Smokestack needed

[Ray Dunakin]

I'm kitbashing my 2-6-2, and one of the things I most want to change is the smokestack. It has a diamond stack, and I want either a straight or "shotgun" style suitable for an oil-fired loco.

Unfortunately, the shotgun stack I got from Ozark Miniatures is a bit too small to look right. Does anyone have a spare stack they could sell me? Or know where I could order something larger than the Ozark stack?

[Anonymous]

Built my last straight stack for my Bachman 4 6 0 from a length of plastic pipe - The centre of a roll of till print paper I think  - thinned the end and heated and belled it slightly with a screwdriver handle .

[Chris Walas]

Check in a craft store for plastic flower holders. They come in several sizes and are great for straight stacks.
Chris

[Ray Dunakin]

Well, I have my new stack! I found a turkey baster at the 99 cent store. The spout is made of hard, tough plastic and has just the right taper to make a nice shotgun stack. I cut out a section, sanded off the measurement markings, and inserted an aluminum tube that's the right diameter to fit the opening in the smokebox.

I wanted to be sure it would be strong enough to handle any bumps during use, so I made the tube almost as long as the stack, centered it, and filled the space between the tube and plastic with urethane glue.

[sfrr]

picture?!?!

[Ray Dunakin]

I didn't think to get a pic of the stack before I installed it. I'll post pics of the finished loco, as soon as I'm done. I still have to convert the tender to an oil bunker.

Last night I finished the engineer. I made him from a Railroad Avenue "Wayne" figure. As sold, this character looks like an old cowboy, with a large hat and vest. Both hands are in his lap. I cut down the hat to look like an engineer's cap; ground off the vest detail and used spot putty to form overalls; cut off the right arm and built up a new one that rests on the window sill; and repositioned his legs to fit into my loco. Then I repainted him. The face and hands were painted using the method described in the October 2006 GR. He turned out pretty good considering it was my first attempt at modifying a figure. I hope to have pics posted soon.