# Yet another ugly duckling



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

There's more than enough "credit" for this project to go around....
First Dean Whipple shared this picture on another thread...









Then Vic Smith send me a set of Aristo 0-4-0 cylinders....

Next I got a Lionel cab for my Mason project and a running chassis came with it...

Kimmee stacked together a bunch of bits when she removed them from her way...

And finally, my muse got bored while waiting for putty to dry.................

Last night I stuck this together. The cab is the Delton one I removed from the Mason.









But it just wasn't right. Those cylinders were just too honking huge. No amount of superheat could justify them.... but a Vauclain compound just might!









Since I didn't have the Aristo valve gear anyway, it was a simple matter to fudge the piston valves into high pressure cylinders









The boiler was raised and lengthened.... giving it an odd, top heavy look, but allowing the bottom of the smokebox to clear the saddle. The cab was also raised a bit. The domes are new Blight.









If I can get a r/c car cheap enough I'll lift the controls, battery pack, etc. I already have a tender started to house them.... Am I going over to the dark side? Nope. The brass wheels just suck for track power


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## bnsfconductor (Jan 3, 2008)

Mik, 
Do you always do your modeling work on a chest freezer? It seems to be in almost every picture I see that you post. Good use of a space for workbench, but I would have never thought of that... 

Craig


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Craig, living in a cramped tin box, one makes use of what space one has. Be it the freezer, the washing machine, the bedside table, the bed... The drill press and scroll saw pretty much take up the entirety of my 'work'bench. 
It's too darn cold to work at the tin table on the (open) porch, and if I tried to work on Kim's Amish made coffee table, she'd kill me. It's one of the last nice things she has left. 

I'm open to a nice, well lighted workshop, but it isn't in the budget.


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## bnsfconductor (Jan 3, 2008)

Mik, 
Oh I agree completely. It's better to be a cramped modeler with only a little bit of space then to be an airchair modeler. When my wife and I moved to MT so I could go to grad school I had to completely pair down my workbench. Everything I thought I might need fits neatly into a Craftsman 3 drawer tool box. My modeling space is either the computer table, the kitchen table, the kitchen floor and that's about it! The only power tool I brought was my Dremel. Back to the basics. 
Your story reminds me of when I was growing up. My workbench was a shelf in my closet about 12" x 8". My mom and dad didn't care what I did as long as I didn't paint. Well one day I was home alone, and I needed to paint a small part with some PS Steam Power black and didn't want to go into the garage to paint. Well l spilled the entire new bottle on the carpet! I tried to clean it up, but it just keep making it worse and worse. I was in big time trouble for that one!!! When my folks moved out the light blue carpet still had a large black spot right above the closet....I haven't lived that on down yet! 

Craig


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Start on a backstory - 

1898 was a very good year for the RR. Revenues had been growing for several years, and the board felt the company was now strong enough to expand again. Credit enough was available to both dual gauge the lower end of the line from Verona to Ford City, and to purchase three new locomotives to supplement their aging fleet. 

That spring, representatives from Baldwin made a presentation on their 'revolutionary' Vauclain Compound, citing the many wonderful efficiencies of compounding, and of their design in particular. The AV, like many railroad boards across the country at the time, were intrigued by this modern marvel, and ordered two. A 2-6-0 for local passenger service from Verona to Kittanning, and 4-4-0 for mail/express service. 

Also, like other lines, the AV soon found the Vauclains to be much more problematic than promised. Uneven crosshead loading lead to excessive wear and increased maintenance, rail pounding, and a rough ride for the crews, by far offsetting any savings seen from compounding. This bad experience was to be another nail in the coffin against "newfangled hoohaw" on the railroad. 

The AV shops valiantly tried several approaches to remedy the problems with the design. A heavier, wider crosshead was installed on both locomotives within a year. This decreased the pounding somewhat but did not eliminate it. The problem was found to worse at higher speeds and heavier loads, so the 4-4-0 was eventually re-fitted with regular simple cylinders, a fate that most Vauclains met within a few years, but with the lighter loadings and lower speeds of local service, refitting "Old Slobber Stack", as #-- had become known, was viewed as an unnecessary expenditure. She would retain them as a visible reminder to "trust the in tried and true" until she was retired in 1939.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been a bit under the weather the last few. So I haven't felt much like doing anything. But I do have a few photos to show on this - 

Front of the cylinder block with piston valve (center) high pressure (top) and low pressure (bottom) covers nearly ready to paint - now if I can only get the silver to cover as well! 









I decided that the boiler needed lengthened more than the smokebox did, so it got a minor rework. The stack got moved back to make more room for a headlight as well. 









The tender is ancient New Blight riding on even more ancient Kalamazoo trucks. I think it might even look pretty darn good 'til I'm finished 









mock up of it's current state - the basics are all there, now to flesh it out. (And no freezer this time... washing machine!  )


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Caution - Major revisions ahead! 

I probably should have been working on the Derrick today, but I wrecked this thing and started over, instead... 

