# Accucraft Mogul mods = happy steamer



## FH&PB (Jan 2, 2008)

I did some modifications to my Accucraft Mogul this week, so I thought I'd report in.

First, I replaced the shotgun stack with a diamond stack, a builder's part originally for the 4-4-0 and available on the Accucraft spare parts page. The base of the diamond stack is considerably larger diameter than the shotgun's, so I had to enlarge the hole in the top of the smokebox. The threads on the stack base are 18mm, so I used a step drill to open the hole up to 3/4", The step drill is the only way to go on this operation!


Next, I installed a BarkBox. The instructions for the wonderful gadgets are woefully inadequate, unfortunately. They start with "remove the smokebox front" which, I understood from a conversation with the maker, was just a press fit. Not on the Mogul. There are two 2mm hex bolts that hold it in, carefully concealed under the pilot braces. If you try to remove it as if it were a press fit, you'll probably shear off the head of one bolt, and pull the other one right out of its threads. At least, that's what happened to me. The slight damage was not hard to repair, but it's galling to make that kind of mistake because someone didn't bother to write down their procedure for their customers. Anyway, caveat modificator.


When everything was buttoned up again, I set it up on rollers on the kitchen table and fired it up. Indoors, with the humidifier going, I got the best steam plume I've seen in years here in New Mexico. And the sound of the engine with the BarkBox is just spectacular, so in the end, I'm a happy steamer. These things should be standard equipment on all small-scale steamers.


Next, I'm going to build a coal load and "hungry boards" to go on the tender, and finally paint the number on it after all these years. I had Fall River Productions laser-cut a painting stencil for me out of frisket paper, and it's about time I get over my nervousness about messing it up and just do it.


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## seadawg (Jan 2, 2008)

Vance, good to see you posting. But you know the deal. We are a visually challenged group, we need pictures! Well, I guess we can wait 'til the tender is done.


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## Tom Leaton (Apr 26, 2008)

It would be great to see a video of your loco in action. Hint. By the way, I have a theory that the term "hungry boards" is a modification of the earlier "bunker boards". 
Just my guess.


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Vance, 
it is great what can be done with just a few mods. Switch to coal load, new old headlight from the 15 year old parts bin and some paint, and my AC Mogul is now on the Tacoma Eastern RR 

jim


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Whoa, Vance! I figgered I'd go to your site and see if you'd posted any pix of your barkbox installation there. But as soon as I type "nmia" I get a redirect to 
http://www.swcp.com/ , something called Southwest Cyberport.

Your site is still up somewhere[/i], isn't it?


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Vance, good to hear from you again. Slightly off-topic, but didn't you post on the 7/8ths site awhile back about taking a Ruby to make a tiny Baldwin 0-4-0 that worked at the Eddystone plant ? Did anything ever come of this project? 

Larry


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## Reg Stocking (Sep 29, 2010)

This brings up something I've been wondering about. The diamond and Radley & Hunter stacks on the Accucraft 4-4-0 seem to be too large-diameter in the straight section below the funnel, judging from photos of prototypes. Would a too-large hole in the top of the firebox make mounting the later Mogul stack a problem?


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## FH&PB (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi, guys! 

SWCP bought out NMIA, so the redirect is legitimate. If you click on the link in my signature, though, it does go to NMIA. Shrug. 

The diamond stack is a good bit larger than the shotgun stack. But I think the flange of the shotgun stack will cover the hole of the diamond stack, if you want to do that conversion. 

Larry, the Baldwin 2-foot conversion is still hypothetical. I have so many other projects lined up in front of it, I don't know when I'll get there. Someday, someday. I hope. 

I'll try to get a video of it next time we have a steamup (not too long, I hope).


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

{snip...}[/i] If you click on the link in my signature, though, it does go to NMIA. Shrug. {snip...}[/i] Vance

It may for you but when I click it I go to SWCP.


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## FH&PB (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, #&$%!

When I click on it, it goes to SWCP, too. But when I copy the address and paste it in the location bar, it works fine. WTH?

Anyway, thanks for the heads-up. I'll change my signature setting.

Why don't they tell you when they break things?


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## FH&PB (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, I don't know how long it takes for a change to one's profile to propagate to the forum editor, but there's still a disconnect. 

The address that works is http://vrbass.swcp.com/.


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