# My Custom Connie



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

I can't stand up to the EBT shops, I know that, and I am sure some of you will sit back in your chair and laugh at me. But hey, I', 22, I don't get too serious with this hobby, I do it for fun, not competition, and after being around model railroads, and real railroads for most of my life since I was really young, I am quite proud of how things are coming out. I think she now looks far better then when I bought the model.



On the front of the locomotive, things are starting to change. The Front end will have a whole new, Rio Grande feel to it, raised headlight and a rectangular Numberboard. Just needs numbers. Still using the stock headlight and mount, though I might look into a new mount tomorrow morning, at least new brackets, mine got damaged by the hacksaw I had to use to remove the headlight bracket from the smokebox

I decided to cheat, I added pieces of masking tape over the damaged area's to cover the grooves, except the one on the door rack itself. However after looking at 346 at the CRRM during some volunteer time, I may chance that. If you have ever seen the front of a K-36, the masking tape looks like a welded on patch to a cover ahole. I thought it was rather clever (and lazy). And the good thing is, if the masking tape falls off, I can always put on another piece.



















Following Removal










NUmberboard










Cylinder Caps and Finished Smokebox front










Smokebox Front with "patches"










Repainted Smokebox




















Still have to adress the compressor(s), planning on something a little different then what most people have done. The tender needs A LOT of work, and may get a moved headlight before to long. Almost all the D&RGW K-27's had off center rear headlights on the tender, so I may to and replicate that later on.

So for my very first kitbash, I'm happy. I'm also doing a Bachmann 4-6-0 which is a disaster (see my other thread in the beginner forum) but IF it gets fixed, it will be getting worked on next


----------



## DKRickman (Mar 25, 2008)

I love the patches on the smokebox door! Also, I presume you hand painted the smokebox with Testors paints? I like the result - it looks a lot less even than a spray job, and real smokeboxes are hand painted and end up with that slightly uneven look. I think it's perfect!


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I agree - the patches are pure genius! That's definitely going in the bag-o-tricks for a future project. Looking forward to the rest of your progress. 

Later, 

K


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

She has a face again! And a mighty good looking one. I never in a million years thought I would take a hacksaw to an $800 locomotive, but I am glad I did, it looks a million times better. I have to go to Caboose Hobbies after work tomorrow to pick up more decals, going to try Dry Transfer since the wet transfer one's fell apart.

I also cut out the new tender coal bunker extension, I need to get some Square pieces of Balsa from Hobby Lobby Tomorrow before I assemble it. Its going to be a true to life wood coal bunker. Going to use Nails in place of bolts (obviously) using HO scale track nails cut off at the end to hold it together along with glue. That's a scratch building project if I have ever seen one....If it falls apart I'll make a new one out of plastic, but I want to give the wood a try first. Whats size coal should I use to redecorate the coal bunker?

Before










After





























I'm actually surprised that you like the patches, I just thought of it as an easy shortcut to getting out epoxy and reshaping the smokebox. I knew I would never get it right and it would bother me. Yes the smokebox is hand painted, I tried to spray the smokebox door, but ran out of paint instantly, so its hand painted as well. 


I know the C&TS spray's the jackets on the locomotive, but I helped paint GB&L 40 (ex-Georgetown Loop 40, ex-IRCA 40) at the Colorado Railroad Museum, we hand paint everything, the jacket and the smokebox. Were also currently working on D&RGW 318, even the primer under the main coat of paint is going on by hand, I had to hand paint the entire backhead of the boiler the other day, and most of the engineers side of the firebox.


----------



## Matt Z (Dec 2, 2009)

Hey bud, I'm 24 here. YOu're right about not taking it too serious. It's just having fun! Thought I would share my Connie rebuild with you. I always liked the look of the United Potash/Morenci Southern #3 so I built up my Connie as similar to it as I could. I still have the oil tank on the tender to do but here are pics for comparison. 



USPC #3

My Connie

Your engine is looking great. I really like the headlight you used. The lenses look like they work very well. 

