Another Whimsy project. A oil fired 2-6-0 Cab Forward from a Mantua 0-6-0T with decoder. Original inspiration from years ago. Mantua 0-6-0T My Cab Forward. Just installed crew and real window glass. Close up view. Drawbar has been added after I took the photo. Runs very well with a Digitrax DZ125 decoder. Driver pickups added to all three wheels on one side. The other side is normall pickup via the drivers and frame. The tender wheels are all metal with all wheel pickups. It is a fun project. Lex
Hahahaha if that isn't the cutest, darndest thing I've ever seen. Now that is imagination at work. Edited add on: Oddly enough the first Cab Forward was close to your interpretation. They used it at a mining facility. Vacaville, Ca., comes to mind but I can't sware to that. Well done!
That looks nice and quite innovative; I applaud your build. And I bet tit was much cheaper than the others. Plus you built it:thumbs_up:
Oddly (for me) this is entirely believable, and I think you should be congratulated. :tb-biggrin: I think it turned out very well!
Hi All Thanks. It is a fun and ongoing project. Still a bunch of little details. The tender came from an older Bachmann UP 0-6-0. I tried to make the two pickup wires from the tender to look like the steam for heating the oil and the other for delivering the warmed oil to the loco. A third hose is just a piece of tubing to represent an air hose which is too big from the photo. That will be replaced. Below is a photo of the driver pickups which was a big improvement over the Manua two driver pickup and is not seen when painted black. Tender pickups, an idea from someone else. The pickups are a Kadee #5 spring. I used Walther's Goo to attach to the truck and some loco tender installations, I drilled and tapped for 0-80 screws. I run DCC. Lex
The below photo is from a year ago and gives a little better overall view. The broken "pipe" on the tender has been replaced with "blackened" brass wire. I usually use "Blacken It" for loco details. The loco pilot and dual air hoses are from PSC and were "blackened". Lex
Indeed, a nice job, Lex. Of course, as Lex suggests, the original HO "prototype" was created many, many years ago (late 40's/early 50') from a Varney 0-4-0 "Dockside". Subsequently, a conversion kit was offered by Kemtron to convert the Varney engine (price $4.00!), to which the modeler had to add an oil tender (Kemtron suggested using their VT-2 Vandy, price $7.50). For a time in the 1950's, these strange little beasts were fairly common and versions appeared many times on the Trackside Photos page of MR. The lead truck from the Varney conversion was offered for use with the Mantua 0-4-0 "Booster", as well, making it a sort of cab forward, while in addition improving electrical pick-up. Subsequently it was discovered that, with a little work, the Kemtron frontal casting could also be applied to the Mantua "Booster" to creat another full blown mini cab forward. When Kemtron passed from the scene Walthers pick-up the dies and became a source for the necessary parts. Even more recently, the front casting for the Mantua has been offered by Yardbird Classic Trains, who notes that with some work it is adaptable to many of the larger engines in that company's line of steamers, as well. NYW&B
Below is a link to the Yardbird site where I found some parts and ideas. One option is the slope back tender with his oil bunker option. The couple slope back tenders I have seemed a little oversize. http://yardbirdtrains.com/index.htm He does have a nice assortment of crewmen. Lex
I completely forgot about the real first inspiration, an oil fired Cab Forward narrow gauge 4-4-0 loco, circa, 1875. North Pacific Coast No 12 Lex
HI there, I have only ever seen one picture of it but your engine from memory is very close to an Italian State Railways engine that was built in "Cab Forward" mode. I believe it was a 4-6-0 and was also coal fired from bunkers on the sides... just tried a Google search and found this picture which makes it number 2! http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mucca.jpg Enjoy your handywork, Regards from Oz Trevor http://www.xdford.digitalzones.com for your interest!
