Pennsy K4s?

[Dave V]

I'd love one, along with an as-built tender too. I'm really into the idea of trying to figure out how to do some 1910s PRR steam... oil headlamps and all.

I have to ask....  Are you also planning to get some turn-of-the-last-century rolling stock to go with?  I think it would look sweet on the forested end of the shelf, but might look a bit odd rolling under the I-83 overpass.   

[mike_lawyer]

OK.  I'm one of the guys clamoring for a RTR K4.  Jason's casting looks great, but it wasn't something that I was on my list of wants.  I have several Trix K4's that I would use for upgrading / bashing.  Having a K4 casting provides another option for obtaining a boiler with better details. 

I may buy a K4 casting, but since I am starting at the beginning of the learning curve, I'm not sure this would be a good idea for a first project.  However, after seeing pictures of the K4 casting, I did buy a Kato C55 2012 loco with the idea of using this for Jason's K4 casting.

I would rate an H9/H10 or M1 shell higher on my list of wants since there is no readily available option like a Trix K4 and I have 2 each of Bachmann 2-8-0's and heavy 4-8-2's that I acquired with the intent to bash these into these locos.  Having  castings of these boilers would eliminate the need to slice and dice the Trix K4 and B6 shells that I have acquired.

I realize that I will need to make the effort to bash the H9/H10 and M1, since I'm not willing to pay the going prices on ebay unless I win the Powerball jackpot tonight.

There is a lot that I will need to learn and will probably be contacting guys like Dave Vollmer, Lemosteam, Victor and Max among others that have been there and done that to make these PPR steamers.  The models they have created have inspired me to at least try.

Scott

I strongly encourage you to try.  I was really scared about kitbashing before I made my I1 based on Max's tutorial.  I made some mistakes along the way, but they were correctable and I learned from them.  Just doing one kitbash increases your skills tremendously. 

Mike

[billvassar45]

superturbine your work is the best i have ever seen. you are way out of my league, i am going to try a randquest climax and see how bad i can mess it up.

[Lemosteam]

Agreed on everyone's posts here, but, and this is a big but for me, pun intended; the real reason I want a RTR unit is for the Running gear!!!

NO ONE makes a mech that comes close to a true laird slide outside of a brass unit.  THATs where kit bashing breaks down for me.  Even my own favorite bashes leave me heavily disappointed in this area .

I suppose the c55 comes close or maybe the fleischmann, but both are still annoyingly incorrect to me.

I have been waiting patiently for Superturbine to be ready and when that happens Ill be ready to jump into the project.

Mucktown128, thanks for the kind words!

[eric220]

Can someone link me to the H-class boiler thread on TrainBoard? I'm having trouble hunting it down.

[wazzou]

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?146850-My-new-Shapeways-project

[victor miranda]

Some times I want to be quiet and tinker and watch my locos roll without fuss.
the thing I understand is that fuss is required at times.

fuss is time and money and skills being applied.

Ready to Run(RTR) is just the application of money
and it follows that time and skills are at a close to non-existant.
lets use Kato's gs4 as the standard of appearance for RTR
the price is also medium for RTR.

for a hard to own model of a prototype a lot of fuss will get applied.
the n-scale world has a PRR K4s... While it is not up to current standards
it is not all that far off either.
lets face this issue with clear eyes.

why are so few kicking down super turbine's door to get his K4s kit?

for 50 dollars and 20 more for all wheel pick-up tender trucks you can have
what is considered a pretty good runner.

what I see as the issue here is where the price goes when anyone must
buy the c55 in addition to the above. (add 100?)

what happens is that you go from 70 dollars
to 170 without any improvement in appearance.
It is not hard to do, in fact it is pretty easy.
I think it is worth doing AND yet I am not willing to state
it is the best solution for everyone.
The nice part is that painting is optional.

now to the problem...
starting with superturbine's K4s shell...
(he says there will be additional castings.)
you will add the c55 for a current total of 185
and you bolt it together...
I promise the pilot wheels are oversized. those will be replaced.
is that another 5 bucks?
I guess we can glue the Kiesel sideframes onto the C55 tender trucks
and the engine trailing truck will be ok with the C55 wheel in it.

so for 190 dollars and an easy paint job
you can have a K4s with Kato reliability and Brass good looks.

two problems left... motor hanging out the back and the steam chest.
Good news! use a 20 dollar Kato motor and the Mikado cylinders! Both are still available.
The cylinders are 16 to 20 bucks and will get a few side-rods spare.
With the last 20 dollars being optional, sorta, in that the C55 steamchest will look
a lot funny on an otherwise accurate K4s.

ok now we are at 210 to 230 dollars...
and this does made the very large assumption that superturbine
will make a kit of 8 castings available for 85 dollars...
Also the assumption that the C55 wheels and trucks are suitable.

the fact is that the minitrix/c55 conversion is close to bolt together
and requires soldering skills and a hacksaw.

the better looks kit WILL cost more and WILL require more skills and time.
the 'more skills' part being the real killer in this.

