I am working on my first kitbashing. I will appologize up front for terminolgy errors on my part. I will take into acount the worldly environment of this forum. Please feel free to educate me. Even though I have had A GR for about 5 years I feel that I have a very lot to learn. I give credit to Vic Smith and Brian Donovan for giving me the idea to do this. Vic’s Heisler and Brians Dunkirk. Mine is to be a Dunkirk Gilbert Typr B with a Big John flavor. I am using an LGB Toy Train Loco. I think it may be called a Stainz. It will rest on an acrylic. Here is the start.
I can’t quite figure out how to mount the Shay power bricks. Any ideas would be appreciated.
You’ll need to work up a bolster to attach to the bottom of your base. It can be made of wood, plastic or whatever. It needs to be just thick enough to accomodate the bump on the mounting plate of the shay trucks and a hole in it just a bit wider than the bump. I used a cut down rubber bushing for my bolster (which I have no idea where it came from). I used a screw through the mounting plate on top of the shay truck and up through my base to a small lock nut (the kind with the built in rubber ring to prevent it coming loose). My lock nuts were covered up by the coal load at one end and the other was under the boiler but hidden by the air tank on one side and tool box on the other.
When my Stainz stripped out its gears for the second time I decided to retire it. It took 6 months to get it repaired and then it only lasted about two months. I believe that the motor should have been replaced. I noticed after the second time that the motor shaft had quite a wobble.
That’s not a Stainz but a loco from the Toytrain line usually with the name Atlas painted on the side. Its the same engine they used for the Cowtrain. I have a few of these, they are good little engines but only for pulling a couple cars. FYI
Thats a great looking loco so far.
Is there any way to reattach the sideframes to the bricks? That would really make the model. Those Bmann blocks should handle any load you throw at them.
Do the bricks have integral weights in them? if not you will need to add some weight into the boiler and fuel bunker to give you better pulling power.
Vic, yeah it is an LGB Toy train. I didn’t know if they were referred to as a Stainz. It was named “Columbia”. I can put the side frames back on but I am hoping to use the side frames from a Hartland flatcar. Still waiting for it to come in. The bricks are really heavy. The locomotive also has a very large weight. But, I removed the weight from the locomotive. It kept derailing in one part of my layout. The track was level and I am still not sure what was going on. When I removed the weights it stopped derailing. It has some pulling power without a doubt. I was surprised when I took hold of it while it was running. You could feel the power pulling it out of my hand.
I was going to try and use some trucks from a Hartland flatcar, but, wholesaletrains seems to be having a hard time getting things in stock. Anyway I am going to try and completly scratch build side frames from brass. Has anyone tried this before?
Nice footboards George. I had to cheat a bit on mine and do two small footboards on each end because of the tang on the bottom of the Aristo couplers I use.
You could definitely make your own from brass or styrene. If you have a local hobby shop near by that sells Evergreen styrene, the styrene strips could make it pretty easy. I like Ambroid ProWeld or Plastruct PlasticWeld and they make nice strong joints.
I had to modify my Hartland truck sideframes quite a bit to get them looking prototypical. I inverted them, cut out the middle section and inverted it, put in real springs and added styrene to the ends the journal boxes to make them long enough to cover the axles. It might have been just as fast to scratchbuild them.
A little more detail added while I wait for the supplies to build the trucks. Brian you did a great job on yours. Your detail work is something. I just noticed the brakes. Hadn’t thought of that, Anyway here are a few detail pics from some work this weekend.
The cab detail is pretty much original.
I really am enjoying this part of the hobby. I had built bridges and such but never a kit bash. I already have another one in mind. It is called the Toonerville Trolley. I live near St Marys GA where the original is kept reconditioned to run on roads now.
Great work on the brass. That trolly (the metalic toy) wouldn’t be that hard to build, just build completly from styrine and leave under a heating lamp for a cuple of days.
Brian do you have a full view pic of your Dunkirk as it is now. I have seen some earlier pics, but, it looks like you have done some additional work. I noticed a bar coming down on the left side of this posted pic. It looks like something I just added last night to mine.
Just finished scratch building the truck frames from brass. Took her out for a little spin. Still have to do something about the drive linkage.
Thanks for the pics Brian. I’m not going to even come near the detailing you have done. In the future maybe, but, for now it is time to put this one to work.
