# Building a Nonesuch



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, first -- Yes, I know there weren't any such animal as 1850s narrow gauge 4-4-0s --- that's why it's a "Nonesuch"!

Now that we have THAT out of the way, if there was one, what would it look like? Maybe something like this?









Or this?









Shawn Fields sent me an Aristo Pacific drive. It came this morning, and by lunchtime looked like this. I know the counterweights are wrong for 1855, but it ain't worth replacing 1/3 of the spokes to fix.









I also had an incomplete MPC "General" kit here. While the General IS an 1855 Rogers, the kit is a model of it's 1896 rebuilt configuration... So I decided to backdate it just a bit. The first step was to section the boiler and move the sand dome forward. It will now be a second steam dome.









I recycled the Bachmann pony truck that I shortened for #12, then didn't use. The General kit is 2-1/4" gauge... narrowing things for 45mm required a bit of reconfiguring because the boiler is just a bit too fat. Good thing I wanted inclined cylinders anyway! Yes, in 1:24 those are 66" drivers. It's an express engine!









Narrowing the tender trucks was fairly easy, so was fitting them with Lionel wheelsets... I strengthened them with coffee stirrers so they MIGHT hold up under use.









That stopping point called out of glue blues, the cab is just hanging in mid air to see what it will look like. The motor will be in the tender like a B'mann HO scale 4-4-0... I couldn't figure any other way...









not bad for a day's work?


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Mik; 

WOW! You work FAST! And it's really looking good. You are really giong to like that engine. 

Best wishes, 
David Meashey 

P.S. Could you use some really thin pieces of styrene to dummy-up the older style counterweights?


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmm, that's not a "Royal" nonesuch, is it?


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Not bad for a days work??? I thinks it's great! 
I really like the creative way you use materials and build your models Mik.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Some thoughts for others who want to try this. 
1. A REA/Aristo Rogers drive would probably be a better starting point. An Aristo or Lionel 0-4-0 might work as well. 

2. The kit plastic is really light flimsy and some of it is just plain brittle. Plan on replacing the siderods, and perhaps using a bit of pvc pipe for the boiler (scavenge the wagontop section, smokebox and sand dome). 

3. Building a whole new frame might be easier than trying to narrow the kit one. Maybe even consider soldering one out of brass box for strength. 

4. The front truck HAS to be reworked to slide side to side... unless you have really, really broad curves, so you almost HAVE to incline the cylinders for clearance. The plastic rail from the kit actually comes in handy for making a set of guides for the truck to slide in. Z styrene or brass might be even better though 

5. In gauge 1 the sides of the cab floor tries to occupy the same space as the rear drive wheels. It might actually be easier to just replace it than to modify it.... 









Anyway, here's what it looks like this afternoon.... I just HAD to use that cool ball sand dome... it's a wooden bead.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Doncha HATE starting over? I tried to modify the counterweights, and Kim's "works on most plastics" glue decided that it didn't like the stress and vibration..... Soooooooo, since I have to redo a bunch of things anyway, I'm going to try to modify the drive block to fit the motor inside the boiler (at about a 45deg angle).... Remind me again that this is "fun"?


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

The reconfigured gearbox.... 









It runs about as smooth as the original one did.... Is it just me, or were those Aristo Pacifics geared awful high?


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

ALMOST back to where we were yesterday morning.........









It only has 4 point pickup at the moment. I need to scrounge a 2 wire modular plug and put skates or something on the tender


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Foodled with this a bit today. Got the backhead stuff put on... it doesn't look right to me, but that's the way MPC wanted it 









And worked on the cylinders


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