I'm not too good at waiting around for glue to harden, so while my 2-10-4's are hardening I've been playing around with a spare Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern shell that I cut up for a 2-10-4 only to realise it didn't quite match up with the latest shells. So this is a Guinea Pig for a class 3751 ATSF 4-8-4/ The first picture is what I started with and the second is where I've got too (not far). It's a little rough but shows the large sand dome removed - it's the light grey loco.
Modified the shell again, changed the position of the steam dome and the round hedgehog thingy, removed the reverser and the air reservoir as well. These will be replaced with the correct type. All the boiler bands will be removed, the boiler will be trued up and smoothed out, the bands will be put back in the correct places and brass and steel steam lines etc will be crafted and added. I'll need to add the two sand domes.
I've been working on this a bit, removed the big box in front of the cab and removed excess filler from the middle boiler section, still a long way to go.
So you're modeling her late in life? Because she scarcely even resembles the engine she was when built in 1928.
No I was aiming for early in life like this http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3840039 I have one more major cut and shift to do on the boiler, then I'll add the two sand domes and the rest of the appliances. At the moment it's not looking like she resembles much, I have a very long way to go.
Ah, before the big rebuild in 1938 when she got 80" box pok drivers. She was quite a Northern even back then. But she was not yet as fast as the brand new 3765 Class, which is why the road spent so much rebuilding relatively young ten year old engines. I'm looking forward to seeing her. Models of the 3751 Class in their early days aren't common.
Yes that's what I'm building pre box pok drivers and I also have 3765 Class on my list. When I'm done I should have a 2900 class, a 3751 class and a 3765 class 4-8-4 Northern
I made the last major cut and rearranged a hatch on top of the boiler, took the measurements of a scale diagram to get it about right. So now the next job is truing everything up, smoothing all the cuts (there are many) removing all the boiler bands. I then need to add new boiler bands, sand domes, new walkways, all linkages, handrails and appliances. A long way to go!
It's looking a bit bald right now!! 90 per cent of the details have been removed and the shell is almost smooth. I need to do some more sanding and filling. The shell looks like it has a kink so I need to straighten it. Adding the proper details is next.
Keep after it, you'll get there. It appears to be a straight shell to my eye, though the depression in the boiler top does make it appear bent, the running boards say otherwise.
The bent bit is now taken out, made a cut 90 per cent through the shell and glued it back to straighten it. Added a ton of putty and lots of sanding. Still more putty to add and more sanding to go. The pictures show where I've got to. Please note the mechanism the shell is on is not the mechanism for this 4-8-4 , wrong drivers. The bottom picture shows the shell sitting a bit high.
I cut away some of the walkways in preparation for the correct length to be added as per early model 3751 class.
I've got a Shapeways 4-8-2 boiler shell arriving in a few weeks. If the round sand dome is big enough I'll make a mold of the dome and use them for the 4-8-4.
Still waiting on the boiler, started on walkways, just to keep this moving along a bit. I have to trim the end of the walkway - a little too long - need to wait for the glue to set rock hard or it'll ping off, don't ask me how I know this
It looks like the front dome is just about spot on - cool. Time to cut off the remaining domes and fix that lumpy shell!!!