# What you can do with a Roundhouse Fowler...



## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

So a while back I posted a topic here about building a Mogul from a RH Lady Anne or Fowler kit. Since that time I have sold a second car I don't drive much so I had some extra money to burn as I was leaving one hobby (hot rodding) to fully immerse myself in live steam. My car club was dying and after having been fully been bit by the Roundhouse bug at Diamond Head after seeing soo many Americanized Roundhouse Engines I knew I had to have one. So I found on Southern Steam Train's site under the pre-owned page a 1992 Brand Bright Liberty Bell MKI. In case if you are not familiar Brand Bright used to American RH Fowler engines. They added a front pilot truck, cow catcher, new domes and headlight. Turns out the gent selling them was within fifty miles from my home. I met him at a restaurant where he brought two or three of the trains I was interested in. At the end of the day I walked home with a RH Liberty Bell MK I and a Pearse 0-4-0. The Pearse is not the topic of this subject so no pictures of that sorry! Both are R/C however. I brought home both engines, the previous owner used motor oil instead of steam oil, thank fully he only ran his engines about two or three times so no damage was done. I drained out the sludge and put steam oil in with the help of Andrew F and after half a run on rollers they chugged along fine. I wasn't happy with the Liberty Bell however.

Don't get me wrong, it ran like a Roundhouse when I got it but I never liked the Fowler's setup with the stafety valve in the cab, water filler cap under the steam dome, and the gas tank on the roof. I thought it over, a few days later I called good ol' Jim Sanders and asked him about making a pop valve threaded to the middle of the boiler and a goodall valve for the back of the boiler. He said no problem, just put it in writing and send pictures and that's exactly what I did. Now with this I knew that meant I could no longer use the roof mounted gas tank as I'd need easy access to the good all valve in the Cab. So I called up NGT models and ordered a Sammie/ SR&RL 24 vertical gas tank and fuel adapter. It turns out it was a good idea to replace the tank anyway. The old Roundhouse gas tanks can't handle iso butane but the new ones can. I also asked for a Chuffer from NGT being the American Sumerlands dealer after all.


So a few weeks later, and a lot of help from my good friend Andrew F, we cut out a boiler jacket, installed insulation, bored out the fake steam dome to allow the safety valve cover to pass through it and repainted the whole engine. I apologize but I don't have a picture of the tender in its un-altered state. Southern Steam Trains took down their ad for the engine as well which showed how it originally came in it's marron paint job. I did run it on steam after the rebuild and it all works. There is a small leak at the throttle so the packing needs to be redone. Other than that it's running like well a Roundhouse lol!

(Tender is still in progress btw) 


Before pictures





In progress,










Almost finished (Just need to cut out the top part of the cab roof and put in some brackets so it can press fit into the cab and be easily removed.)











I will post more pictures when the tender is finished and do a movie on my home layout. I promise the next movie will be a lot better than the last one which was blurry I know. I worked hard on this, though not all myself.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Looks good, though I think you could do with wider running boards. 










There's just something about good running boards that give a loco a sense of weight. 

Later, 

K


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

EBT that's an awesome Lady Anne Bash. I did want to comment that the steam dome on your engine isn't covering the safety valve. I know, you have to go where the fittings are, and that's what I was doing. I was aiming for function over form. When the safety pops, it actually travels through those two little copper pipes in the steam dome. I love your weathering work and detail and it is well above what I can do. I thought about wider running boards but then I'd have to change the reversing linkage and I do not want to mess with that. Yes I agree wider running boards look better but I would have to fight with the reverse, something I don't want to do. Is that a brass tender on your Roundhouse there? I was just curious. Looks like you cut up the front frame to get the pilot deck installed. Awesome job with the cab, I don't think I saw that one on your site. This was the first truly extensive rebuild I have ever done. I've done some minor detail upgrades before but never a full repaint like this and I'm happy with the way it looks so far. Only issue I have are the boiler bands aren't quiet to shape, I need to hammer them more to hug the boiler better. Thanks for your positive comments. Coming from a master weather and modeler like you it means a lot.


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice conversion, Steve. The engine looks a lot different from when I saw it a couple of months ago. 

Larry


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Yeah, that safety kinda sticks out there a bit. This was an early (c. 1990) Lady Anne kit, and the boiler only had that one fitting on the top for the safety/water fill and throttle. I wish I had a second one, I'd have used that for the steam dome and moved the cab forward to cover the safety like yours. It's a pain to get my fingers in there to take the safety off to fill the boiler. 

On the running boards, it's hard to see in the picture, but there are some sizable slots cut in to clear the reverse linkage (which is partly why they're so wide--so there's enough meat on the outside to have some strength.) 

