In a recent post several people have recommended that I do some kit bashing. So, I am going to. Starting with my Model Power Shifter, which had the tender, and coupling thing on the engine destroyed. I also have a Bachmann reading 2-8-0, which is too far gone, and right now I don’t have any cash, but would like to do stuff anyway. So, I thought, why don’t I use the detail parts, and cab, along with the tender on my shifter. Sound silly, but the model power is my favorite engine, and my first, and I don’t know if I want to kit bash it, as I don’t really want to 100%, more like 95%. I know people are just going to say “YOU DECIDE” but I can’t, and my family is no help. The engine was due for the garbage anyway, or at least the shell. It’s gotten lots of dings, and broken parts. What do you think? PLEASE HELP ME! Thank you!
Whoa, there. I think you might be putting the cart before the horse. I realize you have a lot of enthusiasm and the last thing I want to do is to dampen that enthusiasm, but there are some things you might want to consider, the first of which is what are you trying to create out of the material you have at hand? What’s your concept of the finished model? Do you have the basic tools, work area and miscellaneous material to do the job?
It was a long, long, time ago, but I was 13 once and I remember what that was like. You want to do everything at once. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. I know you don’t want to hear that, because I didn’t want to hear it all those years ago and it really rankled to be told that by adults. My family (or more specifically, my father) had no interest, either. OTOH, it was more a case of apathy than of regarding it as something not quite appropriate.
Without cash to buy tools, materials and such, you’re kind of stuck. I know absolutely nothing about Canadian labor laws, but is there any way you can get some kind of job to earn money? I ha
The hardest part is making the first cut. In some ways, it felt like sacrilege when I took the knife to the plastic of my Roundhouse Climax. My first attempt was real simple - convert from wood burner to coal burner. The second attempt was painting the cab roof on my Rivarossi Heisler. That was a very expensive (my most expensive) locomotive - over $100 in the '80s, and was a Christmas gift from my wife.
With a throw-away engine, what have you got to lose? The downside is minimal no matter what, and the upside is that you learn new skills, and perhaps even come out with a locomotive you love. Go for it!
Fred W
“Without cash to buy tools, materials and such, you’re kind of stuck. I know absolutely nothing about Canadian labor laws, but is there any way you can get some kind of job to earn money? I had a paper route at your age, but that’s very uncommon any more and probably would not be a viable option for you anyway since, with your dad being a farmer, you’re probably in an area with a population density that would make delivering papers on a bicycle well nigh impossible.”
Andre
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Actually, I do have a job, but I don’t get my first pay check (close to $300) for a while, and I really want to start NOW. I have always liked my little engine, but I have found it unsatisfying lately, detail, and pulling power wise. So, I am going to add, If I’m 100% committed, I’ll ad a valve gear, pilot, bell, railing, cab, and tender, along with other detail parts.
The first cut IS the deepest.
I know. To make that first cut into a $200 to $300 model is very scary but, if you do what I did and follow an article in a magazine then that really helps. My first kitbash was to shorten the tender on a Spectrum 2-8-0. I used a combination of ideas from articles in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman to get the look I wanted. Once I’d done that first kitbash and realised it’s not as scary as I first thought, I now plunge ahead and a take a jeweler’s saw to almost anything.
I’ve shortened at least four or five 2-8-0 tenders and the tenders on my two Athearn 4-6-2s. Kitbashed details on Spectrum 2-10-0s to take away the Russian look, added running board skirts and vestibule cabs to Spectrum Mountains and heavily modified IHC 2-10-2s by adding Spectrum tenders, vestibule cabs and moved details around. In fact, other than the P2K 0-8-0 I don’t think there’s a single GER steam loco that hasn’t had some cosmetic work done to it.
So go ahead, make your day and make that first cut.
Actually, I do have a job, but I don’t get my first pay check (close to $300) for a while, and I really want to start NOW. I have always liked my little engine, but I have found it unsatisfying lately, detail, and pulling power wise. So, I am going to add, If I’m 100% committed, I’ll ad a valve gear, pilot, bell, railing, cab, and tender, along with other detail parts.
I understand you want to start now. What I don’t understand is what you’re trying to create out of the material you have at hand. What is your vision of the finished product? How would changing the cab, adding detail parts and putting a new tender behind it (I assume that would be the tender off your old Bachmann 2-8-0) make what you have better than it is now?
The Model Power Shifter bears some resemblance to the old and out of production Mantua Shifter. However, there are some significant differences. There is a valve gear set available for the Mantua Shifter (upper left hand picture ): http://www.yardbirdtrains.com/YBSMparts.htm, but there may be a sufficient difference in the construction of the Model Power Shifter to require significantly more work than would be required for the Mantua engine (a very old version of which can be seen here with valve gear applied): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=170609984022 . The valve gear comes as a kit, which requires some delicacy in assembly as the individual pieces are held together with small rivets.
If the choice you have with your Shifter is throwing it away or experimenting with it, there’s certainly no harm in experimenting with it. If nothing else, you will learn some of what NOT to do. However, you may still end up tossing it in the dustbin.
There is a group on Yahoo called yardbidttrains - Yardbird Classic Trains Group.
I understand you want to start now. What I don’t understand is what you’re trying to create out of the material you have at hand. What is your vision of the finished product? How would changing the cab, adding detail parts and putting a new tender behind it (I assume that would be the tender off your old Bachmann 2-8-0) make what you have better than it is now?
Andre
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The reason I want to change the cab, is because I can’t pull ANYTHING with it, which is a pain, as I enjoy the running quality of this engine, after a tweak of the motor, and gears, along with a flywheel. If I add the cab, it has the mechanism for pulling the consol tender, so that is why. On thing I will surely do is put on the pilot, as it has a dummy coupler, which is IMPOSSIBLE to add, unless you buy a whole new engine for parts.