Now that I’ve found a Cailfornia Western roster, I’ve set about filling it. Out of the first twelve locos they owned, which takes me up to the date my railroad will be set, 1917, I have three of those engines. The problem is, they just aren’t my best engines.
They are an IHC 0-4-0 #1
an IHC Premier 4-4-0 Hinkley #5
and a Bachman Plus 2-6-2 Prairie #11 or 12 or 13
The 0-4-0 runs like a toy–it’s geared high, but does okay at slow speeds, but jerks a little with the pistons. It is painted red and has a Cow Catcher that extends beyond what a coupler could reach.
The 4-4-0 is the best running of the lot. It does slow well, except that it stalls when backing through a turnout. The rear of the tender is bashed a little, but if I’m going to paint it black anyway, I think I’ll just weld a piece of styrene like a logging company would have done. I was thinking this engine might pull a combine car for the local passenger run.
The Union Company’s work horses for the period were it’s 3 Prairies. Now I’m not in the mood to take on another kit, so my only option seems to be the Bachman Plus. This engine has everything in the engine in terms of pick-ups and motor. It is not tracking well and any little track dirt stalls it. The engine runs okay, but is a little noisy.
So this is my plan. I’m first going to look around to see if I can find a better -0-4-0. If that fails, this engine is a candidate for remotoring and regearing. I’ll have to pull the cow catcher and fix up the front end. It is also the only engine I’ve ever seen with wood in the tender. Paint it Black and slap a #1 on it.
The 4-4-0 I’m just going to clean up a little and throw a decoder in it. I have to pull the cow catcher and install a coupler. I’m also planing to try Harold’s method of improving the pick-ups on this engine. Then I have to remove all the pretty colors and paint it black. Slap a number 5 on it.
The 0-4-0 may have a problem with the wheel quartering - does it rock from side to side when you run it? It only needs to be “off” by a few millimetres to cause problems. The other thing to check is the valve gear - are there any moulding marks that may be catching and preventing the motion moving freely? Apart from that it may be a case of oiling motor bearings, checking the drivetrain for flash or burrs, adding some grease, and leaving it to run for an hour or so in each direction to bed everything in. Hope this is of help!
It does have a wobble, but that is not what I was talking about. Still waht you describe could be what’s causing the–it’s almost a surge, like piston on a crankshaft when it reaches postion just off of top dead center.
That sounds about right - it runs smoothly then binds up before surging forward, always with the wheels/rods in the same position? I had a couple of Bachmann locos that did that - traced it to quartering after a few months of wondering whether to take them back to the store. Glad I didn’t now - I’ve since seen examples being test run before delivery and they all had the same problem!
When steamers have wheels that are out of quarter (unquartered?) the results can range from annoying to disasterous. Had a friend once that got the NSWL quarterer and tested the drivers on all his locomotives that didn’t run right. The results were pretty impressive to say the least.
Chip, doesn’t MDC make a Prairie? I may be wrong, but I think Tyco/Mantua made a prairie also.
For electrical pickup problems, try adding Tomar contact shoes. They sit between a pair of wheels and slide along the rails. I added them on an Athearn diesel when I needed improved pickup for an Onboard Command Control System (that system was much more sensitive to track signal noise than DCC is). They improved pickup tremendously! If properly set, they don’t take much weight off the wheels at all.
MDC makes a Prairie Kit and I will probably end up going that route if I don’t get the Bachman working. I just have 2 0-6-0’s and a 4-4-0 that are sitting on the shelf already. If I do, I think I’ll get 3 and do them all at once.
Hi Chip,
I rebuilt one of those 0-4-0 locos that you described. It turned into a major rebuild.
I installed brass bushings on the frame to tighten the slop in the drivers, fabricated new connecting rods and crank pins with tighter tolerances, requartered the drivers, changed the gear ratio with a new set of gears and installed a better motor.
Jacking up the shell and sliding a different chassis under it would be an easier route.
Harold’s tips on the 4-4-0 will make your IHC an impressive running loco.
The Bachmann loco would be another good candidate for a shell swap. I have remotored and regeared one, the biggest issue with that job was to get rid of the split axles by drilling holes in the drivers on the lathe. installing insulators on half the drivers and installing steel axles.
In my opinion the Mantua locomotives are better than the locos your working with.
