Casting Steam (was: And even more steam questions)

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Parts. It is very hard finding parts. I have purchased a few Spectrum shells just for the add on details, but I am still in search of the following:

Cab with arched windows.
Small tender shells - like those used on the MP 2-6-0/American, Bachmann 2-6-0 or the skinny coal load USRA of the LL 0-8-0.

I tried calling carious companies - MRC/MP, Bachmann, Walthers. No one is interested in selling parts. Can't find any online either. What do you guys do here?

If anyone would be willing to lend me the parts, I could cast my own, along with anything else you might need. The parts would not be harmed.

Also. traction tire replacements?

I certainly have new respect for you steam modelers.

[chessie system fan]

The only arched window cab I recall is on the old bachmann reading 2-8-0.   Damaged locomotives are probably your best bet for parts.  They show up on eBay every now and then.  Your best options for tenders are the Bachmann tenders that are sold separately, but the underframes are metal so wheelbase is important.

Really,  scratch building is your best option,  especially with archer rivets available.   It's also much less trouble than casting something just to modify it later. 

What prototype are you making?  I assume you aren't talking about the 4-8-2.

[peteski]

I bought couple hundred dollars worth of parts from Model Power when they were still a standalone company (and Mike, a very talkative parts guy, was quite helpful).    But the difficulty in obtaining spare parts is a universal problem (not just for as you call them "steamers").  There are only very few American companies even willing to sell spare parts.  Kato, Atlas, and Bachmann (the main 3 parts suppliers) are really providing great service to the few of us needing spare parts.

With everything done as limited runs (and Chinese subcontractors refusing to run extras) it is difficult for companies to get spare parts even for their own repair service. As far as making parts available for retail, there is such a small minority of N sclae modelers who purchase parts that it is a money-losing business for the manufacturers.  Yes, it sucks, but that is the way things are.

[mmagliaro]

Traction tires:
Use Kato Mikado tires on anything where they fit, GS-4 tires on larger drivers.  There is also a new supplier
http://www.lovetrainhobbies.com/Model-railroad-N-scale-traction-tires-large-medium-small-steam-diesel-lovetrain.html

I have some of these and they look very promising, but I have not tried them on any engines yet.

--------------------------------------------
For detail parts:
Miniatures By Eric (his own line of very nicely cast plastic and brass detail parts for N... despite many of his on-line photos which
don't make the parts look so good, the parts themselves are all excellent)

Republic Locomotive Works - carries all the parts from the GHQ steam conversion kits as separate parts.  It's hard to negotiate the
website and there are almost no photos of any of the parts, so you have to go by descriptions and if you can get the GHQ
instructions sheets, you can use those as a guide as well.

Shells:
The best bet, as others have already advised, is to scour the earth for dead engines and harvest the shells and parts.
Most of us who have been at this for a while have accumulated stashes of these parts that we won't admit to 
for this very reason: it's hard to find something when you need it.  Better to hoard it so you have it.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The arch window cab I was thinking about was the one from the MP mogul and American.


Would anyone be interested in creating a parts inventory? You have seen my pressure casting setup. I can cast in color including gray and black. Parts could be cast without damage to the my master using a styrene box and white glue. Lending a master would get you access to the whole inventory of cast parts.


I'll try and scout the Marlboro show this weekend for donor material. I would love to get my hands on the Riv skinny coal bunker and large tenders.

I currently have cabs from from few spectrum engines to cast and I think a few smoke box fronts.

[chicken45]

Yeah, a lot of those GHQ parts sold out. Enter @Lemosteam and Keystone Details.

[mmagliaro]

The arch window cab I was thinking about was the one from the MP mogul and American.


Would anyone be interested in creating a parts inventory? You have seen my pressure casting setup. I can cast in color including gray and black. Parts could be cast without damage to the my master using a styrene box and white glue. Lending a master would get you access to the whole inventory of cast parts.


I'll try and scout the Marlboro show this weekend for donor material. I would love to get my hands on the Riv skinny coal bunker and large tenders.

