont)

Cab roofs.

The GN S-2 and two Burlington's (O-5/B) get oxide red roofs.

The two Burlington's have operational cab vent hatches so had to move them after the 'first spray' coat to get full coverage.

When 'spraying', corners and edges  are first , then a 'coat' is applied via all 4 directions via about 45 degrees and then once (or more) at 90 degrees to the surface.

I forgot that I usually masked off the smoke box and cab at the same time and do both at once as they are far enough apart not to get 'over spray'.

Didn't quite get all the tape sealed and had some 'over spray' around the cab but some soapy water and a toothpick removes it before putting them in the oven.

Painting/decaling.

Painting:

Hand painted the silver for the firebox area as well as brass paint on poppet valves and bell and throttle/brake levers, red on knobs, white on gauges.

All piping, accessories painted black.

Decaling:

The Burlington's got microscale whereas the GN and Milwaukee got champ decals(no longer made).

The fun part was putting the O5 and O5B decals in the corner of the cabs on the Burlington engines: I needed my Optivisor to install them.

I consider Milwaukee a popular road but it's hard to find and steam decals for Milwaukee.

Solvaset used to secure the decals to the surfaces.

Great looking work there! Just wondering what do you do to prep them before paint?

samparfitt posted:

Train show in Springfield, Ohio.

A one day event at the clark county fairgrounds.  Two buildings and a connecting hall. 

Picked up two Lionel 072 switches and two 90 degree crossing and one 45 degree crossing.  Have Lionel under the HO layout and put in a siding so I can run another train that I didn't have 'any place to run' it.  The 'Erie' now has a 'home'.

 

Americana:

I take the 'back roads' when possible for the view.

Lebanon has a train ride.

A county court house.

My 'kind of house': executive ranch with huge basement and a 6 car garage space

 

Nice W-I-D-E isles at that train meet.  Unlike almost every one I have ever been to.  

Now that you mention isle width, it almost seems like there would be fire codes requiring minimum isle space in case of a fire, but I could be wrong!

samparfitt posted:

Now that you mention isle width, it almost seems like there would be fire codes requiring minimum isle space in case of a fire, but I could be wrong!

Apparently not Sam.  I get it, the show's promoters want to get as many tables in the hall as possible.  It pays their rent plus some money left over for them. But then you have vendors taking up part of the isle because they don't have room to stand behind the tables, through no fault of their own.  So customers stop to talk with a vendor, while across the isle it's also happening.  Now you have a bottleneck.  Maybe something close to the edge of a table gets knocked off because of the congestion.  Everyone gets annoyed.  Etc.

Final dull coat on GN S-2, Burlington O-5/B and Milwaukee S-3.

Using scalecoat satin gloss  (seems like an oxymoron!) I did a 'production line' on the four engines and sprayed all four at once.  Only room for one engine 'at a time' in the toaster oven so the other three were put on cookie sheets with aluminum foil to await their turn to be 'cooked'. 

All the painting gets 'shot' out in the detached shop where I run a torpedo heater to warm it up during the painting.  Keeps the house free of odors.

After shooting the satin, I noticed a few nicks where the brass was showing (not always easy to see on shiny black) and a few specks of silver that were on the boiler side, probably there when hand painting the fire boxes and used a toothpick to put some black paint on them and re-shoot the satin (don't grade me on my long sentence!).

I'm partial to the satin look on the engines and it seals in the decals and makes the edges disappear plus a protective coating to the paint.

From what I remember, all the isles are about 8' wide at shows that I go to in 'my neck of the woods', which is Ohio.  Cost of living in Ohio is very reasonable, ie houses, fuel, food, etc., so maybe that's why the isles are wide at my shows: not sure where you live but coastal cities/states (plus Chicago) seem to be very expensive (at least that's the impression I get,  watching NBR).

Sam those engines are looking just great! Your the man!

GN S-2 4-8-4: re-assembly.

At each stage of assembly of the engine, a test is made to insure no binding:

Driver assembly:

Side rod assembly:

Valve gear assembly:

Noticed the front trucks side frames not aligning correctly: found that the original soldering at the factory was not done on one end of the side frame.

Installing the lighting.

I used a combination of 0603 and 0402 LED's for lighting.

Lights installed:

Headlight: engine and tender.

Green marker lights on engine and red marker lights on tender.

Lights in number boards.

Lights (one each side) over valve assembly.

Light in cab.

Red lights (suppose to blink) for fire box.

That took a lot of work and was slow as had to glue each light in, at most 2 at a time, and glue them using Kristal Klear (KK) and let dry to insure proper location and no movement of LED's until the KK dried.  Used carpenters glue on locations where wires went through brass body of engine or tender.

Just added the KK to the number boards so it is still a white color until it dries clear.

Burlington O-5B 4-8-4 assembly.

The frame where the driver journals ride has the paint scraped away for electrical contact.

Had a binding with the piston rods connected.  Traced it to the valve gear bracket pushing down on one piston guide so a shim added to raise the bracket.

