Ideas for making a N scale nyc 4-8-4 s1b niagara

[dem34]

And they may be less inclined to do the USRA's since BLI just did a few runs of those.

[Bjams87]

I have the light grey with dark strips 7 car set with express reefer from con cor its what I run behind my dreyfuss hudson although my hudson has the white pin strips not the blue straps that run on the passenger set

[mike_lawyer]

And they may be less inclined to do the USRA's since BLI just did a few runs of those.

Kato hasn't done a generic USRA steamer since the Mikado.  I wish they would do more standard USRA designs, but I don't see that as being a priority for Kato.

[ncbqguy]

A number of years ago (fifteen, twenty?) I penned an article setting forth for the NTRAK Steam Handbook what I felt were important design parameters for N Scale steam locomotives.  Essentially based on the Con-Cor / Kato NYC J3a Hudson with minor upgrades for DCC and lighting.

Micro-Ace has a huge range of Japanese prototypes based on the robust Kato design.   Kato decided to "improve" on the mechanism when the did the USRA Heavy Mikado and it and subsequent releases are not as powerful or reliable as the original.

The newer engines have more parts and complexity. 

Any new programs would do well to follow the design principles used in the Con-Cor and Micro-Ace engines.  The self-quartering drivers, low parts count make a reliable, inexpensive to produce product which has not been equaled in 25 Years of "Kaizen"...(continuous product improvement)....which really is engineers having to reinvent the wheel rather than following a proven design.

Charlie Vlk

[nkalanaga]

"Kaizen" sounds like Customer Service at my previous data processing job:

"If it works, change it, before the competition does"

Operations, and Systems, preferred the engineer's saying:

"If it works, leave it alone"

Yes, I know what "Kaizen" is.  My current job, in auto parts manufacturing, preaches it.  I think that's why we have trouble getting orders out on time.  Their idea of testing a new idea is to implement it, then complain about the operators when it doesn't work.

As our customers were community banks, generally small, and usually conservative, they neither needed nor wanted the "latest and greatest" features, they wanted their accounts processed reliably, efficiently, and on time.  Real railroads, historically, have had much the same attitude, for good reason.  In both industries, getting the job done is more important than showing off.

[Bjams87]

I ordered a kato fef to start with for my niagara kit bash now just hopen some 3d prints or an unused box of surperturbines niagara castings will pop up on ebay someday lol

[jargonlet]

You're in luck. I have a casting that I would part with. It's three pieces. Boiler and cab, pilot, and tender. Message me and I will send pictures and we can talk about a price.

[Cajonpassfan]

Lucky you @Bjams87 ! The Niagara boiler is really not like the UP FEF; NYC's eastern clearances were much tighter then those on western roads, so while the NYC boiler is massive, the cab and especially the domes and stack (what stack?) were designed to "fit" within the tight clearances. I nice look, I think, see pic. And Jason's castings are very good, I have a number of them (not NYC); too bad he no longer makes them...
Otto K.

PS: Which reminds me: if anyone on here has Jason's UP Bull Moose boiler castings, I'd love to talk with you!
Thanks, O.

[Bjams87]

I know this also makes it easier to complete the large n scale nyc steam loco for my nyc roster and in late spring try to kit bash a nyc shrouded shay or 2 in n scale I know no model company made those in n scale I've never found one yet atleast lol

[draskouasshat]

I actually have a pecos river brass boiler from their Niagara if anyone needs it. Its just the boiler. I also have a ton of the shrouds. I bought all of his parts that he had left a years ago.

[PJPickard]

I'm not familiar with the shrouds. Are they better than the Con Cor version? Might be interested in one. Is there a tender for the streamlined one too?

[Bjams87]

Update parts are on the way just waiting for the fef and dcc decoder with sound to arrive recived the castings today haven't un boxed them yet will tonight.  Any suggestions were to get wire for hand rails and grab irons for n scale also wire for rewiring a couple of steam locos to remotor and convert to dcc while I wait for the fef to arrive later this month. This should be a fun project hopefully I can find another set of castings in future or at least the tender casting still want to convert my n scale dreyfuss to pt tender and convert it to dcc

[jargonlet]

I use tichy bronze wire. The 0.008” is great for n scale. The 0.010” is good too and is a tad more sturdy. You’ll need a #79 or 80 drill bit to use with it. BLMA made grab irons in several sizes if you can find some of those. I just did a search on eBay and there are some available. Also it looks like atlas has done some releases of those too.

[peteski]

For electrical wiring I like to use wire offered by DCC manaufacturers. It is the same wire they use for their wired decoders.   After trying several brands (TCS, Brawa, Digitrax, ESU), I settled on using ESU 36AWG wire.  Not only it is very flexible, it takes solder well.  Other brands do are more difficult to solder.  Even after dipping the wire in rosin flux paste, it takes a lot of heat for the solder to wet the wire strands. This causes the insulation to melt and pull back, exposing more bare wire than needed.  ESU wire is clean bare copper and the strands get wetted by solder fast, without the insulation melting.  I always tin the wire on my wiring projects. Tinning the wire makes soldering it to its final destination easier and the solder joint can be made quicker.

I get my ESU wire at Streamlined Backshop. https://store.sbs4dcc.com/wireproducts.aspx

[Dwight in Toronto]

Here’s another big thumbs up for ESU’s decoder wire. 

It’s everything Peteski says; just really nice to work with.