Matt


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Some prototype NG 2-8-0 air pump piping, if it helps--- 

Thunder Lake Lumber #5 









D&RGW 315 









More stuff here: 
http://www.the-ashpit.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=277


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

Hey Mik, funny how the Narrow Gauge Circle always seems to come around all the way. Several of the pictures in that link you posted, specifically the one's of 346 and her tender (318's tender) were taken by me for Todd Hohlenkamp when he did his virtual model of the C-19. Glad they got put to good use


----------



## jgallaway81 (Jan 5, 2009)

Another good trick for painting the smokeboxes I found is to use those black foam brushes, and to "tap" the paint on. The holes in the brush foam end up leaving an uneven layer of paint which, to me, makes a very passable imitation of cast iron/cast steel. I used that for all my engines... mike, mallet, pacific, shay & c-16


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Tails on 15 Nov 2010 12:37 AM 
Hey Mik, funny how the Narrow Gauge Circle always seems to come around all the way. Several of the pictures in that link you posted, specifically the one's of 346 and her tender (318's tender) were taken by me for Todd Hohlenkamp when he did his virtual model of the C-19. Glad they got put to good use  



I used the info to build this:









http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/consolidation.html 


I had folks asking ME questions, so I threw together what proto pix I had scrounged onto a single data page. Unfortunately, by then I'd forgotten where I'd found most of them!


----------



## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Mik,
Not to nit-pick or anything but isn't the photo labelled #315 actually the #346 at the CRRM? (The olive green coloring gave it away.)


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Steve, you're probably right. My mistake. Here's a different pic showing the air side piping. 









and this one IS 315


----------



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Posted By Tails on 13 Nov 2010 11:59 PM 
I think she now looks far better then when I bought the model.





That's the important thing, along with having fun and creating something that is uniquely your own. 

Looks real good so far, the patches turned out nice!


----------



## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Cool


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

Can't post pictures right now, I can't find my camera. 

Worked on some minor details today, reattached the single stage air pump with some hot glue and all the default piping. I don't believe I will be able to find a cross compound before the show so I figure 1 compressor is better then none. Caboose does not even carry 2 of single stage compressors that I would substitute for a single cross-compound. If ANYONE has a lead on a 1:20th or 1:22nd Scale Cross compound compressor, preferably a site I can order it from, please let me know, I need 2 now, as my friend and I have started work on a Second Bachmann 2-8-0, and its modification requires a cross-compound as well 

Anyway, I added Airhoses with Glad hands on both the front and rear, working right now on fixing the broken 4 way plug between the loco and tender, one of the wires came loose so I have to fix it. I also finished the new framing for the tender coal bunker. It added quite a bit of height, in fact maybe too much, so I may trim it down later, but for now, it will stay as is. 

Need to get my hands on a few lumps of coal to complete the tender, but overall I think it looks quite good, as soon as I find my camera I'll post some pictures


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Need to get my hands on a few lumps of coal to complete the tender, 
Make sure your coat has big pockets next time you head over to the museum.  

Later, 

K


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I made one it isn't hard. Half LGB half B'mann








http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp52/steamnut1917/mallet/P6290001.jpg
I've seen them on feebay from time to time as well.


----------



## Charles M (Jan 2, 2008)

Kevin's comment about having big pockets brought a laugh to me. I was running for " Thomas the Tank Engine Days " at the Musuem at the DGRS live steam loop this September . I was the last man out of the layout on one Saturday and I had to lock things up. As I got ready to get my car, I spotted a large lump of coal sitting under the bench by the gate to the layout. That lump went in my coat and on home with me . I spent an afternoon making a big lump into G scale coal load material , and an On30 coal load too. Happy to say that my Roundhouse "Old Colonial" , Accucraft Plantation and Bachmann On30 Connie now have new coal loads from the Museum ! 

"Tails" the engine looks great . Come by an say hi if you see us out running at DGRS . 

Charles M


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

Actually since the museum currently has no coal to my knowledge, I decided I'll just snatch some from work. Its not like Lakeside will miss two or three lumps. 17 and 18 don't eat all that much anyway


----------



## Charles M (Jan 2, 2008)

Actually the Museum has finished the new concrete coal pocket over by the roundhouse. They were shovling coal back into last Saturday I was told by one of the volunteers who works over at the roundhouse . They are planning to run steam on Dec. 11&12 for the Santa Train so it had to be done by then. I believe that the plan is to run # 346 . They ran # 40 for the Halloween train rides on Oct. 30&31 . 

Charles M


----------



## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

It's not that hard to make your own airpumps, unless they have to be museum quality.









I needed some large air pumps when I built my Mikado, but couldn't find any. So I decided to make my own out of some styrene tubing.










