Mountain Goats Train Thread.

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The wheels are not too bad compared to some. Ok, they are plastic and if the flanges are a little too deep, I can always turn them down, but otherwize they are ideal.

And today's model train project progress here is -- making holes in roofs!

A little bit of drilling, carving, filing, to open the steam locomotive cab vents.
It would stand to reason that if my layout is set in a place with a climate suitable for palm trees the steam locomotive crew would most likely appreciate some flow-through ventilation.

After that, project progress will be about all the bells and whistles, literally.

Seaboard Air Line loco at top of image had its roof vents done a few years ago.

Appreciate the intricacy of the detail

Thanks!
That they have all kinds of plumbing and hardware hanging out in the breeze is a fun thing about modeling US steam locos.
And ...
That they have all kinds of plumbing and hardware hanging out in the breeze can be an overwhelming thing about modeling US steam locos.

But, hey, it is a thing I enjoy doing.

In years past before developing ME/CFS and other physical difficulties I would have carved off the plumbing which was simply molded on boiler and replaced it with free-standing parts.
Now, just the bells and whistles.
Though the bells weren't molded on, the metal castings are more finely proportioned.
Whistle was indeed molded-on to left side of steam dome, so it got carved and sanded off.

Cab interior detail, the boiler backhead specifically, was merely some faint raised lines suggesting the controls and plumbing.
I did carve and sand that smooth & may eventually, and slowly, a bit at a time, add aftermarket detail parts there.

Cab roofs are separate parts attached by one tiny screw up from bottom at front center; that makes it easier to carve hatches open and eventually to add backhead details.

Also makes it easier to add engineers/drivers & firemen.
Which is top priority for cab detail -- I really, really, really, don't like the 'nobody home' look.

And it turns out there is a surprisingly small number of engineer and fireman figures available.
Especially rare are seated firemen working the oil-burning controls.
The figure makers seem to assume all steam locomotives always burn coal -- which had to be shoveled.
Which is not true -- not only did a number of steamers burn oil, a number of coal burners got equipped with mechanical stokers & would therefore except in rare instances have their firemen seated in cab at the stoker controls.

My goal for tonight is to airbrush grey primer on the boiler molding and tender for the Southern Pacific one which is getting repainted from all black to black cab and tender with light olive green boiler and cylinder jacketing.
That job might take all of 10 minutes but with the mess my health is now I can not do that kind of thing all day any day every day like I used to.

And speaking of repainting boilers ...
If we get another stimulus check, I'd like to get one of this to add to the 0-6-0 stable,
https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.p ... m643amcpt1

And paint it with an apparently bare metal boiler jacketing and steam and sand domes like this real 0-6-0, though of a different design, had in 1953 in this color image, also note that its fireman is presently seated;
https://eriksenphoto.smugmug.com/Trains ... s4dCnD3/XL

Trivia note: Baltimore & Ohio, and, Chesapeake & Ohio, got together in the diesel era to form Chessie System, my favorite diesel era paint job!
That its mascot was adopted from C&O, "Chessie" the cat, is another point of attraction.

And as you might imagine, yes, I do have a Chessie System diesel, and, it does have all the guys aboard so it can do some local industry switching - engineer seated on right hand side of cab, brakeman, and conductor with switch list, standing on front platform.
It too has added details, cab side sunshades, the m.u. hoses, (multiple unit) and a uniquely styled snow plow which Chessie System used.

There is what I'm going to derisively call a current fad for model manufacturers to use true-to-scale size plastic handrails as opposed to oversized and less finely detailed but FAR STURDIER metal handrails.
That does not impress me.

Thank for detailing your work , by all appearance , it appears to have paid off , quite well ..
Yes I must agree about not liking the nobody’s home look .. Am wishing you well dealing with the ME /CFS
And still getting things done . Have some similiar issues , and can understand the almost impossibility of getting things done .

one some days.

I am still working on the tanks of the tank waggons that I am making.

Are these the ones you had to shorten,, or did you have to shorten them ? To fit the waggons

I will take a photograph. They look a mess at the moment but I think I am making progress.

Here we are. They look a mess at the moment. I will clean them up after.

Isn't that how it goes so much of the time when making things!

Aww, wish you didn't.

Thank you ..... hope you have more good days than bad.

Looking forward to seeing your finished products .

While talking intricate detail, one detail not overly intricate which is not represented on these locomotive boiler and cab moldings designed something like 40 years ago is the 2 front doors of the cab.
There are gaps in the wall to represent the windows in the doors but nothing to show the doors.

I have 2 books with HO scale dimensioned drawings of these USRA 0-6-0 locomotives; one book from 1947 and one from 1960, reprinted 1984.

Those doors are about 15 inches wide by about 4 feet high.
Roughly 4mm and a fraction wide by about 13mm and a fraction high in HO scale, 1/87 scale.

I would really like the Southern Pacific one, at least, to have the cab doors open.

Am I up for doing that?

A real USRA 0-6-0 with engineer's cab door open, on a turntable in Washington, DC, 1923,
https://www.shorpy.com/node/11371

Picture enlarges to pretty good sized.
It also shows other details the models do not have, such as the rods and levers to work the sand domes.
Speaking of details, is that guy standing the gangway, who I presume is the fireman, wearing a bow tie

A B&O one in a less sharp image,
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo366sa.jpg

Another B&O, and another guy with a tie,
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo376s.jpg

The model, in light grey undercoat;

Thank you for the old black & hate RR. Pictures. Fun to look at .and you ppiccture