# How to take apart an LGB Rusty" Lake George & Boulder 0-4-0 Tank Steam Locomotive.



## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

*How to take apart an LGB Rusty" Lake George & Boulder 0-4-0 Tank Steam Locomotive.*

It's my first attempt at kitbash.
I've taken the fat red part, the tank? and the cabin off, that was easy. I now want to connect a different front lamp and attach a new bell and steam dome directly to the cylindrical black narrow shell. I'm sure I have to unscrew the bottom to get to the inside of the shell but I don't want to do it wrong and run the risk of damaging the motor block or not being able to put it back together again.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

IIRC from the underside. Unscrew the cab and remove the cab, then unscrew the smokestack. That should allow you to lift off the boiler.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Underneath you will see 2 screws just inside from the cylinders. They hold the boiler at the front. The cab holds the boiler on the back.

Andrew


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Andrew I wasn't too sure.


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

Done!
Looks like that weight is nicely glued in there, maybe best just to drill from the top and glue the new bell and steam dome?

On second thoughts since the new bell is light I'll just make a hole and glue it from the top, the new steam dome is heavy thick brass, so I'll drill right thru the weight and hold the steam dome with a screw from inside.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Vic they are the ones that got me too. I'm in the middle of customizing a few. A tram and a Hawaiian. 

TTT, The lead weight is held in by the two screws on top of the boiler. None of my weights were glued. It's not like you will ever need to remove it anyway so yeah I might do the same thing because my new domes will cover those weight screws. There is a screw under the valve covers that releases the cylinder too. I would like to lower the cylinders so inline with the axles but looks to be a bit involved. They can stay where they are.

Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

I'm working on a wood cabin, did the real ones have wood or metal roofs?


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I'm not sure what they put on the roof, probably metal. 
Are you getting rid of the steam dome in the cab or moving it back and make it a 0-4-2? 
I was inspired by this one in Hawaii and add a tender but now considering a smaller saddle.



















Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

The image I used as inspiration could not be uploaded, tried all sorts of ways "this is not a valid image file" message. I'm afraid it will only look a bit like it anyway. I'm getting rid of the saddle or rather storing it away. I'm considering making the lamp out of wood, the one I ordered from Bachmann is too small. Tomorrow I'll try an old copper roof for the cab.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Probably not a web image type file. Needs to be a jpg, gif, png.
There is not a lot around as far as larger kerosene lamps go. 

Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

AG. It will remain an 0 4 0 since the idea is to make it as small as possible, reducing the cab to 1/29 scale to make the biggest size contrast with the 2 8 8 2 mallet. I don't know the proper name or the function of the extra hump on top of the shell, but I am discarding it and since it has the bell and steam dome attached, I will use new ones directly attaching them to the narrow shell. The photo that I am roughly imitating is similar to your first uploaded photo, except the cab is closer to the front and the kerosene lamp is square and very big. I have noticed that some engines have pipes between boiler and cylinders, I imagine to provide steam to the cylinders, other engines have thin pipes downwards from the steam dome, some do not. Do you know the function of these? Or the function of the fat hump on top of the shell?


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

The extra lump on the boiler is the saddle water tank. It would help give traction to a small locomotive to store the water there. I'm not entirely sure but the dome sticking out of the tank is probably a sand dome. The steam dome is inside the cab so I think you should remove that if having 2 domes outside but you may need to set the cab back to make room. You could put the bell on top of the smaller sand dome.
I thought you might be putting on a large square kerosene lamp. I saw a picture once of a porter with a huge one! Accucraft make a nice big lamp for the C-16 but it has been sold out from spare parts for quite some time now.
The LGB Porter is about 1:20 in scale. A 1:29 conversion is all a bit different to what I'm thinking with mine. As far as piping goes just find something similar and copy that I guess. I think the pipes running down from the dome are sand lines to the wheels. If you remove the tank you then need a small tender.

Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

*The inspiration image*

I managed to upload it finally by taking a screenshot.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Yeah, nice big headlight! Very similar cab and stack to what you already have. That's a sand dome with sand lines to the front wheels. It would have the steam dome in the cab probably below the whistle. The fire box is right at the back perhaps for a big grate area for burning anthracite coal for fuel.
It is very narrow gauge looking though.