While not perfect, they end up looking closer to what I wanted.









It's certainly larger than the one from the Annie:









Unless you look very closely, it holds up.


----------



## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Even close up they look pretty darn good!


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

If anybody REALLY wants some real Western Pa. coal (for their layout or kid's stocking) pay the postage and I'll send you some. I have two 5 gallon buckets full of stuff that fell off the crusher conveyor (with weird sizes, chips, black dirt and even some chunks of unidentifiable crap for added interest)... a small flat rate box should do a tender or two, a medium several hopper carloads..... A large flat rate box full would probably make a decent boney pile.


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

Well, this evening in the freezing cold Colorado night, I decided to break apart the coal for my bunker, ended up filling my lunch box with coal from the steam engines at Lakeside park where I work. 

One thing I didn't expect, was how soft the coal at lakeside is. Of course, in the 3 years I worked there, there has been no steam.....so it just sits in the sun and weather. At the Railroad Museum, it takes a lot to break up the coal, the stuff from Lakeside turned to dust until I got to the center, which held up enough to get a coal load going. Now I just have to glue everything in, and get it done.

I have 2 large pieces left do decorate my T-19 tender...though I may not because I've already weighted the big hauler tender with metal wheels which has had some effect on the already lacking pulling power. Maybe just a sprinkle of loose stuff on top

still no Camera....I'll see if I can take some pictures with my Blackberry once I am done...


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

For now, its done. I have to wait for the arrival of my Cross Compound Compressors in the next few weeks, so until then, she is ready for the TCA show this coming weekend


----------



## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

Sweet, nice work! 

All this inspiration in this thread is amazing!! Thanks fellas!! 

It's nice to see all the great detailing & kitbashing to spruce up locomotives out of the box. Keep up the great work guys!


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

I can't believe I never finished this post!!

Well, better late then never 


The Compressor eventually came, and I waited about a month after I got it to decide what I wanted to do. I ended up following the lead of IRCA 40, using the stock compressor position on the boiler, and cutting a hole in the running board to mount it. It came out quite nice. 


I still have some piping to do, I never finished that part, I also still need an Air strainer, which is becoming just as hard to find as the compressor, but I think I know where to get it from. Right after I finished the compressor work, I took the engine to a train show in Denver last fall, and the driver gear finally cracked. I recently ordered 3 replacement gears, 1 to fix my engine, 1 fix a spare drive axle I have lying around, and 1 to have extra just in case.

On another note, I recently started working at the Georgetown Loop Railroad. That has really cut into my Large Scale time......but honeslty, working on the real thing every day is, well more fun anyway.

Here are some pictures of the nearly finish product, still a few touches to make


























"


----------



## Tails (Nov 9, 2010)

Why start a new thread when I can just update an old one.....


Well, little over a week until my engine gets to see its next show, its first show after its upgrades ended in a main gear failure. The stock bachmann gears ended up being the wrong ones, so I ordered a nice NWSL gear, which works (so far) better then the stock gears. Its a much better design


I also decided to change pace on this engine. I recently got re aquainted with the D&RGW C-21 and C-25 engines. My friend is turning his 2-8-0 into GLRR 40, which at one point, carried the class C-22 (fake, but an indication of the power either way). That got me thinking, how would this engine look as an Ex-Crystal River engine? Well, I have always liked the "Lone Wolf" D&RGW 375, the only one of her class. Clearly the bachmann engine is not a perfect stand in for 375, but what if, in the world of Freelancing, Crystal River happened to have a 4th engine that ended up on the Grande, like 375, with no equal.


So, the concept of D&RGW 370 became born. So I decided to modify the counterweights, and rid myself of the terrible baker valve gear, and do some general improvements to the engine. The decision to remove the Baker came more out of Necessity rather then to match the Crystal River engines, part of the Fireman's side valve gear failed, and rather then trying to fix it (its ugly) I've decided I am going to chop it all off. I will be converting the engine to simple Stephenson gear, which happens to be correct for an Ex-Crystal River engine.


I also plan on swapping around the Bell and Sand Dome, and repiping the sand dome. Most of this work should happen around Mid to late November


So, hopefully soon, the former D&RGW 73 will become D&RGW 370, Ex Crystal River 105.

So, not much has changed, yet, except here are the new driver sets


----------

