Just thought i’d post a couple of pics of my latest project–resuscitating my oldest brass loco, a 1964 Akane Yellowstone. I outfitted it with a NWSL can motor, new articulated drive, Tomar ‘track shoes’, replaced the Worthington feedwater heater with an Elesco, replaced the front pumps with Cal-Scales, and put a new headlight on. Repainted it as a ‘never was’ Rio Grande 3900 series, and weathered it with self-adhesive chalk. It’s older than dirt and now runs like the proverbial Swiss watch. And it can still pull stumps out of the back yard! See what you think.
Tom [:p][:p]
and a closeup of the New Front End.
I can’t believe that you have had 18 views, and not one comment, Tom. [:O] Well, lket me be the first to say that you have one great heavy hauler there. What’s it like to have brass?
Good pix… I like 'em.
Tom, just how powerful is that locomotive? You should keep adding cars to the consist until it slips out of control. Get back here with a number! [:)]
My layout won’t allow me to test the maxiumum power of my engines. The most I can string is 60 freight cars around the whole thing. And my BLI AC-5 and Lionel Challenger both can start and move that train.
I hope someday to locate an AKANE M-4 and be able to afford it.
Tom,
NICE!
I’d like to get my hands on something brass one day. One of my LHS has
some brass locos for sale, but I don’t know enough about them to tell if they are good
or bad. Maybe I’ll do some research.
Well it just so happens that I have a stump in the backyard that needs pulling up!
Let’s put her to the test!! [:D] Dave
Aggro–45 cars up a 2.2% so far–it was a solid reefer train (natch). I’m breaking it in slowly–VERY slowly, that NWSL can gives it a top speed of about 45 smph. If it helps, the last used M-4 Akane I got cost me $450, and considering that when I bought THIS beast new back in '64 it cost me $105, that’s not much of a jump. The M-4’s tend to be in the $400 range, these days, though Caboose Hobbies had one a couple of months ago for $750, and from the description of the condition, I passed. I usually limit my trains to about 25-30 cars behind an Articulated–all of my curves and canyons and cuts tend to make even that amount look VERY long, LOL! But I’m going to add some more cars tomorrow–I’ll let you know when it starts spinning out.
Tom [:P][:P][:P]
Tom, you gotta keep those wheels clean somehow![:o)]
Seriously though, it’s looking great. And with that kind of strength I bet it can even whup Spooky!