I MIGHT have the skills to clean up resin castings.
I know I dislike painting and decaling....
I know I don't have a lot of time for such things,
and when I think for a LOT less time I can have the minitrix conversion....
I do not believe I am alone.

some thing recognizable as a K4 exists.
the better path there is to dress up the minitrix.
The Headlamp, the KW trailing truck and the Kiesel tender truck will do better.

there is nothing like an PRR h class in plastic, however...

[superturbine]

From what Ive seen Victor you fuss a lot.  I am too busy building castings and engine to address much or your post.  But it seems to me that if you spent a little more time trying to do something instead of fussing  you would have that H class. 


P.S. Do you really think I would keep the c55 steam chest or use a Kato steam chest?           

[victor miranda]

There are times when all the world's asleep
The questions run too deep for such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am

a bit of a supertramp song as I recall.
I am not at all sure why it popped into my head.

Hi superturbine,

I have always tried hard to stay out of the way of industrious people.

It was a post meant for you and I spent a long time trying to find a way to say it.
I apologize for wasting your time.

Allow me to point out that Skipgear said it much shorter...
"The K4 shell fills a hole that was not empty."

he added a much shorter explaination...
" Anybody willing to kitbash a K4 on a better
mechanism seems to be perfectly happy with the Trix K4 shell as a starting point and
 probably have already done it by now."

victor

[VonRyan]

Ah the H-Class.... Mine still lacks the B-mann 2-8-0 chassis, and as of the moment i'm broke. I have the minitrix K4 shell already cut into ints respective pieces, awaiting its final resting place...

Do what you do superturbine! You do great work, albeit questionably expensive from my point of view, but exquisite none the less.

If you want to borrow my H10sa shell once it is together, your welcome to it.

-Cody F.

[Dave V]

I owe my much-better running PSC K4 to Victor's ingenuity and patience.  I'm not sure where the friction is coming from but you are both doing amazing things in N scale steam; I would hope you can find common ground.

[Dave V]

When he decides to offer something to his fellow modelers I will not be attempting to bring him down.

Gotta call you out on that one...  He has.  Quite often.  I'm only one recipient of Victor's direct assistance.

A number of us asshats attended Victor's steam tuning clinic at the 2011 NSE convention in Harrisburg.  One of the highlights of the old A-board for me were Victor's exacting reviews of new steam mechanisms and performance.  He was not the only one to offer that, sure, but he added to the collective in a positive way.

You can certainly call him or anyone out on their opinion, but suggesting Victor hasn't offered something to his fellow modelers is simply untrue.

[superturbine]

Nope, and I can see how you would misinterpret,  I did not say he has never offered anything.  I said I would not give him a hard time when he does.  Not sure of products he has offered in the past but there is a difference in do and review, offering a repair and providing a physical part.  I actually have no hard feelings toward Victor (I am a little puzzled by his need to inform me of the supposed lack of interest in my K4 castings).  The simple fact is I have had at least 10 people interested in the K4 casting.  I am not yet happy with them which is why no parts have been delievered.  On another note, when additional T1 (all truck and frame assembles) parts are done I will gladly send them to Victor and will be happy to see his results.

[draskouasshat]

Jason, youll never meet the standards of a "MODEL" railroader that doesnt model anything. Some just cant appreciate what goes into true modeling when they dont have the ability or ambition to do it themselves. Thats why they b!tch and moan when what they want isnt the newest latest greatest model to hit the market. Theres no use in beating a dead horse in constant need of geritol.

[Scottl]

I'm not into steam particularly, but I can't help but admire the excellent results of your modelling and casting efforts.  This thread has made it abundantly clear to me that some folk want RTR products- let them wait then.  I prefer the "can do" approach taken by those willing to invest in time, effort or collaboration for what they want.   Keep up the great work- thanks for sharing!