I am thinking of building a Mason Bogie model, what should I use/buy to get started?
What scale? The DSP&P 2-6-6 Mason-Bogie is a pretty unique locomotive, and I don’t know of any kits available. If it’s G-scale, you might be able to use the LMB ‘South Park’ Mogul as a starting basis. In HO30, the Bachmann Mogul might be able to be adapted, but it would take a LOT of kit-bashing, shortening the wheel-base and boiler and probably having to build an entirely new drive-train for it. I’m sure it could be done, though.
I think you’ll probably have to go the ‘scratch’ route in any other scale, though. I do remember that many years ago, PFM imported an HOn3 brass model of it, but you’d probably have to do a lot of searching on brass websites to find it, if you’re lucky.
That loco was a really handsome little devil, though! I wish you luck, it would be interesting to see a model of it.
Tom
Check out this site:
http://www.mylargescale.com/articles/masterclass/mc2/mc2-00/mc2-00-01.asp
You might be able to adapt it to your size.
I don’t know why folks assume this would have to be narrow gauge. The New Haven had 4 Mason Bogies, Class Z-1 (2-4-6T) and Z-2 (2-4-4T), all standard gauge.
From “New Haven Power”, by Jack Swanberg:
Class Z-1 (2100-2102), 1885-90:
16x24" Cylinders
57" Drivers
72,000lbs in weight
Class Z-2 (2103), 1887:
14x18" Cylinders
51" Drivers
56,000 lbs in weight
There was also a NH predecessor road (the Boston, Clinton & Fitchburg) that had one named “William Mason”, built 1874. A 0-6-6T, it had 42" Drivers for freight service. This engine became Old Colony RR #108, but was scrapped before the 1893 NH takeover.
In HO scale, it looks like you could try to start with an 0-4-0T and go from there. I wouldn’t recommend that you try to make the “bogie” swivel…I just don’t know how you’d power it.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Sorry to be frank, but your posting “what should I use” seems to show that you don’t have any experience on making a model steam locomotive, probably one of the most difficult efforts in our hobby. And you seem to be waaaay over your head. Pick something simpler, learn from there and move on. Not saying you cannot do it, but it sure doesn’t sound like something someone should start out with attempting simpler projects first.
Good luck anyway.
What would be a simpler project?
Try to find and build some steam engine kits - Bowser, Roundhouse, probably others. Check eBay for steam engine kits. See how you make out assembling something designed by someone who knows what they are doing. Use knowledge gained by assembling to work towards doing one on your own. Check out magazine articles (using the MR magazine index) for similar projects. There have been some in the past on scratchbuilding brass engines.
It’s sort of like a person buying a set of mechanics tools and asking how to make a car. You have to learn first.
Your right I see now that I was just too eager to jump head first into something I know very little about.
Hey the best time to do new things sometimes is when you don’t have a clue to how hard it is, I wouldn’t be as well off today if I had known from the start what my new buisness would entail, I would have been scared into not doing it!!!
A daunting task indeed, but the photo of the loco is one of the best looking steam locomotives I have ever seen, what a magnificent piece of machinery, just how popular and efficient was this type???
The Mason Bogie was the United States version of the Fairlie. Approximately 146 Mason Bogies were produced 88 of them being narrow gauge. Major buyers included the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad, which owned 32, the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, which owned 23, and the New York and Manhattan Beach Railroad, which ran seventeen locomotives. So as you can see it was pretty popular engine. Here’s a picture of one. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Wm_Mason1.jpg
