# Ozark minatures Climax A



## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I was thinking of building a Climax A model in 1:20.3. My brother sent me this link to an Ozark minatures kit.

http://www.ozarkminiatures.com/Scri...oduct=1145

Has anybody built this model or have any insight on it. It looks like what I'm thinking of building and the price seems good.

Thoughts?

Scott


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

It is a good model, requires moderate skills and has good instructions. I put batteries in the water tank and the RC and sound card in the boiler. Tight fit but it worked.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Nick, 

Nice work! I appreciate seeing one of these models assembled.

I'm looking for an alternative to most of the narrow gauge steam models. You know, the standard bmann climax/shay/heisler models. Something unique. 
I think this uses their magic carpet drives. How does it pull? 

Scott


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

I love the Class A Climax engines. I was thinking about buying the ozark kit but then opted to build one from scratch. I used the Arsito Center Cab trucks and hooked it to battery power. he fkatcar is my battery car with the critter control. I also can switch it to track power. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otw54z8bbsQ


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

The Ozark kit uses Hartland motor blocks, which are good units.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Great video Shawn. I love the way that engine/train looks running in the light snow. Thanks for the insight. I'm still kicking around the idea of scratchbuilding one or going with the more inclusive Ozark kit. Hmmm. Not sure which way to go. Need to figure up a parts list and $ for both options. 

Thanks Jerry for the power truck review. 

S


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By SRW on 01 Dec 2012 10:14 PM 
Great video Shawn. I love the way that engine/train looks running in the light snow. Thanks for the insight. I'm still kicking around the idea of scratchbuilding one or going with the more inclusive Ozark kit. Hmmm. Not sure which way to go. Need to figure up a parts list and $ for both options. 

Thanks Jerry for the power truck review. 

S 
Thanks. It was not to hard to build. Basically you just need to build a flatcar, use PVC pipe for the boiler etc..... it was my first engine I ever scratch built. The hardest was building the static engine inside with some of the piping. You can order that from ozarks. 
I have a build log here http://www.largescalecentral.com/LS...60&p=1
Within the link are some great photos as well as other links to the ozark Climax build someone else did. y build will start about page 5.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for the link Shawn. Good stuff there. 

S


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't know how much this will help, but here's a 7-8 ton baby Climax I built a while back. I later repowered it with an Aristo eggliner/FA-1 brick 
http://www.the-ashpit.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=248 

And a Class A engine I built for a gent on this board 
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/8/aft/122509/afv/topic/Default.aspx#254410 

Also, here's the Climax catalog for some detail ideas... including the engine 
http://www.climaxlocomotives.com/catalog/


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Mik, thanks for the links. 
I got a laugh out of your pics of the 2-2-0 engine that you posted because you photo'd it on top of your Washing machine. Not because of the quality of your model, which is excellent, but I think you posted another photo of one of your models to me a few years back...also on top of the same washer. The knobs look familiar. Or maybe that was someone else. I too have posted photos of one of my models on top of the washing machine. The other photo surface I often employ is the kitchen counter in spite of the fact that I have a, well-lit, very large, flat workbench in my shop. Something about the washer or kitchen counter for model photos that many of us gravitate to. 

That observation aside, I really dig your "baby climax" engine. The more I read about these engines the more it makes me want to build one. They built lots of these simplistic engines in a wide variety of track gauges and none of the "big model manufacturers" make a model of this engine to my knowledge. They all were different to suit the needs of each railroad or logging or mining operation so anything you can dream up, somebody may have built. I've read about track gauges from 2 foot to beyond standard gauge, to run on rails or poles, etc. I think it's a really cool modelling project because of that individual/one of a kind quality, and anyone who completes one will have a really unique model running on their layouts.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

s, 
I have a 4 foot workbench... we cleaned up the house for T-giving 2 years ago, and I haven't seen it since..... I think it's still there under all the boxes. 

We got a new washer. SWMBO says no more painting/building on top of it. But I guess there's still the freezer for big stuff. I've mostly been using a Sterilite tote lid balanced on my lap, or put it on the bed lately.. (Oh the joys of living in a tin box with no closets!) 

