I’m looking into a project or two of some steam locos through kitbashing. Looking mainly at styrene construction. My ideas:
2-8-2T saddle tank engine
2-6-2T tank engine with sadde tank or side tanks
2-4-4-2 compound engine (rigid frame, NOT articulated) either tank engine or conventional
0-4-0 or 0-6-0 box cab steamer (ala “Toby” from Thomas And Friends) just for funsies
small cab-forward steamer (someone else got this idea in my head)
Am looking for good engines to use as a starting point, and suggestions on how to do them. Not trying to model any prototype, even if they are out there, just steam engines that pop in my head that seem interesting. Decent priced models only, but if one has a reputation as a ‘bad runner’ am not afraid to put a little money into. This is sort to keep be busy modeling since I can never decide on what I want for a layout.
Ooh almost forgot, this is all HO scale.
Please no suggestions to scour model train shows or go to online auction sites. I don’t do either.
Starting with any 2-8-2 mechanism, fabricate a thinner boiler, saddle tank, vestibule (side door) cab and either a coal bunker or (more probable) oil tank. See photos of Rayonier and other logging 2-8-2Ts for detailing.
starting with the Bachmann 2-6-2, move the cab forward (relocate turbogenerator to bell location, put bell behind stack) and install side tanks and bunker. For saddle tank, remove sand domes and install alternate-design sand boxes on saddle tank, or fabricate tank with holes to accommodate existing domes. Again, there were logging 2-6-2Ts to suggest detailing.
You could start with the Russian decapod, remove the center driver, move the original cylinders to that location, fabricate `hamster cheek’ front cylinders… Doubling up the valve motion and powering both ends of the divided drive are left as an exercise for the student.
Fabricate a box cab to make the Spectrum Alco 0-6-0T into a typical tram engine.
Cab-forwards were simply conventional engines running backward with the (oil) tender coupled to the pilot beam and a pilot under the cab. Can be done with just about any loco with a trailing truck. The only exception was a truly ugly 4-4-0 that had the boiler mounted ‘backward’ with the cylinders under the firebox and the smokebox over the rear driver.&n