Anyone built a Bowser Locomotive?

[Anonymous]

I would like to add an Atlantic (4-4-2) to my roster. Currently the only one available in kit form for HO seems to be from Bowser. Anyone have current experience with Bowser kits?

From what I can tell from the Bowser literature the product seems pretty "clunky" and out of date. The motor for example looks to be open frame construction. From the materials I'd think they would be good pullers but wonder if they are mechanically dependable. How is the general finish?

My practice is to superdetail to a specific example. In this case I want to model a yet to be selected example of the pre-WWI Baldwin built Southern Pacific A class.

Any comments or suggestions appreciated

Randy

[Anonymous]

Bowser makes an excellant kit. Yes it still comes with an open frame motor but that is not all bad. It can be converted to run on DCC and I think you would find it is a very reliable engine. However it would not meet your needs. The Bowser 4-4-2 is a Pennsy E6 which was built after WW1 and has a belpaire firebox that is completely wrong for the Harriman SP 4-4-2. My suggestion is to get a Harriman kit from MDC Roundhouse products. Internethobbies.com has it in stock and it's on sale. Note it too will have an open frame motor. Alliance Locomotive Products has a kit to conver from the open frame to a can motor http://www.alliancelink.com/alp.

[gdowner]

The new Roundhouse locos have can motors. I bought a Roundhouse Atlantic at a show a couple of weeks ago, and it has a can motor. I haven't started it yet, so I can't comment on building the kit.
George

[Anonymous]

I have built a Bowser Old Lady Consolidation. I found the kit to be well made, reliable and pulls a plow horse. They say Bowser locos can pull wallpaper off the walls! This might be an overstatement, however, mine was a strong puller. Michaell is right, Bowser's 4-4-2 is a Pennsy version. MDC has made three versions of 4-4-2s,over the years a sorta Santa Fe, Harriman and I think another Pennsey version. MDC has converted to can motors in the last 5 years or so. I have built MDC locos also and like them very well. In both cases the kits have well written instructions so building a kit loco is no big deal. Go for it! However, I would guess no Atlantic would be a strong puller. With only 4 drivers, there will be a lot less adhesion.

[Anonymous]

Bowser has been around a long time and yes their loco's are a little outdated, however for the money, you can't hardly beat the performance and they provide a great starting point for super detailing.

[nfmisso]

Bowser locomotives are extremely reliable when built correctly - just follow the instructions, and properly maintained (lubrication, and checking that the crank pins remain tight - they are 0-80 threaded). The locomotive will outlast you and your kids.

Bowser offers a skew wound, DCC insulated motor with high energy magnets. It is as powerful as the standard DC71 but without the cogging.

I had a MDC Santa Fe Atlantic - in the early 1980s. Even without a can motor, it was very smooth, but it was not up the quality of Mantua or Bowser. And it had no pulling power. It lacked the wheel bearings that Bowser and Mantua use(d), the driver centers were plastic, the grooves in the casting for the axles were not parallel, giving it a fun gait.... I have heard that they now use metal driver centers......

My recommendation, if the Atlantic you want to model has 80" drivers, is to use the Bowser E6 chassis, and build your own superstructure.

If it has 69" to 72" drivers (approximate), I would start with a Bowser NYC K11 chassis, and shorten it. Bowser has 69" and 72" drivers.

You can often find these on ebay for reasonable prices, and Bowser has all the parts available.

Have fun.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by deschane

I have built a Bowser Old Lady Consolidation. I found the kit to be well made, reliable and pulls a plow horse. They say Bowser locos can pull wallpaper off the walls!

You are right about pulling power.Bowser, Penn Line, Mantua, Varney...they all had it !

Not to be contrarian, but just to throw a little credit even further back in time...that Old Lady was originally a Varney. Bowser acquired both the Old Lady 2-8-0 and Casey Jones 4-6-0 dies & tooling from the remnants of the Varney company...giving another generation of modellers access to these two units pioneered by Gordon Varney in the 50's.
Both engines were also released as "Screwdriver Series" kits in the late 50's...marketed as such, for those who did not wi***o drill or tap holes, or do any riveting. I assembled a Casey Jones back in 1958, and did it poorly...wish I had left it untouched for a few years...[:(]
regards
Mike[:D]

[orsonroy]

I've built several Bowser steam kits, and they're very dependable, solidly designed engines. Of course, they're only as good as the work you put into them, so be aware that MOST problems you'll encounter will be your own fault, NOT Bowser's!

One thing about motors: MOST manufacturers still use open frame. Motor for motor, open frame are MUCH more powerful than any can motor. The Pittman DC71 motor provided with most Bowser kits is possibly the most powerful motor provided with any mass-produced engine on the market. Can motors are nice because they use less voltage than open frame, and because of their better finesse at slow speed control. The can motors provided with Roundhouse steam are nice, but have much less power than their open frame motors. They add to the slow speed control of Roundhouse engines, but at the expense of overall oomph. If you really want a can motor for a Bowser engine, Alliance sells a drop in can motor and idler gear set, which is available through Bowser (check their website). These are very nice conversion sets, and give you a good compromise between power and control.

Remember, steam kits are generally the bet way for a modeler to make good stand-in models of most nonarticulated steam ever built. Plastic still doesn't come close to the variety you can come up with using kit parts. But don't just look at one manufacturer. Bowser and Roundhouse still make steam kits, and Precision Scale makes a nice line of superdetailing parts (as does Bowser). Mantua engines are great starting points for parts and ideas, as is Varney, Penn Line, Kemtron, and several other old manufacturers that I can't remember right now. Dig around on Ebay and at swaps for parts and materials. Building your own steam may not be a fast option, but it is a good one!

[ndbprr]

I would caution against the 4-4-2 as a potential engine from my experience. Granted that the Bowser will probably pull more cars than the prototype which was no slouch by the way. I have a wobble in mine that I have never been able to solve. The engine oscilates down the track rising up on one side moving across to the other dropping down and sliding back to where it started. Bowser exchanged the drivers which didn't solve the problem. I left it at the local hobby shop for three months for others to comment on. none of us could ever determine what the problem was other than the short wheel base and four drivers.

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

I would caution against the 4-4-2 as a potential engine from my experience. Granted that the Bowser will probably pull more cars than the prototype which was no slouch by the way. I have a wobble in mine that I have never been able to solve. The engine oscilates down the track rising up on one side moving across to the other dropping down and sliding back to where it started. Bowser exchanged the drivers which didn't solve the problem. I left it at the local hobby shop for three months for others to comment on. none of us could ever determine what the problem was other than the short wheel base and four drivers.

The driver axles are not parallel, either the frame was twisted, of the bore are off. Set it up on flat plate with a dial indicator.......

[AltonFan]

I suspect North West Short Line probably has upgrade kits for most Bowser and MDC steam locomotives so that can motors can be installed.