If you need technical assistance with your build, don't hesitate to backchannel me. I might know a few shortcuts


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Mik, Thanks again. 

Being a single man my dining room table currently has my Connie sitting on it with dozens of paints and glue bottles and tools laying all around it. I need to repair one of the loco cab doors that fell off. Since I'm a bachelor there's no one to yell at me to....'get that damned toy train off of the dining room table', which is kind of cool as the lighting there is ideal.

I have ordered a HLW railcar as a platform for one of these 'mini' climax A's. They were kind of a failure at 7-8 tons with only four wheels as they didn't have enough tractive force to pull much but I want to build one any way. I think it will be a very unique locomotive. It should look believeable pulling one of my logging disconnects and I think I might build one or two ore dump cars for it to pull too. 

I'm curious if Ozark miniatures make a good casting for the engine. Otherwise I wil try my hand at scratchbuilding the little engine cylinders.


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

I know your pain. I am living in a rented condo until we find some land to build on. Everything is jammed on my computer desk and a table out on our screened porch. No workbench at this time.


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## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

I have been stewing over one of these kits for a long time. I researched them a bit and saw that they sold for $300, then raised to $390, and now are back to $300. Wonder how long they will be at the lower price? But what really got to me was that in an earlier thread on this kit, someone mentioned that theirs was a "shelf queen" because of the fragile parts that might be broken in some accident. Personally, it is not uncommon for me to drop my trains, knock them over, or perhaps they get some abuse from some animal friends. So if the final product is fragile, perhaps I should just pass. Or perhaps I could do the build and leave off the fragile stuff??? 

I was working on a "Cli-Shay" project that I had bought that someone started and gave up on. I had the wooden portion all nicely finished and left it out. Later found that one of nature's trouble makers chewed on it a while and now that needs to be repaired before going further. I also am a little unsure about how I want to build the marine steam engine for it. 

Doug


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I decided to buy an HLW mini rail car as a base for one of the little 4 wheel Class A Climax engines. My brother has several books on Climax and geared locos which have the two photos I can find on the engine plus I think he said one of his books may have a side view photo and a drawing of one of them. There is only two listed in the builder's records and I believe they weren't successful because they were too light to pull much but I think it will be a fun, fairly cheap project to take on this winter. 

I need to see if Hartland will sell the marine engine casting seperately. My brother suggested checking model boating websites too. Otherwise, I can probably build something from scratch. 

Mik, I noticed you built yours with a small rectangular water tank. Class A climax usually had the flat round tank but looking at the two photos I can't tell and wonder if they used a square water tank like Dunkirk did on their little four wheeled geared loco. [?]


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I used a spray can top for my water tank. Medicine bottle for the vertical boiler, some various Ozark castings. Sewing snaps for the valve handles. Wood frame. Hartland motor blocks(were Stomper mechs at first!)









I made ths side frames from some New Bright truck parts and some plastic. Roof is sandpaper.








'Tank' is wrapped with metal foil with rivet patterns in it. Trailing car has a battery, I use a 9.6 volt and on/off switch, no R/C.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

That's cool Jerry. The Climax Class A engines look like a fun model with a lot of artistic license since they were all kind of a little different, personally made for their individual uses and owners. I'm looking forward to building one of the little 7-8 ton 4 wheeled ones to three foot gauge. Maybe to pull two or three ore dump cars or one of my logging disconnects. I may still like to build the larger 8 wheel Ozark kit at a later date. 

S


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I wrote to Ozark miniatures tonight to ask them if the two cylinder motor casting might be available seperately for model enthusiasts who might like to "roll their own" climax models. If they respond i will let you all know what they say. 

s


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Just received my HLW railcar today. The cow catcher pilot had broken off in shipping. while studying it I realized the model is already one of the small 4 wheel Climax engines. It will take only the easiest of modifications to turn this inexpensive rail car [about 100 bucks], into one of the 8 ton Climax engines. Cool. 

