P&WV 2-8-2 1053

[nickelplate759]

Here are four steps.  I'll pick the best two and try and mount them.
They are 1mm wide and 1 scale foot (ish) long.  Soldered to 0.015" bronze wire for mounting.  The wire will be on the bottom when mounted, and hopefully not obvious.

[nickelplate759]

And here are two of them on the smokebox:



<phew!>

[nickelplate759]

Added numberboard and painted graphite

[amato1969]

Really nice solution to that detail !!!

[nickelplate759]

Opinions please - I often see models, and builder's photos of real engines, where the smokebox is graphited but everything attached to the smokebox is black (i.e. stack, headlight, railings, steps, etc.).  This engine is is going to be old and faded - I may even try weathering it a bit (never done that on a steamer before) so do you think I would notice the difference if I paint those attached pieces black, or leaving them graphite close enough?

Oh - the idea for the step details came from @Chris333 and @mmagliaro a couple of pages back.  Worked really well!

[nickelplate759]

next decision - lettering the tender.
I have an old Rail Graphics P&WV steam decal set - but it's HO.  There's no N scale set.
I used the herald, even though it's oversize.  I think that part's OK.
The dilemma is - do I go with obviously oversize but otherwise correct lettering, or compromise on the font?
I tried it both ways and would like opinions:

The P&WV initials on the tender should have 18" letters, but the closest set on the sheet measures out to about 24".
Here's what it looks like:




I also have Microscale alphabet set.  The closest size it has is 16" (really close), but the fon't isn't exactly correct.  The difference is most apparent in the ampersand.



A few notes:
1. the yellows are slightly different.  A little weathering should even that out.
2. The letters is off center towards the front of the tender.  That's wierd, but that's what P&WV did.

Here's the real thing:

[mmagliaro]

1. I think your steps look terrific

2. Details attached to the smokebox, in my opinion, should be a different color than the graphite smokebox.  If you make them the same, they will disappear, especially in N Scale.  I would go with a dark gray color, just because black tends to be too jarring and tends to hide all the detail on a part that you would like people to see.

3. On the decals: definitely compromise on the font and use the smaller lettering.  The font is still really close, and I think the oversized lettering draws attention to itself as "something wrong".   

[nickelplate759]

Thanks Max.
After a lot of thinking, I have indeed settled on the smaller font.   I'm glad I tried it both ways.  This morning I even went and posed the tender behind a locomotive, both ways, and took pictures to put alongside the photos of the prototype.   The smaller font is less jarring.

I am working myself up to brush paint the smokebox details.  I know I can do it, just need to pick a time when I'm up for close work that needs a steady hand.   I may leave the the stack alone, 'cause I think it will call attention to any flaws in my brushwork.   If I get REALLY rambunctious I supposed I could mask and spray it.

[nickelplate759]

I've been unable to find a good picture of the rear of a tender.   The P&WV Hiline site has a blurry 3/4 rear photo of #1050, but I can't tell what the text is. 
<this is a link to https://thepwvhiline.com/PWVHeavyMikes/images/PWV1050_4Web.jpg >


It looks like three lines of text.  Presumable one line (the larger middle one?) is the road number.  I suppose another might have the water capacity (12000 gal).
Anyone have a clear photo or lettering diagram?

George

[mmagliaro]

I wouldn't paint the stack a different color.  It is usually painted with graphite like the rest of the smokebox.
I was thinking only about appliances, stanchions, handrails, that sort of stuff being painted a different color.  The only thing I would do on the stack would be to add some "soot" around the opening.

[nkalanaga]

The "&" in the picture of 1050 looks closer to the Microscale one than to the Rail Graphics.  It looks like it has the knob on the end like the MSD, rather than a straight line.  Here's a picture of P&WV 919 showing the lettering better.

[Cajonpassfan]

Interesting build, George.
Following with interest.
Otto K.

[SkipGear]

Generally, the back of the tender has:

Water Capacity in Gallons
Coal Capacity in Tons

These were put in the same place on all tenders so workers knew where to look and what they were dealing with.

The third line is probably road number, not sure if it would be top or bottom though. Most roads seemed to put the road number up away from the capacities.

[nickelplate759]

Thanks - time to go hunting in my old steam loco decals for water and coal capacity lettering.

In this case, I've convinced myself that that middle line is in fact the road number.

I'm going to go with water for the top line (12000 Gal)  and coal for the bottom - but I'm not certain how many tons is correct, as the tender had its coal capacity increased at some point.  I believe it was built at 16 tons (or maybe 17).

[nickelplate759]

I've hit a glitch. The Bachmann "long USRA" tender I'm using has 6 pins for a socket to connect DCC to the engine.  I need to use 4, so I bought some 4 pin sockets.  Although the pin pitch matches, apparently the pins on the tender have a bigger cross-section than the socket (something random and cheap from eBay) can handle.    So - anyone know where I can find a socket that is known to work with the Bachmann tender?

I looked on the Bachmann on-line parts page and didn't find anything