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My latest 2-8-0 project... What does everyone think?

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  • Member since
    May 2014
  • From: Pennsylvania
  • 1,154 posts
My latest 2-8-0 project... What does everyone think?
Posted by Trainman440 on Saturday, April 2, 2016 11:22 AM

Hi!

I recently bought a Bachmann 2-8-0 off Ebay for $34!!! What a STEAL considering they usally go for $55!!

The photos didnt show the condition the engine was in.

  • The 3rd driver wheel was un-quartered:
  • Someone tried to put a SHINY GLOSS coat over it and brush paint a white trim on it:

White trim: notice how its eneven and the white got EVERYWHERE over the drivers... you can also see the glossy finish

Glossy finish on the tender:

 

you cant really tell its that bad but from a naked eye, it looked horrible.

The guy also tried to GRIND off some of the paint off the wheels and filed the wheels to the point where you can see the bare COPPER. (sorry, no pics)

Anyways, I fixed it all up and repainted the engine shell, tender shell, drive wheels, leading truck, pistons, etc. 

I stripped the paint with iso. alcohol, and then in soap to remove the alcohol. 

Then I masked it and primed it, sprayed it black and then matte finish:

NOTICE: I managed to keep the graphite smoke box paint, because I didnt have any grphite paint. 

I also left masking tape on the places where I need to decal, when I get some. 

After I made it look nice and run very well, I removed the original very dim incandecent headlight with a fiberglass tube bringing the light from the engine to the headlight piece, and I added a micro Yeglow LED straight into the headlight. Now its very bright!

Before: My other 2-8-0

 

The shell before paint stripping:

After:

It looks a lot better!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed my project!

Reply if you have any comments, or suggestions! Big Smile

Thanks for reading!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO

Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440

Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Franconia, NH
  • 3,130 posts
Posted by dstarr on Saturday, April 2, 2016 2:28 PM

Nice work, especially the headlamp.

 

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, April 2, 2016 2:30 PM

Nice recovery, Charles. Thumbs UpThumbs Up

While the gloss paint, especially on the tender, was poorly-done, most real steam locomotives left the erecting bays in gloss paint.  How long it stayed that way varied from road to road.

When I paint my locomotives, the initial weathering is the various coats of clear gloss, semigloss of varying degrees, and matte finishes, then the weathering colours are applied over that.

Most represent well-maintained locos, like this:

...and others, like this Broadway Mikado done for a friend, start the same way:

...but end up like this:

Wayne

  • Member since
    April 2013
  • 917 posts
Posted by Southgate on Saturday, April 2, 2016 10:29 PM

Hey, she cleans up real nice. Good score!

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Foothills of Western NC
  • 75 posts
Posted by Erie-diamond on Sunday, April 3, 2016 6:13 AM

What do I think? Me thinks me jealous!!!! Great steal and great job in restoration of a good ole gal. I have maybe the same loco but in Southern green and DCC.

  • Member since
    June 2011
  • From: Loveland, Colorado - Rural
  • 366 posts
Posted by rgengineoiler on Sunday, April 3, 2016 9:04 AM

I bought one on Ebay in N Scale last month that I will start on this summer.  I sure hope it will turn out as nice as what you have done.  Great job for sure.   Doug

  • Member since
    September 2014
  • 51 posts
Posted by SETH CRAWFORD on Monday, April 4, 2016 6:08 PM

I must know how you changed the headlight. Did you post a youtube video of the process?

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Southern Quebec, Canada
  • 868 posts
Posted by Guy Papillon on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 8:05 AM

Nice work. I would never dare to do such a project myself.

Yes

Guy

Modeling CNR in the 50's

  • Member since
    May 2014
  • From: Pennsylvania
  • 1,154 posts
Posted by Trainman440 on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 1:40 PM

Thank you everyone who replied!!!!

 

 
SETH CRAWFORD

I must know how you changed the headlight. Did you post a youtube video of the process?

 

 

 

No, I didn't post a Youtube video, I took a few pictures of it while I worked on my 2-8-0. 

So the setup before was an incandecent bulb, lighting up a fiberglass tube, which brought the light source in to the tiny headlight. 

Original Setup:

To give you an idea, the clear part of the fiberglass was inside the shell, then the little tube and the headlight were outside the shell. 

This is the micro LED I was talking about: It is very tiny, and runs on 3v. As you can see it is very bright!

I inserted the light into the headlight as a test fit:

then I painted some of the wire (the part that will show) black:

Then I reinserted it into the headlight and added glue (optional)

 

Next, I drilled a hole in the smokebox front and fed the little wires through from the outside in. 

I wired in a 470ohm resistor and soldered it onto the wires that originally ran to the incandescent  light bulb. 

Thats it!

Hope this helps...

If you're confused on any step, I can explain it a little further...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO

Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440

Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440

  • Member since
    February 2010
  • From: Colorado (the flat part)
  • 607 posts
Posted by Colorado_Mac on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 8:23 PM

Well done!

Sean

HO Scale CSX Modeler

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