Compare these photos to see what I mean. Replace the crate that covers the motor with a vertical boiler, remove the Mack hood, add water tank and pin couplers and the project should be a snap. 

http://s1065.beta.photobucket.com/user/flatrat1962/library/8 ton Climax engine


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks like a good plan!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

If the railcar is too short to mount the climax engine lengthwise, you can mount it crossweise and have a little Dunkirk


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Doing my basic measurements it looks like a simple conversion. I need to raise the roof about a scale foot but lengthwise everything else should pretty easily fit in the railcar. I have already popped the mack hood off to save and use in a railbus project I will return to some day. The bench seat seems to just pop out. I'll need to fabricate a boiler and find an engine casting or make a simple two cylinder engine myself from scratch. Looks like enough room to run the engine in the center just like the little climax engines had them. I may use a square water tank like the little Dunkirk had. Some class A climax engines had a square tank too. I plan to make a headlamp and a small lantern for the rear to run off the two headlamps that are wired already in the railcar and which just pop out of where they're mounted. Actually this kitbash will require very little cutting I'm figuring. 

I plan to document it in the photobucket link I posted earlier so people can see the progress. It really looks like an easy kitbash. 

S


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I've made a little more headway with my 8 ton, 4 wheel climax kitbash the last two weeks. I enclose a link to photobucket with some photos of the project. 

After disassembling the HLW railcar I scribed the deck to simulate wood planks and added styrene to the sides to raise the roof to a 1:20 scale height of 7 feet. Doc Watson reviewed the model a week ago and gave me his input on building a vertical boiler. I've been mulling over ideas for that and have currently built one up using a reinforced paper towel tube for the boiler. The dimensions of that fit my needs. I painted it black just for the mock up and i'm working on other ideas to layer the tube with kraft paper, etc. to simulate the iron boiler plates. i need to get some valves, knobs and pressure gauge, etc. to add details. I also need to start scratchbuilding the two cylinder engine and steam piping. Doc gave me an old smokestack he had in his 'stores' of parts and i inverted it, trimmed off the top and sanded it to the radius of the roof. I have a photo of the model so far with all the parts just resting together in a mock up if anyone cares to check out my progress to date... 

http://s1065.beta.photobucket.com/user/flatrat1962/library/8 ton Climax engine


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Looking good Scott. The fitting of the stack to the roof's curvature looks perfect. Glad to help out with the project.

Doc


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Doc. And thanks again for that smoke stack. i think it will work perfectly. I need to bore the hole in the stack out with my drill press to open it up to a believeable thickness. Right now the stack looks like it's made of 6 inch thick steel. hopefully I can mill it out without destroying it. 

The boiler is coming out surprisingly well. i thought a model rocket tube might work well but couldn't readily find one the right size. Other ideas didn't work either so I took a paper towel tube which was the perfect outer diameter and cut it off to 3-5/8" in length. The height of the boiler. Then, I cut another section to the same length and sliced it vertically. I then used Elmer's and pasted that section inside the original section. Later, I cut another length and did that again inside the other tubes. It dried almost perfectly round and gave the tube a nice sturdy thickness. Cost; zero dollars.

To 'kill' the nasty spiral that's in a paper towel tube I gave the tube a thin coat of drywall mud yesterday and let it dry. Sanded it down today and then coated it again with flat black latex paint. It came out perfectly smooth and almost perfectly round. Now I need to somehow simulate the overlapping boiler plate and rivets...but I've got a few ideas that might work well.


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## ClintB (Dec 25, 2012)

For Nick, I've been toying with the idea if ordering this kit. Might I ask what brands of RC and sound cards you installed? I have been looking at AirWire and Tsunami...


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I use metal duct tape(Nashua Brand) to simulate rivets/metal. It has a backing you peel off, after embossing your textures/lines on it. I use an old LP cover under it when embossing. For rivets I use a pounce wheel, or an old leather tool wheel. Stuff sticks on good! True Value/Ace sell the Nashua brand tape, don't get it at a box store, it's thinner stuff.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I've done a bit more on the 8 ton Climax kitbash. 

I decided to try and build this little loco kitbash from found/junk stuff that's laying around rather than buying goodies on line for no other reason than to see how cheaply you could build a model locomotive in the 'old school' method before bits and pieces were readily available on line. 