Nice setup for closed cab.

Some brass hooks and what appears to be electrical insulation.

Closed cab:

Usually, the enclosure is made of brass stock.  This one is heavy cloth with what is probably some brass stock sown into the cloth and fit snugly to the tender and cab.

Guide rods connected to back of cab.

LED's to headlights and marker lights.

Running boards.

fire box

cab light and closed cab detail.

Tender light.  no marker lights on the tender.

Nicely detailed engine.

Assembly of Burlington O-5 4-8-4.

O-5: coal, open cab

O-5B: oil, closed cab, solid pilot.

All the great piping on the turret sold me on getting the O-5.

Milwaukee S-3 4-8-4 lighting and re-assembly.

Started disassembly of these 4 engines Nov 29; surprised it only took two weeks as it seems like a month with all the lighting, etc!

Right to left:

GN S-2, Burlington O-5, O-5B, Milwaukee S-3: all Northerns.

Framed and hung a new picture that a friend was gracious enough to give to me

Perhaps I missed the explanation.  What is the diaphragm for between the loco and tender.  I have never seen that type of connection.  I know most streamlined locomotives had side and roof coverings between the loco and tender, but yours is new to me.

On those cold days, which the upper northern states tended to get, the crew kept nice and warm in their cab without wind blowing in from the sides.  A lot of open cabs used curtains to keep the cold out.

SF 4-8-4  3765.

Got an operating session on my GNRW tomorrow evening and all seems to be running well so I thought I'd do some more painting.

I decided the next four to paint would be the Santa Fe fleet, especially since there is no masking as only the front of the smoke box gets silver, so I'll get them done a lot faster than the multi-color 'jobs'.

Had to run the heater for about 1.5 hrs to get the detached shop from 35 to 55 degrees.

In the toaster oven for 2 hrs.

Who are the switches made by on the layout?

Sam - Hope I do not spoil your day, but the CB&Q 4-8-4 you have numbered 5612 is out of sequence. The vestibule cab Burlington 4-8-4's began at #5621 thru 5635.  The oil-burning, vestibule-cabbed O5b's were numbered 5626/27/29/32 (converted to oil in 1950-51).  Also,  your vestibule cab does not equate with the prototype. The Burlington's vestibule cabs were pretty much (if not exactly) like those employed on the Great Northern, or your Milw S3 4-8-4. The chaffing plate butted up tightly with the back of the cab and the compression pistons were much shorter then what you have portrayed. And there was no canvas covering employed.  Perhaps this Otto Perry photo might prove helpful:  

  http://digital.denverlibrary.o...oll22/id/45360/rec/6

I convey this information not in the spirit of "gosh, aren't I the smartest guy in the room", but, rather, recognizing your absolute adherence to the prototype which your models exhibit, I believe you would want to know. Please do not take offense !  Your work is outstanding !

Mark,

Thanks for the info.  I'll get around to that change, later.  Doing some other engines, presently.  That happens when one is not an expert on other railroads.

I should be able to use some solvaset to dissolve the numbers and then put on another clear coat.

As for the cab, space is always needed for curves on models, even with my 48" minimum radius, that is extremely sharp on a full size railroad.  The enclosed cab detail came with the engine by the manufacturer and I'm comfortable with it.

Sam - Sounds like a palatable fix on the decals.  You might want to obtain a copy of the July 1970 "Model Railroader", as there are some superb drawings in HO scale of Burlington O5b #5629 by Allen J. Brewster. My suspicion is that you would find the tighter connection with the vestibule cab would look 120% better !

Mark,

Usually, some extra holes are needed in the drawbar to get the engine and tender closer together.  Post several of your engines so we can compare the results.  Also, please indicate what radius you use on your layout so I can know if it'll work on mine.  Layout pictures or videos would be cool.  There seems to be a dearth of HO layout pictures and I always like seeing other layouts.

thanks.

SF 4-8-4 #3765.

Finished up with 2 coats of black on her.

SF 2-10-10-2 (which I call the 'base ball bat')!

I lied: previously, I stated that the gear mechanism didn't allow me to put in back head detail.  I lucked out and had a can motor that is about a 1/2" shorter than the stock open frame motor so it just fits between the front of the fire box (always sheet metal there) and a new back head. 

I had to use some stock brass sheet to make a new can motor mount.

I drilled/tapped three holes for 2/56 screws to secure the motor mount to the engine frame.

Normally, this square stock is mounted to the piston cylinders and it is then screwed to the boiler.   Do to this arrangement, I had to test the new motor mounted on the boiler instead of just running the two engines without the boiler.

Figure I might as make a cab deck, also.  Had some stock 'diamond grated' brass, cut it and soldered it to the removable bracket on the boiler.

Back head and deck in place.  This is an oil fired engine but I had to use a back head with a stoker on it.  Back heads are not easy to come by and you have to use what you have: besides, most people won't notice....until now!

Motor just fits in the fire box area.

