I’m working on a scene that has an 0-6-0 steamer that was partially disassembled then left to rust when diesels took over. Any suggestions?
Forgive the bluriness of the pics.
I’ve been thinking about adding a Railroad Museum on my layout. I model the Ontario Northland but I have a lot of loco’s from other Canadian railroads. I thought some type of Museum would be the perfect place to display all of them. Your steamer would fit right into something like that as its waiting its turn to be restored.
That’s an idea.
Anybody else?
Have some weeds and possibly some sort of tree growing out of the cab…and the track should be completely overgrown.
David
Those are good ideas too. When the surrounding scenery is done the track will be almost completely out of sight. As for the tree, that’s one I hadn’t thought of.
Neat idea, JW. ? some faded graffiti on the tender? Course maybe that could never happen on your layout!!
Jim
Jeff,
How about adding a railcar/locomotive rebuilding plant on your layout? Much of the work could be done outside. Have the rusted steamer stripped down with parts around it. Add a few other cars in various states of disassembly.
There was a plant like than near the Route 30 bypass in eastern Lancaster, PA, along the PRR main. I remember passing it as a kid on our way to Strasburg.
I saw an abandoned 2-6-2T north on Vancouver Island last summer. Headlight was gone, builder’s plate gone, front smoke-box hatch ajar, bushes growing up into firebox and inside the cab,. It had the running gear still, oddly, but that might be gone on at least one side. It wasn’t what I would call heavily rusted…much of the paint was still in good order, but I would have guessed that the loco hadn’t been in service for nearly 25 years. It was parked at a large sawmill operation, and a working logging Mike (two blind axles) was used nearby until '2001, so I figure it was probably used until comparatively recently.
Considering the vandalism encouraged by the rise in metal costs these days, the steam dome could be missing, all the knobs and handles in the cab…this one can be freelanced nicely.
Well, now I have the track buried, with the rails just showing and a shot showing the overall scene as it currently appears.
For my suggestions maybe there could be rust on the tender. The coupler could be missing, there could be bushes and other plants on the locomotive. I think the bell should be missing from the engine.
OK, I’ve applied more rust to the tender and bushes and weeds are on the list. The bell is gone and I’m looking at removing the headlight and whistle. The tenders coupler will be gone momentarily.
If the scene is set next to an active loco facility, the steamer might not be all rusted and over grown. Maybe it’s a company picnic area for employees to bring their families to so the kids can play on the old girl. Steps around it so kids can climb up. Maybe some picnic tables and and a swing set. Just a thought?
There was an old steamer in a park my folks took me to when I was a lille kid. It was kept up pretty well.
I already have plans for that on another section of the layout. A 4-6-2 Pacific on display in a park.
Many times on an abandoned steamer, you’ll see one or both of the main siderods removed.
As for the overall scene, since it’s next to the enginehouse I would think it to be more believable as an abandoned parts source. Lot’s of weeds, piles of junk, mostly of a locomotive / industrial nature, and maybe a couple of wheelsets on the tracks in front of it. Some sort of small crane might be present nearby for assisting in the robbing of heavy parts, heavily weathered of course.
All that is coming.
Yeah, your layout isn’t modern enough to have environmentalists picketing the decay of that hulk!
Now there’s an idea![(-D]
If it’s junked and left to rust it should be half buried in brambles and/or nettles… possibly hacked back by enthusiasts fighting their way in to see what, if anything, can be salvaged.
You could steal a truck or two from under the tender… or wheel it out and have the wheelsets or journals removed for another loco.
Bird nests in the motion or cab?
At least some 40 gallon drums, old ties, rail and other general junk. Maybe only a little but where cannibalisation has taken place it is rarely in complete isolation. There might be an old hosit that was used to lift the tender…
Why was it left here and not torched? Was it rescued to be restored but money or interest ran out? One cause of this is often a boiler failing its examination. You could have a pile of pulled-out tubes nearby… maybe a timber stage across the front of the loco that the enthusiasts worked on…
A cracked frame would be a disaster… although it might be welded… an enormous amount of work…
If it’s good for preservation it might have tarpalins covering some areas. At least some sort of lid on the chimney… just a sheet of metal weighted with a lump of rail. If the money ran out (maybe they didn’t pay the rent) there may not have been access to it for some time and any tarpaulin may have ripped in the wind and be covering more of the bushes than of the loco. How modern is it? Tarpaulins are increasingly horrible bright blue or green plastic things over the last couple of decades. You could have an old truck tarp with remains of a company name showing. .Tarps not maintained are great places for rainwater ponds and green stuff.
Then again local kids might have made a trail in on the blind side and be camping in the cab…
If the model has a good backhead on the boiler take the cab off and set it on ties nearby.
The variations are numerous… the clever bit is making it look right.
Jeff how about a ladder leaning on boiler and a couple of workers with a cutting torch starting to cut it up…cut the coal load out of tender makes some new sides put a puddle of rain water in it and a few lumps of coal and don’t forget to white line the number…Cox 47
Here’s 2 new pics showing that two of the domes have been removed along with the headlight, whistle, relief valves and part of the front of the loco. Anything else?
