Williams Brass

Several of the Williams brass engines were super-detailed by a group (?) called the "Brass Club". 

 

Do you mean Scale Tin Rail?  I had my USRA  0-6-0 PRR modified by them. They did a good job for their time. 

A word of caution: The boiler of Williams version of the PRR L-1 is 2 scale feet too long; the driving wheelbase is only 6" too long. The extra length appears to be in the first boiler course. The loco has a lanky look therefore. Cannot comment on the Weaver version, but suspect it may be too long, as well.

One of these days I'll check my Williams K-4, but I suspect it's too long, as well, to accommodate the 4-wheel lead truck. My 3rd Rail/High Iron K-4 is simply a nicer-looking model. After break-in the High Iron version runs really well.

I agree with that. I'll go one step further and say in my opinion and say its the one of the best looking streamlined engines ever made.

 

 

 

John, your 3-dimensional rendition of the Hopper painting is marvelous. I finally got to see the painting in person and wish I could do what you did!

  I have most of the williams brass steam. My favorites are the bigboy and the N&W j which I still think lives up to any standard. I remember when the bigboy came out thinking I wish I could afford one but at 1500 there was no way. I ended up getting one 10 years ago for $650 new. I would never sell it. Even the box is beautiful. John

Do these nice engines come with sound?

The older Williams and Weaver brass typically didn't have sound, but most of the 3rd Rail stuff has QSI and later TMCC and RailSounds.  I have a Weaver M1a, no sound, just an electronic reversing unit.  Ditto for the Williams K4.

I think there should be a shrine to Williams for coming out with brass USRA locos,

and breaking a long stretch of just a few prototypes.

The WEAVER PRR M1a mountain may have been the first engine offered by the manufacturer with a factory installed sound board. {QSI}

I just bought a Weaver M1a from an estate sale. I got it for under $250. I guess I did OK. The QSI system quit after I tried the bell. I hope a reset fixes it. I am thinking of upgrading it to PS 2/3 anyhow. It's running with a conventional reverse/whistle now. This is my first brass. I would like to hear more about Weaver brass... 

Macado,

I have the same Weaver M1a. The QSI is badly outdated by today's standards. Any engine of that size and detail is definitely a candidate for a PS-2/ERR upgrade, as much of the original QSI systems tend to short out with continued use

I've converted one older Weaver brass engine to PS/2 using the MTH kit. It was more work than upgrading an MTH engine, and required some creativity in fabricating mounts for the tether socket and tach reader, but it wasn't a huge problem. 

Suggestion only:  why not start a thread for early Weaver Brass.  This thread is titled "Williams Brass." 

Sorry but the Weaver M1a did not come with a sound system. In fact it didn't even come with the qsi reverse board that became the "standard reverse board" of the mid 1990's. One had to upgrade both the reverse board as well as purchase the qsi sound system. I purchased mine factory direct when it came out to the marketplace.

I did a series here on super detailing a Williams masterpiece Hudson and added ERR cruise to it. I'll stack this Williams  up to anything except for a KOHS, but it is close.

 

 I'm not bragging or at least don't mean to be. Forgive me if I am. I just encourage anyone to acquire the really well done Williams brass. A little effort adding detail produces amazing results.

What do you do for traction tires on the older Williams and Weaver. I have a Weaver GS2  Daylight that uses an odd 40mm x 2mm that I cannot find anywhere? 

Bullfrog snot is the stuff modelers are using besides traction tires.

PS-2 upgrades are nice additions to Brass engine, also adding a fan driven smoke unit.  For tires, Lionel has some that are thin, and I used them for a replacement.  You can browse the Lionel parts site for tires.

 

Those early thin tires were superseded with a thicker tire on later runs.  So Weaver and others don't carry them.   G

When I post in this thread in 2013 I owned no Williams brass. Now I own 3....N&W J 611, NYC Niagara and a SP Cab Forward. I love them all as I run conventional and they are good looking inexpensive loco. 

 

 

Interesting thread, as I just today pulled the trigger on a Williams early K4, $139.  It is supposed to be DOA but I suspect the reverse board quit as discussed above.  I'll see once it shows up Either either way, I would plan on possibly upgrading it.  Technically, this is not my first brass loco, but certainly my first modern production one....  I have two Scalecraft K4's but they are about 80 years old now.

 

Would it cause me any headaches to install the cruise commander first and then later add the RS board?

No, other than selecting location properly and thinking through the considerations to install the RS later.  Otherwise you will just have a few extra holes when you take it out and start over when putting sound in.    G

I had a Williams K4 a while back, Nice and smooth runner. I decided to sell it as  I was more interested in the command features.  Also the older models have the Seuthe smoke unit is at best so so.

Whenever I upgrade a brass locomotive, I assume that a new fan driven smoke unit is part of the upgrade.  Of course, nowadays I also assume that the Super-Chuffer is part of it as well.

 

I saw that one.....too late....you stole it!!!! I will keep hunting. Let us know how it works out! Good luck!

Yes, I got lucky on the price, they had just posted it and I thought about it for maybe 10 minutes then hit it, I knew it would not last long.

 

Agreed, on the smoke unit, I might have to try one of those Super Chuffer's too   There was also a Williams E6 Atlantic that went for something under $189, I made an offer of 125 on that and was declined, good thing too, since the K4 popped up shortly there after!

I also have the Williams Cab Forward and love it.  Matt

I have Williams first attempt at a brass locomotive offering. It a Williams 4949 Pacific locomotive that came without cab number, road name, flywheel, direction control or smoke.  It did have a headlight.  The tender, also brass, came with six wheel Lionel postwar style passenger truck without the center wheel set in each truck.  Coupler was a dummy plastic lobster claw.  It came with a dry transfer decal sheet with the B&O road name and numbers.  The "B&O" engine had a NYC Hudson brass boiler front.  Still have it.  I keep it a as reminder that if something seems to good to be true, it usually is.

 

I remember all the hype on this engine and of course I wanted one.  Wow, a brass O scale engine, always wanted one of those.  So I signed up for one at a price of $450, but a good price for a brass engine at the time.  All I can say is Jerry fell a little short on this one.  Guess he had to start somewhere.  I can say he learned how to build a descent brass engine as time went on though.  I owned his Niagara and all I can say about that engine is that it was a great engine at the time as other manufacturers of three rail trains weren't offering anything like that.  Kept and ran the engine until Lionel came out with theirs.  Then I sold it.  It was a great runner and looker.  Always received great comments about it.

 

 

 

The B&Oish pacific was Jerry Williams first brass locomotive.  Perhaps someone will recall if it was followed by an NYC Hudson.  I do know that starting with the PRR K4s his locomotives were made in Korea by Samhongsa and had very well engineered drive trains.  PRR models in both 2 and 3 rail included 2 versions of K4s (as built and streamlined), L1s, B6sb, and E6s.  Weaver later picked up the Samhongsa brass relationship starting with an M1a, the H10s, and an A5s. Other Williams/Samhongsa built locomotives included USRA Pacific's, mike's,0-6-0's, N&W J1, CNJ 4-6-0, UP challengers and others I can't recall.  While the detail was sparse by today's Sunset 3rd Rail standards, the Williams/Weaver/Samhongsa brass models provided affordable good running brass models to both 3 and 2 railers.

 

Ed