Building a HO Big Boy on a Budget (Assistance needed)

[Safety Valve]

Hi all, I'm in need of a bit of assistance, I'm wanting to build or start kitbashing my own Electric Union Pacifc Big Boy on a budget of under $100 I have a HO Revell kit already built up the model up exculding the wheels and parts of the front and rear truck the front cowcatcher is on and added and I have decals fitted from a previous occasion... what sort of components would I need and you guys reccomend to use in a model like this???

here are my thoughts,

I was thinking of putting weights in the Boiler maybe using well used pair of  Tyco chattanooga choo choos wheel sets for the drivers, I could cut into the articluated chassis of the kit wiht a Dremel to install them and plastic cement them in with a bit of styrene and fill any bits if needed.

And I could use some kind of Used inexpensive Diesel Bo-Bo chassis from eBay to put in the tender I could reroute the front headlight to the tender light in the back light of the kit but not reverse the actual direction of the motor... which a lot of the Hornby Railways desinged their locomtives to be tender driven in the 1970s and 1980s and even into the 1990s I believe.... 

I'm sure you guys might have a better idea  

Any comments are appriciated! I'm very interested in what you all have to say

[mbinsewi]

Whats a "Diesel Bo-Bo chassis". ?

Mike.

[csxns]

mbinsewi

Whats a "Diesel Bo-Bo chassis". ?

It's part of a train.

[andrechapelon]

mbinsewi

Whats a "Diesel Bo-Bo chassis". ?

Mike.

It’s what the British call a B-B. F7’s, GP9’s, GP40’s, etc. are Bo-Bo in British parlance. 4 axles, all powered, no idlers.

Andre

["JaBear"]

mbinsewi

Whats a "Diesel Bo-Bo chassis". ?

A diesel locomotive wheel arrangement. i wonder if the OP is British?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UIC_classification_of_locomotive_axle_arrangements

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAR_wheel_arrangement

Cheers, the Bear.

 

[BigDaddy]

csxns

csxns wrote the following post an hour ago: mbinsewi Whats a "Diesel Bo-Bo chassis". ? It's part of a train.

I'm having a flashback to 1964

[RR_Mel]

I’m assuming you’re an experienced kitbasher trying to build up one of the most difficult locomotives out there.

 

Having built a Bowser Big Boy Kit and also built the Monogram/Revell Kit and done my fair share of kitbashing that task would beyond my capabilities.

 

I have a 10 year AC-9 2-8-8-4 locomotive project about half done.   I went with a pair of MDC 0-8-0 frames and wheels.  The MDC wheels are 63” same as the AC-9 which made the driver assemblies much easier.  The MDC frames are their last run brass frames with can motors.

 

Luckily I bought the AC-9 brass detail parts early on as they are not available now days.

 

I only work on it when my arthritis allows it and I have to be in the correct mood.  It takes a lot of patience trying to get everything to go together and function correctly.  Having to float two eight wheel driver assemblies so that the almost 11” long locomotive will go around a 22” radius is not the easiest project I’ve attempted.

 

Good luck on your endeavor.

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[snjroy]

Wow, now that's a challenge! I doubt that a tender-driven Big boy would work. There is a lot of stuff to push there. If I was to go for a low-cost BB, I would look for an older "mechanic's special" Rivarossi (Big Boy or Challenger). 

Simon 

[mbinsewi]

Thanks to all, I had no idea that "Bo-Bo" was British for a 4 axle loco.  

Well, I would think the cheaper the "Bo-Bo" he uses, the "cheaper" his loco bash will run.

Mike.

[garya]

snjroy

Wow, now that's a challenge! I doubt that a tender-driven Big boy would work. There is a lot of stuff to push there. If I was to go for a low-cost BB, I would look for an older "mechanic's special" Rivarossi (Big Boy or Challenger). 

Simon 

 

 

Me too.  I bought one with a weak motor for $30.  I was able to install a Canon EN-22 in the cab.  It runs on code 100 track ok, but the pizza cutter flanges bottom out on the ties on code 83.

https://bigbluetrains.com/showthread.php?tid=8358&pid=141026#pid141026

 

["JaBear"]

Is it doable? Hmmm?

 

An acquaintance added a BB Athearn SW7, minus the body of course, into the tender of a Broadway Ltd Y6B, and boy, could it pull!  The wheel spacing was about right.

 

As already mentioned, I’m also wondering about how good would the pulling power be as a pure tender drive locomotive, and would an older Rivarossi Big Boy be cheaper in the long run?

 

But if you like a challenge, go for it, you appear to be working the build processes out.

Good Luck and have Fun.

Cheers, the Bear.

[Southgate]

"Chattanooga" locos have drivers that are significantly smaller than those on a big boy. It would look pretty odd. 

As far as using a diesel drive to push the 4-8-8-4, I think as long as it has enough weight on it, and it's a decent drive, it could pull respectably enough. That's a big tender with room to pack a lot of weight into.

I'd tend to agree that starting off with an older Rivarossi would give you a pretty good looking engine and save an awful lot of trouble of trying to cobble an articulating chassis together. This would be either way, if you push it with the tender or through it's own drivers. Dan

[Safety Valve]

I really appriciate all the comments made on my forum post, they are all really appriciated! I will certainly consider using the HO RTR Rivarossi Big Boy, But I think they might be a bit too expensive for me, However if that doesn't work out, I have found a suppliment for the wheels that are size and protoypically accurate for the kit.... and they aren't baldy priced either,

I only do this as a Hobby, I am in no way a professional or experianced at this hobby yet, I'm only started out with the kitbashing part of the hobby since october 2018 and I have been really enjoying it 

Safety valve - Modeling "The Anywhere Railroad in any Scale at Any Time" (both Real and Fictional) in Pennsylvania since 2018 

[mbinsewi]

Safety Valve

I only do this as a Hobby,

We all only do this as a hobby.

Good luck with your build, and show us some pictures!.

Mike.

[mobilman44]

As others indicated, this is a huge, complicated and extremely difficult project for anyone, much more so for a newcomer.  

Projects like this are rarely finished, often leaving the builder with loads of frustration and probably a bad taste for the hobby.

I urge you to put these plans on the shelf, and pick something much more doable, like super detailing a Bachmann steamer, or some of the older Athearn diesel kits.