A trailing truck and a spare H4 shell for donor bits (perhaps Smokebox front, and certainly air pumps / bell / perhaps cab?) are on the way from Bachmann. Hopefully they arrive soon. I will then decide whether to try to make a new boiler shell, as this one has the walkways far too low =/
Update - Still waiting on the Bachmann order, and the LEDs I ordered (from China, of course) arrived and were the wrong ones. This project will recommence soon! The Bachmann order has arrived in country, so hopefully i get it in the next few days!
The parts have arrived! I decided to use the whole smokebox front of the donor 2-6-6-2 shell I bought for detail bits, and for a cab for my H5 (the H5 model as built has the early cab that C&O swapped out in the 20s). The pilot, cab, and smokebox have now been converted, and we're down to detail bits and a final decision on whether to make a new boiler shell. Wanted to show it off a bit! I got a Delta trailing truck too! It is cast metal however, and seems a bit long - I want to use it as the K3 had a rather long-legged trailing truck, but I need to modify the Kato trailing truck pins and/or the trailing truck itself to work. It's coming together!!
And here is a comparison image with the version I am building, a K3A of the late 1940s with the extended cab, and now on the correct wheels! The pilot's larger size is a necessary evil to clear the lead truck and the eventual MT coupler. I am very proud of this so far!
Thank you much =) The trailing truck is now mounted. I believe I will redo the cab to lower the notches more in line with the walkways, and I still need to sort the headlight and a tender. The one I have needs the contact strips replaced and it seems to be beyond me
I think I know both how to redo the contact strips on this tender and how to make a new boiler shell. Details to come - need to order a bit of brass!
An update: Feedwater heater manifold is on, with brass wire for associated plumping on hand. Tender trucks now have electrical contacts that works. As soon as some low temp solder arrives so I can attach the pins for the tender drawbar to connect to the locomotive's frame, we can see a maiden run!
Update: The pins for the tender have been attached, the mechanism tuned, and it runs! Sorry for the terribad video, it was with my old Acer phone. It will crawl at 1 tie every 2 seconds or so if I want it to; that 12 wheel bachmann tender does amazing things for the pickup. Now its just a matter of a Feedwater pump, some plumbing, and paint, decals, and couplers!
And nearly done: New feedwater heater and feedwater pump from a very inexpensively sourced old Atlas 0-8-0 shell (Thank you!) walkways modified, a new pilot made that is much more stable, working headlight and tender back-up light, and a few smaller details! Now it's just plumbing, handrails, numberboards, and bell!