Lot of parts on this engine.  Never seen sides rods that get brass spacers on every bolt: normally just one on the main driver rod.  Wasn't easy getting all the valve gear out, either.   I wouldn't recommend this engine as your 'first one' to paint!

All cleaned and ready to paint.  With blackened center drivers, I'm not painting the drivers.  Kind of nice showing the original 'identity' of how it was manufactured.  Also, I noticed on my 'factory paint' jobs that they do the same.

First coat on.

While the 'base ball' bat is 'cooking', might as well disassemble the SF 4-8-4 by united and have it ready when the 2-10-10-2 is done. This will get all four SF engines that I have painted.  Also, easier to paint all 4 smoke box fronts at once.

samparfitt posted:

Mark,

Usually, some extra holes are needed in the drawbar to get the engine and tender closer together.  Post several of your engines so we can compare the results.  Also, please indicate what radius you use on your layout so I can know if it'll work on mine.  Layout pictures or videos would be cool.  There seems to be a dearth of HO layout pictures and I always like seeing other layouts.

thanks.

 

 

Sam - Ya got me !   I don't have the photographic gear to post a photo. Don't know the radius my O Scale locos traverse, but it is the same as a #8 turnout. I butt my locomotives tightly when on a display track, which pleases my sense of locomotive aesthetics. When running, I put the tender pin through the closest drawbar hole that allows operation. I would think your 24" radius would allow a pretty tight tender/loco fit. Maybe "run looser, display tighter" ! ?   

SF 2-10-10-2 and 2-10-4:

It's been a good day: got two coats of black on two engines.  Took a 16 hour day but worth it.

Sam I love the work you do, but doesn't your wife have something to say about you using her stove to dry your paint! LOL

Mike,

I have a dedicated toaster oven in the basement to 'cook' all engines.

=========

Decaling:

It takes more time and work to decal than to paint!

With research and getting one side done: 7 hours!

JUST remembered: also masked off the 2-10-10-2 (only one with graphite smoke box) and headlights/marker lights on the other 3 smoke box fronts.  I mixed up some smoke box gray and 'graphite and oil' to get, what I thought, was a close resemblance to what SF used.

Different in that SF didn't put numbers below the cab windows and had large numbers on the side of the tenders.   GN didn't always put engine numbers on the backs of tenders plus they swapped them around a lot.

SF 4-8-4 2919.

Always 'fun' doing the number boards!

SF 4-8-4, #3765

SF 2-10-4.

SF 2-10-10-2.

Once again great work being done there! If I didn't live so far away I would send you my old Lionel engine to have you fix it! One day I will get around to it!

Thanks, Mike,

===============

Finished up decaling the 4 SF engines plus painting brass color parts, white gauges and red valves.  Put a coat of satin clear on the 2-10-10-2.  That'll 'cook' for 2 hours and then onto the next engine.

The detached shop is a real mess but it's functional!  At least enough room to paint engines!

The RC planes are stored in the shop during the winter.

Last thing for the night: put  a coat of satin clear on the SF 2-10-4.

Got the hard part done!

Assembled the drivers and trucks on the SF 2-10-4 and 4-8-4.

Painted the drivers and truck wheels with white walls.

The drivers are easy to do after motor install with drivers moving slowly while the brush is applied.  The truck wheels are a lot harder.  Treads always have to be cleaned after the white walls are added.

Nice work, but I thought the hard part started once you had them disassembled ! LOL

The neighborhood kids came over to play with the 3 rail stuff.

Then they wanted to see the GNRW run.

Video of a GN W-1 electric freight East of Seattle, Washington.

(back ground noise is the kids).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oXEi0auQnU

You sure put the peddle to the metal on that run! Sure is nice to hear the kids having fun! Great job!

Finished up the gear and truck assembly of the SF 4-8-4 3765.

Paint pens seem to work pretty well on 'white walling' the truck wheels.  I prefer the paint brush and paint for the drivers.  Michael's sell the paint pens.

I found actual pictures of two of the numbered engines with white walls.

I couldn't find any prototypes of the 3765 or 2-10-10-2 with white walls.  It appears SF painted a lot of the engines with white walls.  I like the appearance so I'm doing these two, also: plus I doubt if anyone can say an engine was NEVER painted with white walls during it's existence! 

OK, I found a Lionel 2-10-10-2 with white walls and we all know they are 'sticklers' for prototype!!!

Started working on the SF 2-10-10-2.

All I can say is WOW look at all those little parts! To early in the morning for me! LOL

Mike,

That's why the parts all stay in relative order from removal (don't even want to drop that box)!

===========================

Stuff:

The GN W-1 electric was shorting on curves.  Found the contact wire that rides on the top of the driver tires moved over and touching the outside truck frame.

The GN R-2 2-8-8-2 was running backwards to all the other engines.  Didn't notice until I tried to double head two them.  A little wire reversal fixed that.

Christmas shopping.

70% off at Michael's on the left two boxes.

$2.98 for the right trees at Lowes (go figure, too small to rip up for wood!).

SF 2-10-10-2:

Engine assemblies all back together and white walls added.