Just saw an ad for a bowser kit 0-6-0, went to their site and was impressed that someone still makes kits, also they had a great selection of different locomotives, Is this stuff made in the U.S.? Is it a new company? I know of them in the past, just what is the quality of their product? The results of people building these kits are quite remarkable, is it worth it to put many hours building one for the end result? I haven’t found much about these locos on the site, anyone out there ecstatic about their kit???
Try a search for Bowser on this site.
You will find numerous postings on the Bowser kits.
Tatans–
I’ve never built a Bowser kit, but from those who have, I’ve heard nothing but praise for their quality and craftsmanship. The company’s been around for a long, LONG time, they inherited the old Varney and Penn Line metal locomotive kits way back when, and have been turning out new and improved versions of those and their own kits for years.
From what I understand they are NOT ‘screwdriver’ kits like the older MDC loco kits (which I’ve built with great success) and require a LOT of patience to put together, but the ones I’ve seen are very smooth running, will pull like a mule, and can be superdetailed to look like the best of brass.
If Darth Santa Fe catches this thread, he can probably tell you all about them. He’s built quite a few, and seems to REALLY like them.
Tom
Actually 2 messages down in the queue is a current thread on building an PRR 0-6-0 from Bowser.
Dave H.
In my old HO-Scale days the majority of my steam locomotive stable were Cary/Mantuas but I did have a couple of Bowsers in the herd – a couple of NYC K11 Pacifics and my largest loke, a USRA Mountain. I had tried to get a Challenger at one time but was prevented from doing so because it was out of production at that particular moment. These kits are not shake-the-box; they require considerable work in assembly - needle/jewelers files are an essential item in your toolbox or on your workbench - and in tuning but they run like jewels and pull like giants.
You will, I feel, get a resounding buzz completing one of these things.
Bowser has been around, in different places under different ownership, for over half a century.
The Bowser kits were originally manufactured under various brand names back in the 50’s. They have been improved and upgraded over the years, but the basic design and construction reflects the best of half century old kit technology. With care and a lot of work, Bowser kits build up to excellent models - far better, IMHO, than old brass.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with old brass locos)
Darn right I can!![:D]
Bowser has been in business making kits in the US since 1946 (they actually brought out their first product in '48), so they’re a pretty old company. The quality of all their products is very good to excellent, depending on what you get. Most of their steam engines at this point use very smooth new boiler castings with very little flash, but some (like the K-11 4-6-2 and Challenger 4-6-6-4, shown in my signature) use parts that are still made in old dies and need much more work. Either way, they’re great models when finished (some rival high-end brass in detail), and assembly is straight forward, which is why I’ve now built four.[:D] The Deluxe kits even have thier parts pre-drilled for the lost-wax detail parts, making their assembly MUCH easier. Bowser has online diagrams and instructions for all their kits, just so you can know what you would be getting yourself into.
As far as I know, Bowser has always sold their products under their own name (except for the other brands they own, like Stewart, Cary, Cal-Scale, etc.). Here’s a page showing their detailed early history: http://www.railstop.com/History/Bowser/BowserHistory.asp
I believe many of the Pennsylvania RR locomotive models were first made by Penn Line.
The K-4 Pacific was my first locomotive kit and and I recommend them to anyone in HO scale.
Enjoy
Paul
Thanks, Paul. You’ve made my point.
Darth, Penn-Line produced a larger line of kits than Bowser when I was in that market. Unfortunately, Penn-Line followed the primrose path of slot-car racing when it was all the rage, and went down when that bubble popped. Fortunately, Bowser bought the Penn-Line tooling, so Pennsy fans had reason to rejoice - at least, those who modeled in HO did, and still do.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Darth Santa Fe(or anyone else), what small steam engine would you recommend to start with. It should be easy and detailed. Those are my only concerns since this would be my first engine.
Thanks.
Magnus
I’m considering ordering either the Pacific or the light Mikado. Anyone got any opinions on those kits. Are they easy to make in to DCC.
Also, is their any website that sells them besides Bowser themselves? I hate to order just one single engine when I order so I like to combine it with other stuff.
Magnus
Hello I have the k-4 pacific also and its was a fun kit to build. But take you time. And I would get some extra rivets they are small and get lost fast. You can try www.kitbashdepot.com they have some Bowser and MDC kits. I am not sure on the DCC I am still dc for now. Have fun with your kit Frank
Yes, they are made in the US. They are located in Montoursville, Pa and have a well stocked train shop in the same building. They also own Toy Train Heaven.
Lillen, how small are you thinking?
If it’s switchers, the B-6 would be the best, since it comes as a Deluxe kit. The A-5 has to have all the holes for details drilled by the owner.
For the medium-small sizes, the Light Mikado and Pacific are both good choices. Just remember that they’re generic, and don’t fully represent any one prototype. If you want something really easy to build, the “Old Lady” 2-8-0 and “Casey Jones” 4-6-0 are the simplest of all, since most of their detail is cast on.
Standard Hobby Supply (http://www.standardhobby.com/) and Susquehanna Hobbies (http://www.sushob.com/index.html) both carry Bowser kits at discount prices.
tomikawaTT, I see what you mean now. I thought before that you were saying Bowser would make the kits, and then other brands sold them, kind of like Mehano with IHC and AHM.
Thanks for the info and the link. Does the B-6 come with a DCC friendly engine. I couldn’t find that info on the Bowser site.
What decoder would you recommend to put in to these engines?
I’m mostly interested in a switcher and one of the two others. Probably a pacific. I would also consider a consolidation.
Magnus
Bowser, itself, was a post-WWII startup company that did business with a Redlands, Calif address. Sometime in the late-'50s or early-60s they got acquired by English Model Railroad Supply. English, in turn, incorporated the old Penn Line and Varney brandnames into Bowser. They have essentially done the same thing with their acquisition of Cary Locomotive and Stewart Models.
All Bowser steam engines in the last few years have DCC friendly motors. There are no DCC sockets, so everything has to be hard wired, but that’s still a step up from having to isolate the motor brushes.
The B-6 uses a small can motor that a 1-amp decoder could easily handle.
The larger engines use Bowser’s DC-71 open frame motor (http://bowser-trains.com/hoother/dcc/dcc.htm) which has a stall current of nearly 2-amps, so you’ll want at least a 2-amp decoder if you keep the DC-71.
Thanks for the help Santa.
So just about any normal decoder without a plug will do. I’ve never ever done something like that. But that is the point. I want to LEARN.
Magnus
be ready to do some riveting, but usually that tool is provided in the kits.
work patiently, and the results are great. You will do the usual metal burr filing and fitting and screwdriver assembly as well. I lke kits because you can modify the work if you want to to match to a prototype or freelance or fix something or add a little detail-feature.
DCCing is only a matter of isolating the motor from the frame.
I have 2 Challengers and Big Boy and all run fine, the Big Boy is down for the moment for a good motor but I have proven it runs just fine.
The Challengers run great.
An 0-6-0 will be an easy kit to do, now try the challenger…heh