1st time poster… Annnnd 1st time building a Bowser (HO) locomotive kit. It’s been pushing the edge of my comfort zone, but I’ve been taking my time, and enjoying the experience.
Just got the left side of the valve gear installed - step 6/6a. Following is a link to a video showing its movement. How’s it look? Is it correct?
Thanks for any comments…
Curt
[#welcome] to the forum Initial posts are moderated, which means you couldn’t look at it as soon as you posted to see there is no link to the video.
https://www.bowser-trains.com/docs/instructions/100430%20instruct.pdf
6/6a are on pages 4 and 5.
After you riveted, were the connections loose or tight? The pieces should “flop” if you hold up the valve gear. As far as the timing, if you’re close, it’s close enough.
Edit: Welcome to the forum.
[#welcome]
I have a bit of experience with the Bowser Northern kits. I built two back in 2012. The valve gear may be the same as on the Mountain.
Both of my GS4s turned out very nice. I didn’t have any problems that I can remember.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q4ARAr7PfRzCZICu8X96QAb8BbjkerYg/view?usp=sharing
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
[#welcome]
I hope you can stick around through the short moderation phase and join the discussions.
-Kevin
Well, let’s give that link another go…
Looks right to me! I’ve built quite a few kits from Bowser and others, and if all the parts are moving freely and staying together, then it’s good to go.
Looks like you did a good job. Bowser steam locomotives are pretty good pullers when running right.
Looks good. You’re ready to try the motor. Getting the gear lash correct can be a bit tricky–I have trouble seeing around models with big drivers.
Thanks for the replies and encouragement everyone! Got the motor on yeah, the gear lashing isn’t very easy to see… Seems to be running smooth, though.
I’d like to paint the body with PRR’s DGLE (Brunswick Green) but am having a problem finding it. I don’t have an air brush and don’t want to make that investment right now, so I’d really prefer to find it as a spray.
Curt
This Bowser Pennsy A-5 was painted with Pollyscale DGLE, and is somewhat distinguishable from black…
…but once weathered, it looks pretty-much black…
Wayne
See this thread from 2016 for some guidance.
http://chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104117&start=12
There have been historic-preservation threads on RyPN (where thread search still works reasonably well) and someone in that community may have specific ‘rattle can’ advice for you.
I think Scalecoat II makes a PRR Brunswick green in a spray can.
https://www.minutemanscalemodels.com/product-p/20066.htm
I have never used Scalecoat II, so I can’t tell you how good it is.
Thanks for the link to thread, Overmod. The discussion pretty much confirmed what I had been reading. My understanding is that the PRR standard color for a loco is Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (DGLE), sometimes known as Brunswick Green. It’s darned near black. My wife tells me she can see some green in the samples online…
Re Scale02, I’ve heard of that until recently. My understanding is Scale01 is for metal, 02 for plastic… The thing is that it has a glossy finish. I think I’d want a flat finish… I emailed MinuteMan and got the following response…
So the 1006 would be a gloss the only way to ger a matt finish would be to top coat with out satin clear 1056 (sic)
Not sure what that even means…
I use Scalecoat II Brunswick Green for all my PRR models and haven’t been disappointed. The paint quality and finish is excellent. I haven’t tried the spray cans, but I’d imagine they use the same high quality paint as what you get in the bottles.
Welcome Curt.
Dark green locomotive enamel (DGLE) has been a constant talking point on many forums and even the modeling committee of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society. Some say they mixed 1cup of hunter green to 5 gallons of black. And others say different.
DGLE is a matter of perspective. Light, shadows, clouds, and weather would make the locomotive color look dramatically different. A freshly painted locomotive would look more greenish than one with a few months on the road. Some shops were too busy to worry about the looks while there was one shop that actually washed and waxed each locomotive at least once a month.
Paint it to what looks good to you. The last locomotive I painted was a Westside K5s. I used Scalecoat DGLE and ended up adding a little black to tone down the green. Testors had a DGLE years ago in a rattle can but I have not seen it for years. Depending on where you are you can try an automotive paint supplier. Pick a color swatch that can be mixed and placed in an arrosol can. It would be expensive but durable finish.
Good luck and happy modeling.
Pete.
P.S. The one positive to Scalecoat is the ability to bake on the finish. Ticked off the wife using her oven but wow what a finish.
Airbrushed Scalecoat I works just fine on plastic or metal, and I would think the results would be similar from a spray can. The formulae for Scalecoat I and Scalecoat II are very similar in their make-up, with only the proportions of the ingredients varying between the two.
A newly-painted locomotive would, I think, have a glossy finish on the majority of it, and that would persist for some time, depending on the service it was in, and the time between cleanings - some locos looked like they were never cleaned, whereas some roads, at least in some eras, were rather fussy about the appearance of their equipment, especially if it was in passenger service.
The photo of the just-painted Pennsy A-5, which I posted earlier, shows the locomotive pretty-much as it might have looked when it rolled out of the erecting shop.
In the second photo, the loco has not been over-coated with a clear matte finish, but rather has been weathered with various applications of airbrushed paint and brush-applied oil-based pastels.
While almost none of it remains shiny (at the request of the friend for whom it was built), the numbers on the cab and the “PENNSYVANIA” on the tender were masked during the weathering process. This was to replicate the appearance of the real 713 in a photo, where the loco’s crew likely used a kerosene-soaked rag to wipe the dirt and soot from those areas - perhaps a little show of pride in the loco they were using.
Testors’ Dullcote is a good choice if you need a flat finish - it comes in 2oz. bottles, and when thinned with ordinary lacquer thinner - one part each of thinner and Dullcote - is good for airbrushing. Dullcote, ready-to-use, is available in spray cans, too.
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