This time was to help someone out though. The 4-6-0 especially had me working through some very unnecessary problems, but I got them done in the end! These honestly could've been very nice models if they had only put a little more effort into a couple areas. I mean, how do you get the distance of the siderod holes off by 1/8" and still consider it good enough to sell anyway? That seems like some really basic stuff.
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Next you need to try an MDC shay and get all the gears to work.
I actually did an MDC 3-truck Shay a few years back and had it working great with NWSL gears! All 6 of those split though, and no warranty since they were bought 2nd hand, so I've been meaning to switch it back to the old MDC gears.
Arbour stuff LOOKED so neat and interesting but the reputation for parts not fitting as intended became pretty general knowledge early on. At least I was able to buy some of their parts separately when available. One would think there would have still been value to some of the Arbour tooling for the parts alone.
I know that whenever tooling is created there are some assumptions about shrinkage from the original prototype model and materials and when you think about it, it is pretty amazing that firms such as Mantua, Varney, Bowser/Penn Line, John English, and others did as well as they did seemingly from the first try.
I wonder if there was "something in the water" during the Arbour era because E&C/LBF/Huberts kits and some of the McKean kits of roughly the same era had "fit" problems of their own.
Plastic is presumably easier to "bull" into shape than cast white metal!
Dave Nelson
I think part of the problem for some was the use of cheaper tooling without enough testing. Enough experience with shrinkage rates can also allow the proper initial casting/molding size for other metals and plastics to get the right size for the finished product. Bowser's first kit was a brass 4-8-2 made almost entirely with a lost wax process, and to my understanding, Bill Bowser essentially went bankrupt trying to get the casting down just right before he would dare release the model for sale. Other companies like Mantua and Varney had already been around since the 30's, so they had gained a lot of experience casting smaller zinc parts for brass kits before moving onto full zinc diecast kits. Some of the 70's startups I think rushed into things too quickly without putting in the necessary time and effort to ensure proper fitting and assembly, but others from the time using the same processes and materials like Tiger Valley and DJH did put in the extra effort and gained a reputation for quality.
Another outstanding video, Darth!
I really look forward to seeing what you produce. I'll never get into that side of the hobby, I suspect, but I sure enjoy watching it. Your superior craftsmanship is evident. Can't wait for the next video!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Yes, I have a small collection of Arbour kits on my shelf, waiting for the moment when life stops getting in the way of my plans, and your build videos are always interesting and insightful.
DJH had a long history making kits for the British market before making a few American models (they also made a unique little GB&W 2-6-0 that Walthers sold under the Boyd mark). I've not built one (although I have the Boyd kit and a Hudson on my shelf, same problem as above), but they are white metal, rather than Zamac. Iain Rice speaks highly of DJH quality in his book on building white metal loco kits, and the company is still in business making models of British, South African and European locomotives- I think the last American prototype they offered was a War Department S-160 class 2-8-0, as used on the Alaska RR (and elsewhere).
http://mprailway.blogspot.com
"The first transition era - wood to steel!"
Hi Darth,
Another interesting video! Thanks.
I didn't realize that you could solder white metal. It must be a fairly delicate process.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
MidlandPacific, I hope those kits go together well when you have time to get to them! I looked at the Alaska 2-8-0 when I started checking out DJH's kits, but it I wasn't quite ready to spend $500 on a kit at the time. They went out of production a couple years ago, and I'm not sure if they'll make them again or not.
hon30critter, white metal can be soldered, but you have to make sure to use the right temperature and solder. The zinc-cadmium alloy used by Arbour works with the iron at 650F using tin-lead solder, but the pewter (tin-antimony-copper) alloy used by DJH melts at a much lower temperature and requires low-temperature solder that works at under 300F. My Hakko iron only goes down to 650F, so I mostly use glue and epoxy on pewter parts.
Thanks Darth,