Monday Mountain thread

[aterry11]

The forum doesn't die. , but it's hard to post a photo when You guys have all the nice mountains!!

[ScaleCraft]

But, just so Bob doesn't think the forum dies without him, here is a Mountain for the week:





Jim

I thought Jimmy's Vanderbilts were rivetted....

[bob turner]

I am back! We did spend an evening in Corsicana, and had I known ahead of time, we might have invited Jim down. Corsicana is lovely, and has a stunning "old town" and a streetcar!

Yes, by all means please - the story on the GN Mountain. The GN tenders were all welded.

[R.K. Maroon]

I see Bob is back, so I will let him have first-crack at identifying the tender. It's one of his favorites, as I recall.

This mountain is, as best I can tell, a fairly accurate model of the GN P-2. The model looks like a Scale Models or Jack Ferris item, but there are things about it that makes me think it could be a post-war scratch build. More on that in a later post.

I bought this on eBay not long ago for less than expected. I was warned by the buyer (who I had bought from before) that it was heavy. Heck, all the old ones are heavy, I thought, but I perhaps should have listened to her and begged off this one. Check it out:



Sure, sure -- it's in a wood crate, but that's still just three ounces shy of 30 pounds. Note the balance point on the scale, which is a clue that the weight can't be all crate. As it is, the tender contributes more than you might think it should:



But the real issue here is the engine weight:



It turns out the boiler is completely filled with some white metal. It's probably lead, but it may be that low-temperature stuff that I recall seeing in the old Walthers catalogs (or wherever) that melts in boiling water. I say that because the weight material was poured directly into the boiler cavity, and I would think that if it was molten lead that it would have desoldered things. I need to investigate this but I am trying to stick by my new rule of only having one model on the workbench at a time. So this one goes in the queue.

Jim

[rex desilets]

it may be that low-temperature stuff that I recall seeing in the old Walthers catalogs (or wherever) that melts in boiling water

Yeah. Cerrobend. Available.
Bought an HO scale brass PRR J-1 (AHM!) years ago that had had the boiler filled with Cerrobend. Would pull stumps. In fact it pulled so well it spun its drivers on its axles, right out of quarter.
Also copied a plastic boiler front by pressing the original into softened modeling clay and then pouring melted Cerrobend into the mold. Made a fine copy. Some old time modelers, before 3 printing, etc, made detail parts for their scratch-built models similarly.

[ScaleCraft]

The GN tenders were all welded.

Former GN tender used as water car:
http://www.gngoat.org/gn_tender02.jpg

This is from 1246:
http://www.gngoat.org/pdx_con72.jpg

2575:
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/tenders/gn-vand.jpg

So who knows?
Supposedly S-2's all had welded tenders, yet 2575 is an S-2, and maybe somebody glued rivet strips onto it?

[rogruth]

More proof that there always seem to be exceptions to what we have learned in this hobby.

[ScaleCraft]

Especially when one is told "GN tenders were all welded".

[R.K. Maroon]

The tender is an Adams and Son. I believe this was originally produced as part of the C&O Kawanha. Big ol' chunk of bronze.

[rogruth]

A question that I am not sure how to ask and it may be sort of round about.
Most of us three rail guys did not seem to care a whole lot if our equipment was not true to prototype.
We accepted a PRR 2-6-2 that was usually referred to as a Pacific. A PRR caboose/cabin car that was
marked for B&O was OK. You get the idea.
Now have the 2R scale modelers always been concerned with being true to prototype or were they
similar to the 3R guys and were happy if close?
It seems to me that both types of O modelers have become more concerned with prototype realism
in recent years. The "doorstop" locos and rolling stock from earlier periods appear to have some
discrepancies that many of you spend time correcting. I believe that there were many that modeled
as close as possible but that there were many that were happy with close.
Your comments please?

[ScaleCraft]

Yup. I don't give a rat's hindquarters about absolute fidelity to prototype.
Like PA windows.
If they don't like them, send the engine to me.
Remember the old adage...there's a prototype for everything.
I like doorstops for what they are...history.
Oh, and reliability.
To the best of my knowledge, I have zero imported brass.

[bob turner]

It is a hobby. Each of us has a slightly different take on what makes us happy. I do care about PA windows and nose taper, but am happy without rivets. I do not care about exact passenger car windows. I do care about boiler bellies being round; I do not care if my trucks have actual coil springs in them.

Some have to have realistic scenery. I do not lust for scenery beyond a water tower and maybe an SP depot.

Doorstops intrigue me more than Japanese or Korean brass, but as you know, my 17/64 steamers are at least as detailed as the vaunted USH imports. I do have a trio of Overland PAs that will be traded for somewhat more primitive models in the future.

It is funny - my first O Scale steamer ( not counting the Lionel 763s) was a Max Gray MT-4. It ought to be my favorite model, but it isn't. My favorite is that original exhaust pipe boilered MM-2.

A hobby is for individual happiness. For some folks, happiness is absolute scale fidelity with a center rail. I am probably the opposite of that, and happy anyway.

[rogruth]

Dave and Bob,

You have tol me just about what I expected to hear and again made the point
that this is a hobby that should be fun for the individual that is involved.

I hope I here from more.
Am I close with what I said above?

[ScaleCraft]

I like some scenery...more than Burner does....I want reliable engines. I LOVE straight geared AN F units....you can hear them from outside.
RK Hall told me once the boys that designed our doorstops knew what they were doing.
They were balanced.
He had a balance beam, set all his engines up without lead or trail trucks, for dead centre on the drivers...and he showed me how doorstops CAME that way. Were some not so good? Maybe.
Cast iron tyres, open frame motors, sand cast bronze and balanced...I could out pull by more than double what the import shXt could pull.
I remember the last time at Rudinski's...he yelled over "We can only get 12 car trains up the mainline grade!", to which I responded "Is that a challenge?"
12. then 18, then 24, and I think we stopped at 28. That was the SC mountain, and the SC Mike did about the same.
Woody used to ask when I was going to take the ash can headlamps off..never. That's the way they came.

I drive OLD Fords. Cosmetically they are nothing compared to the new plastic shXt out there...but I guarantee you, unless they park one of those new POS cars in a controlled environment, they will NOT get 66 years on them and if parked, no way to get a half million miles.

[E7]

Roger,

If what you are doing puts a smile on your face that's all that matters!

Rich