To buy a back-head detail for all those beautiful used brass locomotives that seem to be down to reasonable price (@$2=400) ? - - - -no, I still can’t afford those $1300 beauties. There must be a supplier for back-heads or not?
Check e-bay, there is a vendor who lists, small, medium and large backheads. These are brass with minimum detail. Would look good though if painted, would be hard to paint as the detail items are so small.
Precision Scale shows backheads in their catalog, though they appear mostly for big articulateds or narrow gage locos. They also show all kinds of pieces that go ON the backhead. You might enjoy building one up yourself. It looks pretty easy–the hardest part might be figuring out what pieces to get and where to put them.
Ed
One of the reasons that has kept me from being much interested in brass steam is that the motors all seem to be placed right in the middle of the cab. The backhead (if any) is way too far back in the cab. I can’t justify the expense of brass when there is such a glaring abnormality in the cab interior details.
I have to confess that I have a P2K 0-8-0 and a TYCO 2-6-2 with the same problem, both purchased when I was too new to the hobby to notice the interior details. None the less I will run them, if only on excursions, because I paid good money for them and I refuse to let them rest unused.[;)]
Dave
As Ed mentioned, Precision Scale is the source for such details. They show eleven pages of details for cab interiors, a page of backheads (add the details yourself, I think), and seventeen pages of complete cab interiors for specific locos. The diagrams alone would be worth the cost for anyone contemplating this type of project.
They make a number of different catalogues: if you’re modelling in HO, you want the one for "HO and HOn3 Steam Locomotive Super-Detailing Parts and Kits (Brass and Plastic).
Wayne
Some backheads were pretty much all the way at the back of the cab–mostly older steam. Strange but true.
Ed
You can get it all, in fact they used to make backhead details just for MDC locos also. Most is out of production but shows up all the time as it seams that is one project a lot bought but never got to, myself included. In fact I even have valves and gauge sets in brass, levers, you name it and like I said, most shows up on e-bay and at swaps.
Yup, this is narrow gauge, but the fireman stands on the cab apron to work. I’d guess that this old girl has a really huge can motor powering her:
Pretty cheap to detail, too. [swg]
Wayne
[:D][Y][:o)]
Great point, Doc. Check your prototype. That backhead sticking out of the back of the cab might just be correct. In fact, manufacturers have been known to choose such prototypes on purpose because the rivet counters can’t find traction[8o|]
Same thing with boiler diameter. In the “good” ol’ days of big honking motors, there were two ways to deal with that issue. Choose a prototype with a fat boiler. Or make the boiler just a little more “generous” than it was in real life.
Again, if something doesn’t look right, it might not be. Then it again, it might just be the way the prototype did it.