It probably was no real secret that I wasn't all that happy with the Aristo cylinders. And since Kim vetoed me buying a c-16 to make into a Camel, my options became pretty clear. 









In the bottom of Vic's goody box there was also a set of cylinders from a Stainz. After about 2 hours of fussin' and cussin', I managed to figure out how to make them work. 









The Lionel 0-6-0 is really, really short. So my Camel will be a short firebox version by necessity. 89c worth of pvc pipe, some leftover plexi, and an empty pill bottle, and I was on my way! 









Since about the only way to lift this thing will be by the cab sides. I needed a way to ensure that the cab was not only level, but attached securely. Drilling the boiler to put some 1/8" music wire under the floor sounded like a pretty good idea. 









The old Lionel cab floor pieces were re-used... waste not, want not! 









Fenders were fabbed from a bit of leftover c-16 boiler shell and coffee stirrers. They should look OK once they are painted. 









sand boxes installed and cab started.... 









I'm thinking it actually may look more attractive as a Camel than it did as a Vauclain....


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Well that will be unique and cool too!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, some update pix..... 
Upper cab started using one of the resin windows I got off Dave Ottney cut in half. 









I think it looks pretty darn good for a camel (they'z ugly, smelly beasts, lol!) 









That low firedoor give me a backache just looking at it 









Cab interior started. I gotta get all the controls and stuff installed before I can do the end walls, my fat fumble fingers barely fit now! Walking surfaces on real early stuff was usually painted with a non-slip pale yellow or light grey. The 'sunflower' I usually use was dried up, so I found it rather amusing to use 'camel' instead


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Looks good!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Mini update! 
Front cab wall went in the lazy way. I cut a bit of cd jewel case to fit the hole, then glued coffee stirrers and basswood to look like doors.... I think I want at least one back door open, so it will be more work. 









After studying the Hayes Camel restoration pics, I felt confident enough to finish the controls. Mr. Mogul dude will do for an engineer. I also burned a bit over half an hour drilling holes with a pin vice and sticking HO track nails in them to look like firebox stays since otherwise it was a great big boring 









Headlight in the offset position installed and wired. The LED is a high intensity white, so it's rather too harsh for a kero - but it was here, and I really didn't like the color of the yellow one I had.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Years ago, my dad had a bumper sticker (He got it at Strasburg, I think) that said "Steam Locomotives have a tender behind".... well, this one has a serious case of "ghetto booty". 









It's probably the last free Delton shell around (the fleabay guy is OUT - has been since I got this one from him 4 or 5 months ago ), so I'm loathe to whack a section out... especially since there's always a chance of really screwing up... but I'm not sure a tender should be longer than the locomotive, either. Anybody know how long a LGB Mogul tender is?


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## Robbie Hanson (Jan 4, 2008)

LGB Mogul tender is a great deal longer, taller, and wider than the C-16 tender...heck, the C-16 is smaller than a Mogul by (to my eye) quite a bit.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Robbie, IIRC the C&S Moguls and D&RG c-16s were actually about the same size. But the LGB Mogul was 1:22.5ish, and the Delton c-16 was 1:24?... so your eyes are probably right. Thanks for checking! 

Anyways, after dithering for about 12 hours, I decided to bite the bullet and butcher the tender. 

The B'mann frame could only get just under 3/4" removed. The flanges just barely touch on r-1 curves now... and yes, those air tanks needed to go next. Both to clear the new wheel location and because there were no such thing as air brakes in the 1860s! 









Oh, the huge manatee!!! Such a shame, but about 1-3/16" simply hadda go.... 









Splicing back together.... I will have to file a vee joint and then putty to hide the seam better... 









A bit better size-wise now 









While the glue was drying I decided to attack the pilot. I usually dislike wooden (cowcatcher) pilots, mostly because they're so overdone to the point of almost a cliche`.... but this thing begged for one. Except I wanted a front coupler too. A bit of further butchery on the broken Lionel one that came with the chassis resulted in this. 









It's.... getting there. The big thing really holding up the show is the r/c truck (radio donor) that seems to be lost in the mail. Since I need to see how much space I'll need for the circuit board(s) and antenna


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## DKRickman (Mar 25, 2008)

I think this is your best looking creation to date! I'm loving the look, and you've really captured the feel of a Camel. It's also one of the best looking uses of the Lionel 0-6-0 that I've ever seen.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Truck arrived today... in a honking HUGE box... turns out my $2 (plus shipping) donor was the size of an old fashioned Tonka Dump! Anyhoo, Removing the radio bits wasn't all that hard... except for 1 screw that was behind stuff 









Installed in the tender - yes the stand-off bits are drunk, no I don't care .... I had to do that to get the normally visible screws in unobtrusive spots and nobody will see it after it's assembled! - Yet to do is wire a better main toggle switch and a charging circuit, and figure out which way it thinks is forward. 









