Being a pre-WW1 modeler I am always looking for motive power for my era. I’ve notice a few 4-6-0 kits that were made in the 1980’s by a company called The Locomotive Company. The engines would be absolutely perfect for my layout. They pop up on ebay every once in a while. The technology looks similar to the old Arbour kits but with a more sophisticated drive. I’ve built steam locomotive kits in the past so they are not a foreign concept to me. Some kits were a lot harder to build and get to run decently than others (with an MDC shay being impossible for me).
Anyone actually build one of these? How did it go? I guess the other question about a metal kit that old is whether there is any deterioration of of the metals used. Thoughts and opinions? - Nevin
I can’t help with this specific kit, but my guess is it won’t be a MDCShay in terms of difficulty. I built a Mantua 4-6-0 back around 1970 and it wasn’t too difficult at all. The only complexity might be in the valve gear, depending on how detailed the kit is.
If any of the cast metal parts are likely to decline, that would be obvious by now. It will be visible in most cases by now. If not, it’s probably good for a hundred years.
I built one of the 4-6-0 models. The concept was good with at least 3 variations of boiler/cab/tender. The material they used was much too soft - The frame piece would bend with little force applied, and the cab parts were many times warped. They seemed to hit the market with lots of ‘fanfare’ and were gone a year later. The drive did have a nice motor/gear asm - but the frame was not up to the task.
Those old Mantuas are built like beasts. I’ve still got mine on the deadline, in her uglyglorious private road paint. Someday, I may try to clean it up – or it could make a nice paperweight. I think with a good set of wipers, they’d run great – even better with a decent motor. Not sure if NWSL has anything that might help. Anyway, that’s an alternative to start from if you need a 4-6-0.