The tender is brass, originally designed to carry water and had a water pump in the back. I could never get the stupid check valve on the backhead to seat properly, and kept blowing out water lines as a result. I tore all that out and installed a Goodall valve in the backhead instead. Much easier, with the added bonus of the electronics staying dry. 

On your bands, if they're not sitting tight to the jacket, you may want to try thinner brass. I generally use .015" brass for my bands. It's thin enough to snug down, but thick enough to where I can bend the ends to 90 degrees, drill holes in each end, and secure it in place with an 0-80 nut/bolt on the bottom where it's largely out of sight. 

It's hard to see in this photo (I'll just link to it rather than take up space) 

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/TVRR2/runningboardmount.jpg 

Keep the pictures coming. That's going to be a nice looking loco once it's done! 

Later, 

K


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks Larry, I don't remember bringing out the engine when you were down here a month ago. I guess you were eying it on Southern Steam Train's site too. EBT I still wish I had at least half your modeling skills. I hammered down the boiler bands and now they are straight but some of the paint chipped off. I'm in process of touching it up. It's mostly done, I'm doing it without taking the engine apart again. Tender frame is done, needs some paint touch up tender body well I painted it but didn't strip the paint off under neath, I just sanded it down and painted over it. Didn't turn out well. I found a metal baking pan, put the tender body in there with a mixture of stripper, acetone, and mineral spirits. Hopefully it will eat off all the paint by morning. It's coming along though.


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

Almost done, needs a second removable roof piece.


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## bellzbi (Apr 8, 2012)

Just curious I'm looking to do some work on my Fowler, how are the pony truck, pilot deck and running boards attached on the Liberty? Never had a chance to see up up ended.


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

Posted By bellzbi on 08 Apr 2012 09:58 AM 
Just curious I'm looking to do some work on my Fowler, how are the pony truck, pilot deck and running boards attached on the Liberty? Never had a chance to see up up ended. 
No need to ask five times..

 


The running boards are attached at two places. One where the the screw goes for the top part of the cab to screw into the rest of the cab and another one is on the side drilled a tapped into the frame just behind the cylinders.


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## bellzbi (Apr 8, 2012)

opps sorry about that, thanks for the pic


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

No problem bellzbi. Engine is finished. I may add builders plates and decals but for all practical purposes the engine is done. Removable cab roof has been cut to shape and installed. I also have a movie for you guys.


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## roadranger (Jan 6, 2008)

Nice job on the conversion! Looks real good!


I noticed in the video that at slow speeds the engine seems to be out of time - question - do the RH kits have timing instructions included?


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

This wasn't from a kit but yes they do. The manual is online on their website. I don't think the engine is out of time, could be the reverse linkage. It's running fine to me.


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

So I am posting an update. I redid the exterior piping considerably and added Baldwin builders plates from Trackside. All done with JB weld and holding tightly. The exterior piping the way it was made it look too much like a John Fowler locomotive and I wanted it to be a small Baldwin export model. I added handrail stanchions from Roundhouse and fake clack valves from Trackside details. I know a lot of folks here have used Trackside and David's parts are definitely worth buying. Did run into an issue though. I tightened down the nut that screws onto the throttle turret to connect the steam pipe to the super heater and I accidentally knocked off the pressure gauge. So I no longer have a pressure gauge attached to this locomotive . I can still run it, I compressed the pipe to the point where it is retaining pressure. Not the end of the world but it does kind of suck. I'll figure out something either soldering it back on somehow. I also included a new video. I was testing a new Bachmann coal hopper I kitbashed. I repainted it and filled it full of grave and man is it a heavy car, over 10 pounds. I did run it again a day or two later but conveniently lost my camera so I was unable to take video of that run unfortunately where it was able to make it around the track just pulling the hopper by itself. I had to replace the horrid Bachmann couplers with Aristo ones in order to get it to link up to the loco directly which I did AFTER this video so... oh well. At least it all works, enjoy.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Looking good! Sorry to hear about the pressure gauge. That shouldn't be too difficult a fix, hopefully. 

And, that's a mighty sharp looking 0-4-0 in the background, if I do say so myself.  

Later, 

K


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## joecaboose (Nov 14, 2014)

Who was the source for the lead truck, pilot platform and cow catcher parts?
Any details on the conversion would be appreciated.
I have a fowler kit I would like to convert to an American style loco.
Thanks, Joe


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Hey Joe,
This thread is 6 years old and StevenJ last posted on; 01-20-2015.
Maybe Kevin can advise.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Joe,
Perhaps you should read the first paragraph..


1992 Brand Bright Liberty Bell MKI they used the fowler and added the pilot truck


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