Now it's stupid questions time! First, what would the best (and/or cheapest) way be to step down the voltage if I need to? The radio set-up is 9.6v, and I think the loco should amble which probably means 6v or less. Since it has to be on the output side (between the radio and motor) wouldn't the usual diodes require doing it twice? I realize a resistor or pot wastes power and shortens run time, so what other options are there? 
Second, since I know jack about r/c, is the antenna, can I just loop it inside the tender shell? Or put it coiled under a coal load? Or do I need to solder up some brass handrails or other somesuch? 
Thanks in advance!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

The injector wasn't invented until 1858, and took a while to catch on. So early locomotives had feedwater pumps to put makeup water in the boiler while underway. Some were driven by the cylinder crosshead, or a separate crank throw, or an eccentric on the axle ... Ross Winans put them on an extension of the valve rod on the early Camels. 









I thought, well, that's kinda cool.... so I made up some pumps out of dowel and plastic pearls 









This might actually work! 









piped and painted 









I know this isn't the greatest angle, but just to give new folks an idea how tiny this thing is - Here it is with the LGB Mogul I'm trying to assemble from parts. The top of the Camel boiler is just above running board height on the mogul...


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I got a little detailing done today so I thought I'd share the pix... 

























It's sure gonna be sad to dirty this thing up later... I'll probably either solder the connector jack, or bend the railings yet, before calling it a day


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

Mik, I've followed this from the start and have really appreciated the way you've shown us how you've done everything and all the photos. I've always been impressed with the scratch building that people do, but I would never have the slightest idea where to start. You've actually made it look like it would be possible. 
Thanks, Bob


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

I really like how this one turned out. I think it will look good with a sting of flats loaded with barrels servicing the new derrick.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Bob in Kalamazoo on 17 Feb 2012 07:41 AM 
Mik, I've followed this from the start and have really appreciated the way you've shown us how you've done everything and all the photos. I've always been impressed with the scratch building that people do, but I would never have the slightest idea where to start. You've actually made it look like it would be possible. 
Thanks, Bob

You are quite welcome. And thank you as well. One of the big reasons I do this is to help others gain the courage to try. And that's really the biggest hurdle, being willing to make that first cut. Here are some of my early projects- They were kind of rough. But you learn as you go. My first large scale kitbash was probably this cab swap - just an Aristo c-16 cab stuck on a first run Bachmann Indy. My second project is to the left of the pic, I spliced two Aristo covered bridges together. The loco long ago went to a new home, but I still have the bridge.

- after that I didn't really build until after the divorce












Shortly after the divorce I distracted myself by kitbashing #6, from a LGB 2017D
























It's seen several revisions since, and is now in the process of gaining a pony truck

















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

The next big urge to build/bash didn't come until a few years ago. The first was probably this freelance well pumping engine (about 10HP size) 




















Converting a cheap Chinese cast iron toy into a semi-credible model 


























Buzzsaw rig and shed








3rd revision









A year or so, and a few bodges later, I felt confident enough to remake a resin John Deere MD dozer paperweight into a Cletrac

























And rescaling an Aristo c-16 to 1:22.5 using mostly junked Bug Mauler parts - On the timeline this was the engine that replaced the Camel I'm building now... even though it was built first and actually departed the AV for California over a year ago!.. (confused yet?)

















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

I'm nowhere near a 'master builder', probably never will be as I don't have the mindset or patience to get to that level of fit and finish - but I DO manage to have fun twice; once by assembling stuff, and again by showing others how. 

And on that note here are a couple articles I wrote a while back, that you may find useful:
http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/tools.html
http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/weathering.html

And this one is a good reminder as well
http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/tips2.html


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

Thanks Mik, 
I appreciate the other examples you showed and for the three three articles. All very informative. I've done some bashing of buildings, I just haven't had the guts to take a saw to my rolling stock at this point. And certainly not to a locomotive. But I'm sure I'll get there one of these days. I do take things apart and replace lights with LED's and install decoders in locomotives. But nothing external where the mistake show.
Bob


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

My best suggestion I can make is troll fleabay for a cheap junker (not New Bright cheap, rather an abused B'mann, Aristo, or USA, etc) to practice on. Or send me your addy and I'll see if I can't round up a bare freight car floor that you can frame with basswood and plank with coffee stirrers to make into a flatcar. (I know I don't have spare trucks, tho...)


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

My toggle switches arrived, so today was stuff everything in the tender day! 









railings and braces done... grate rocker lever and a bit of thin styrene over the coupler are next 









Still haven't quite decided how to stripe the tender - leaning towards two simple yellow wrap around stripes, but want to find some early 1880s B&O pix first 









believe it or not, that took me most of the afternoon and evening


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Photobucket is squawking because I'm close to my bandwidth limit for the month. So if the older photos go away for a few days, you all will know why. 

Meanwhile, I decided to start a page for this thing on the Ashpit site. see: http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/camel.html 
The backstory needs a little work, and I need to get some 'in service' photos as well.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

It turned out very nice Mik!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Maybe this link will actually work? http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/camel.html 

The thing works great in reverse, but binds after a few feet going forwards... one of the idler gears has a tooth missing, so I'm looking for one to see if that is the prob.


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

Mik, 
Thanks for the link. That's a very interesting story about the original loco and your construction of your model.
Bob


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