Hello everyone. Here is the next installment in my SP&S #626 4-6-2 project.
There are a lot of different little subsections this time that are seemingly unconnected. But they
are connected.
My next major milestone on this project is to get all the mechanical pieces done. By "mechanical", I mean
anything that can affect or interfere with the physical running of the model. Now that I have all this done,
I can begin test-running the model and working out any problems before I start on all
the heavy detailing.
Here's a summary of the work completed in this installment:
1. Tender tail
2. Tender truck mounting and wiring with backup light in the tail
3. Tender front deck and oil bunker sides
All the above get the tender functioning mechanically and electrically. It covers all the parts that
affect the tender coupler swing or the tender's affect on the engine via the drawbar
(and by potentially hitting the cab on curves)
4. Adjust drawbar length and height
5. Some very unpleasant rework on all of the above owing to the fact that after it was all done,
I realized that the tender bunker was sitting over a scale foot too low.
6. Lower firebox sides
7. Driver brake shoes
So away we go!
1. Tender Tail:Some views of the finished back piece mounted on the tender come below, in the section on wiring
and lighting the tender.
2. Tender Truck Mounting and Wiring, with Tail Light:
3. Tender front deck and oil bunker sidesThe photo below is where things went horribly wrong with my tender, height-wise. First, let me make it clear that
the ride height on the trucks is fine and the water tank section of the tender is at exactly the correct height
within a few scale inches. However, that front deck, and the whole oil bunker, should be at about 82" above
the railhead, not 70".
How did this happen?
Well, the GN 4-6-2 from whence this engine came existed in two minor variants. One had a deck height of about 70"
and a cab floor to match. On that version, the engine running boards actually make a step down as they move along toward the cab.
The
other variation had the cab raised by about a foot, with completely straight running boards, and a tender
deck raised up to match. The prototype drawings I have (which are for the GN engine) show the
lower cab
version, but there are notations on the blue prints explaining the heights for the version "with raised cab".
The SP&S #626 is one of the raised cab engines, and I noted this when I built the engine, so it has straight walkways
and a higher cab. But I overlooked that this mattered when I built the tender. So there you go.
You'll see below how I built it, realized my mistake, and then raised everything. I wanted to leave all this in, because I think
it is all part of the journey I am trying to share with everyone. Victor Miranda once said (and I paraphrase here), that if you aren't prepared to make the same part over many times, you shouldn't be doing this.
I agree.
And now, on with the project...
4. Adjust drawbar length and height
I was just having some fun when I made up this next picture. But it was this picture that revealed my
tender mistake. After I was away from it for a little while, I looked back and realized that there should be
one clean continuous line along the walkways, under the cab, and along the bottom edge of the oil
bunker. But my bunker had an obvious "step down" to it.
5. Tender Rework/RaisingActually, the tender itself is fine. But that bunker and whole front area need to come up about a foot.
The top of the oil bunker actually hovers a little
above the cab roof on the prototype!
So, I sliced everything off, remade front deck parts, moved the steps, and glued everything back together.
Here's a broad range of shot angles showing the interim state of the engine after that.
After shake-down running, I'll see if I have more clearance than I actually need between that cab roof and the bunker.
If I do, I'll close up the spacing between the engine and tender. If not, a cab deck plate and some curtains will
still help close up the gap.
6. Lower Firebox Sides
7. Brake ShoesThis is always a delicate task. I have used Gold Medal Models etched brass brake shoes several times now, and each
time I do it, I learn a better way to attach them. I spent a lot of photos on this part because these are tricky
to install, but add
huge realism to an engine, so they are well worth it.
Now, the hard one begins...
That's it for this time. Next, I will solder leads across from tender to engine,
and run it for a good number of hours to shake out any mechanical problems before starting on the next big phase:
detailing the boiler.