Andrew


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

TTT,

After seeing the photo of the engine you want to "bash", I wanted to let you know you can get a couple of various "old timey" headlamps from Trackside Details here in California. I assume you are living outside the U.S. (because of some of the "terminology" you have used), so maybe this is not a great idea. Here is the link for Trackside Details. I buy a lot of detail items from them. Excellent parts and fairly inexpensive.

http://www.tracksidedetails.com/index.html


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

Great list of parts, thank you, the dome on page 2 is almost exactly or exactly the one I'm installing right now, bought from Reed's Hobby Shop in La Mesa California. I hope they have a big lamp. I will certainly buy a whistle.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I don't think they have a large headlight. A bit hard to tell though.

Probably a little late now but here is a locomotive that could pass as a standard gauge one in 1:29 while keeping proportions small using the same engine block. It is actually narrow gauge loco of unknown builder from Costa Rica.










Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

Thanks Andrew, nice name Maria Cecilia for a small locomotive, I'm afraid this being my first kitbash ever, I'm not so ambitious as to try to make a replica of something that was, I'm happy if it looks like something that might have been, with that in mind I think its coming along nicely. I've written asking for the size of their box type lamp but I also expect it will be smaller than I want. I'm toying with the Idea of making my own out of brass, wood and the front of a small flashlight.
At some point if you want we could post our progress, you must of course give me a beginners handicap and not laugh at my work.


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

Andrew, about the weights, sure looks like glue. No screws on top of the boiler. Boiler is covered in sawdust must clean it.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

There you go. I must admit I tend to buy Caseys which are made in Germany. Rusty and Anna are made in Korea.
They are very much the same inside and out but there has been some suggestion that the plastic in the non German made items may not be as good. Don't over tighten the bottom cover plate as they can to crack if you do.

Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

I've just blown 2 LED,s ! I bought three from Bachmann parts store with the lamp for the Loco I'm modifying. I'm obviously doing something wrong. Do they need resistors or something? They lit up with very low voltage, and as soon as I raised the voltage just a little they stoped working.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Yes, apparently it is the current that kills them. Some are pre-wired with resistors inline. I'm no electronics expert but there is plenty on the web to assist in choosing a resistor. Depends on the LED, how many and voltage ect. and when they start to light up.
Also I don't think they like to be hooked up reverse polarity (obviously they would not light up) so you may also need a simple bridge rectifier wired up too (4 diodes). Not entirely sure though, I have to work this out soon myself. There is also running direction to consider. George Shreyers tips page on the Shay I think it was, gave an example of what resistor to use but it was after the inbuilt rectifier.

This may be a more elegant solution so you get constant brightness:
http://www.pollensoftware.com/railroad/circuit.html

Andrew


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

I thought it was as simple as a normal light bulb, how wrong I was. Now that I know I might just use the bulbs that came with the LGB loco. Thanks again.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Go to the Masterclass Forum and look at chapter 3C for the 2002 Mason Bogie for instructions on how to make a large box headlight. The instructions start on page 3… 
http://forums.mylargescale.com/27-m...3-masterclasses-articles-index-downloads.html

Russ


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

Thanks for the tip, I was not aware of the existence of the master classes, they are great. I have decided it looks good with the Bachmann lamp I've put on the loco. But later I might build a bigger lamp which will no doubt look better.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Try reading this.

Comments on how to improve it are welcome.

http://www.elmassian.com/trains/dcc-battery-rc-electronics/misc-electronics/led-lighting-basics

Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Cab roofs on a wood cab would have been metal, often soldered tin panels or similar. The fire danger from using wood or canvas for the roof was too great with the sparks and cinders coming from the smokestack. 










I use aluminum duct tape cut into rectangles to simulate a soldered tin roof. The "seams" are just where I overlapped the sheets on top of one another; about 1/16" or less.

Later,

K


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## trainstrainstrains (Nov 9, 2014)

That looks very good, are the silver rings around the boiler also aluminum duct tape? It is so much more work to modify a locomotive than I had expected, Its taking me many hours each day and its a simple modification I'm doing , If I've learnt something its respect for you people who make such detailed beautiful modifications.


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