Installing a can motor and improving the electrical pick ups will make a Mantua locomotive out preform most of the newer locos on the market.
Here are a couple of Junk to Jewel Locos I am working on now. http://2guyzandsumtrains.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=558/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=0.html
If you’re serious about wanting to replicate the CW’s roster as faithfully as possible, it’s better to start with the best engine you can. The process might take longer to assemble a decent fleet, but the effort is worth it in the long run, since you end up with better performing engines that look better.
Without delving into the world of brass, here’s my suggestions for assembling the fleet you’ve described:
0-4-0: start with either a Bowser A5 0-4-0, or an MDC 0-6-0 cut down to an 0-4-0. Unless you want to mess with trying to cut down a Bachmann Spectrum 0-6-0T frame, they’re the best shot you’ve got (I don’t think it’s possible to modify a P2K 0-6-0, and it’s too expensive to experiment on anyway)
4-4-0: I’d use either the MDC 4-4-0, or possibly the old Mantua 4-4-0 (which is usually found on Ebay assembled). If you want to go with a plastic engine, use the IHC modernized 4-4-0 and add the older boiler to it (you’ll have to lose most of the weight).
2-6-2: Add a trailing truck to the MDC 2-6-0. You’ll have to modify the frame under the cab, but the conversion shouldn’t be too hard.
The biggest problem I see with your using the engines you’ve got is their appearance, which is nothing like what the prototype had. The 2-6-2 is especially horriffic, since it’s just a USRA 0-6-0 with lead & pony trucks.
I’m working on my own steam fleet on the same manner. Even us “modern” steam guys don’t have it very easy. Since I’m modelling the NKP, I can get “correct” NKP examples of 0-6-0s, 0-8-0s, 2-8-0s, light & heavy 2-8-2s, and the Berkshires. But of all these engines, the only ones that are layout ready are the Berks; everything else I have to superdetail (some only need some detail, some need to have the boiler completely stripped of everything but the domes and reworked. And for the backbone of my roster - the USRA light 2-8-2s - I have to either scratchbuild or kitbash EVERY tender!). In the five years I’ve been seriously modelling the NK
I agree. My plan was to start with what I had and replace as I go. I’m not as persnickety about modeling accurately as it seems, it just sort of dumped itself in my lap.
The 0-4-0 that CW had was a Baldwin build around 1883, so the IHC is really close. I hadn’t thought of swapping chassis, the IHC Mother Hubbards I was planning on selling might be pretty close with a Dremmel. Thanks.
Once again, the IHC I have is a Premiere and like the prototype, a Hinkle. I have had good luck with them. I also have Harold’s pioneering tune-up article to follow. I have a kit 4-4-0, but I have plenty of roster spaces that could go.
Both the 2-6-0’s are old timers and half the size of the Prairies.
Hmm…half the size…in that case, I’d look at the MDC 2-8-0 or 4-6-0, and start chopping. The Harriman boiler might be a bit large, but it can be replaced with PVC if need be.
When trying to 'bash steam, you have to look at each model as nothing more than a collection of parts that can be mixed 'n matched as needed. The only things I don’t mess with a lot is in swapping out valve gear assemblies, since my learning curve hasn’t reached the point of scratching THAT stuff yet!
Sounds like a good idea to me, and exactly what I was talking about. That Trainworld has 'em cheap helps too!
You should see what he can do with an MDC Shay. Search on “The Gauge” Model train Forum for an amazing step by step rebuild of an MDC Shay. Its printed and on the worktable right beside the one I just started. Inspiring work.
I book marked it. I’ll check it out when I get home.
When I first started here people went ot great lengths to talk me out of building an MDC Shay kit. It kinda made me want to do it. Add to the fact, that it is just about the only way you’re going to get a 2-Truck Shay. Well the CW only had one geared loco, a 3 truck Shay. But still, I could have a mining operation that had a 2-truck.
The Mantua Prarie kit is the one Mantua kit I’ve built, and I found it to be a good little engine. I don’t know how it compares to your prototype, but I’d not hesitate to use one. It’s as good as any HO kit loco for running (which is to say that it will be great with the right amount of work).
Years ago I had great success with a Mantua General 4-4-0 kit. Have you been able to compare the Mantua Prairie with the Tyco version? I’m thinking that when the line went Tyco quality went down, but I dont’ know for sure.