If successful, I thought that would be more satisfying than saying I bought all the 'goodies and bits' on line from websites to build my model. Smokestack is an inverted stack donated from Doc Watson, cut and ground down to fit the roof radius. Whistle is styrene rod wrapped with aluminum tape. Boiler is built up layers from a paper towel tube. Steam valves are made from jewelry parts and styrene rods. Other boiler details like the firebox door are made from layers made from toilet paper tubes and styrene bits. I am currently making a steam gauge from a button from a shirt. Here's the photobucket link to the current state of the project. I'll post more as I progress... 

Next step, the two cylinder pistons. i plan to make them from styrene, wood dowels and anything else that's handy.


http://s1065.beta.photobucket.com/u...x%20engine


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

On the engine, I used a balsa block cut to shape, some wood dowels, then the metal duct tape over it. A couple of washers on top of the pistons with some ozark bolt heads. What kind of motor drive are you using? GUess I missed that. Going back, I forgot you were using the Hartland as a base, so guess that is it's drive? I've never seen one.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for the ideas Jerry. I've got a number of photos/drawings of the two cylinder motor. I've been trying to decide if i would make the motor base/block from wood or try and cut the parts out of thicker styrene and cut the cylinder heads from dowels. Gonna' try a few approaches and see what gives me the best results. 

If you look at the other slides on my photobucket you can see a shot of the disassembled rail car. The electric motor drives a gear box to the one axle. I doubt it will pull much of a load. Maybe one log car or a few mini ore cars.

S


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I finished building the two cylinder engine this week for my little 8 ton Climax loco. 

I used patent drawings and photos from "The Climax Locomotive" book for my reference. I cut the engine block from pine on my bandsaw and used dowel rods and other wooden parts for the engine block and fashioned bolts from .080 Hex styrene rod for bolt details. The reversing gear is all done out of styrene rods and strips. I chose an industrial green color for now and will 'grimy' it up later. working on the steam feed piping now. The water tank will come next and i will relocate the railcar headlamps to a lantern on the end of the loco when I mount the water tank. 

I have posted photos of my progress to date on my photobucket site. The photos are just mock up. Nothing will be glued in place until all the details are final. 

http://s1065.beta.photobucket.com/user/flatrat1962/library/8 ton Climax engine


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Pretty cool! 

Are the red knobs on the boiler to determine water level? 

Greg


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

"Are the red knobs on the boiler to determine water level?"

Greg;

Yep! Usually there were only three of them - called "tri cocks" or "try cocks" - depends upon who is selling the detail parts. They are present on boilers with sight glasses, as a back-up system, should the sight glass break. When I ran the Porters at the tourist railroad, engineers were supposed to open the try cocks sometime during the day. This was to keep the valves from siezing, and also to make sure they were ready "just in case."

Yours, David Meashey


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

After seeing Shawn and Jerry's I decided to order the Ozark one. I'm cheating in starting with that but, I'll modify it a little to look more like what I want.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Neat build, thanks for posting. 
I bet you could add a chain drive to connect the axles, the copper boiler added some weight, so heck pull two! 

See ya down the line. 

John


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Greg, Dave, and John, 
My reference text for this kitbash is the excellent book; "The Climax Locomotive", by Thompson, Dunn & Hauff, loaned to me from my older brother's extensive railroad book library. Chapter 7 has 30 pages of old photographs of Climax Model A engines. They are old photos, many of them are grainy and hard to interpret, but when reviewing the vertical boiler engines it looks like several of them had 4 valves in ascending order up or around the boiler. I had a perfect piece of clear plastic tubing that would make an excellent site glass tube but, alas, it has gone missing in my stores of parts. I may add that at a later date when i find it or a replacement piece. 
Until then, I have decided to 'wing it' as best as I can. Artistic license. 
I have also struggled with trying to make the usual round water tank in the Climax A engine fit within the confines of the HLW railcar frame...it won't...and yet look believably large enough for the engine. One or two photos show a climax A with a square water tank which looks more believable for my engine so i have chosen to build one of those instead. Again, artistic license, over actual photo documents. Very little documentation exists for the little 8 ton climax and every one of the Climax A engines seems to have been custom built for their individual buyers so....why not? Perfect? No. But sometimes in my book, close enough is...close enough. 
I'm nearing completion of the little kitbash so hope to share photos of it soon. 

S


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