I currently have cabs from from few spectrum engines to cast and I think a few smoke box fronts.

You want an old Rivarossi/Atlas 0-8-0 tender shell with the narrow coal bunker for casting duplicates?
Oh!  I thought you only wanted the LL one.  I've got some of those Rivarossi ones ("Indiana Harbor Belt" is the road name, but who cares about that, right?)

Want me to send it to you?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The LL one would be ideal, but I'll take what I can get.

Wish Bachmann or lifelike had the Berk tender available. I need that for the R1 project.

[mmagliaro]

Bachmann does have the Berk tender chassis, shell, and trucks listed, but all sold out.  But they do periodically restock
those things, so just hang in there for a few months and see if they appear.

Meanwhile, I found an old Rivarossi 0-8-0 shell in good shape that you can have.  Send me a PM with address info.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Thanks to a few very generous modelers, I will be able to make castings of the MP tender and cabs along with the Riv switcher tender.

Still looking for a Berk tender to cast... This is the type that Bachmann and lifelike produced in addition to the one ConCor tossed in the backs of almost all their large steam for decades.

The are fairly easy to cast. The next trick will be to cast individual parts, which can be very tricky.

The is a local train show tomorrow so we'll see what is there.

[craigolio1]

Any thoughts on using a slice of heat shrink tubing to make traction tires? Black, rubber, shrink to fit.

Craig

[peteski]

Any thoughts on using a slice of heat shrink tubing to make traction tires? Black, rubber, shrink to fit.

Craig

IMO, the walls will be too thick, and it will be very difficult to shrink them evenly over the rim.  So you'll end up with lumpy tire.  But feel free to experiment. 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Kato and Bachmann seem to have a good stock of traction tires. There are a few sales on eBay that feature clear tires, which I'm eager to experiment with. These look a lot better than the black ones and I think they may be just a hair thicker which would work well for my Light Mountain and USRA 0-8-0

A member offered his Bachmann Mogul to cast. I want to verify he won't mind me striping the paint first before I agree. That will bring the following parts total:

MP "Shorty" tender shell (will fit Bachmann sloped tender chassis)
Bachmann "Shorty" tender shell (will fit Bachmann sloped tender chassis)
Bachmann USRA Shorty tender shell from 10 wheeler
Riv 0-8-0 narrow bunker tender shell (USRA shorty chassis?)
MP Mogul/American cabs (square and arched windows)
Bachmann ALCO Mogul cab
Bachmann Baldwin 10 wheeler cab
Bachmann Light Mountain cab (I believe this also works for their 2-6-6-2)
Bachmann J cab (not sure on this one. It seems really model specific. I don't think I have seen another cab that has a truncated forward slope as on this model. Any ideas?)
Bachmann Alco Mogul domes
Bachmann Baldwin 10 wheeler domes


So not a bad start. It will take a bit of time to set up the casting process. I plan on making a multi-part mold for several masters at once.

Would love to get my hands on a Berkshire and FEF tenders.

I also made some real progress on the Bachmann J chassis for my R1. Things are starting to look good for that project. Would it be worth it to cast the R1 shell? Is there anyone interested in B&M steam?

Where is castmaster Jason/Superturbine? I figured he would be all over a post like this 

[Rasputen]

Republic Locomotive Works - carries all the parts from the GHQ steam conversion kits as separate parts.  It's hard to negotiate the
website and there are almost no photos of any of the parts, so you have to go by descriptions and if you can get the GHQ
instructions sheets, you can use those as a guide as well.

I expressed my feelings to RLW about his web site, I even tried to help out by taking images of the parts I had bought.
I named the images using his existing naming convention and sized them the same way, so that all he had to do was FTP them to where ever his site is hosted from.  He still wasn't interested.

Anyway, I made an album in Rail Images here:

http://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?media/albums/rlw-parts.2621/

[superchief]

superturbine/ Jason is engaged again and is off playing with motorcycles now, I hope to speak with him today I will let him know about this thread. Gordon