Building the Bowser PRR L-1 Mikado (photo intensive)

[twhite]

Andre--

Thanks for the reply.  Actually, I've already got brass models of the MT-3,4 and 5 locos that I like really well.  I think my main concern is that I'd like to try building a Bowser kit, just to build one, but I don't know what I'd do with another 'off-road' loco, hence at least trying to adapt it to a kinda/sorta MT.  The only other option I could see would be substituting a larger boiler and trying for a Rio Grande M-78 3-cylinder job, but then I'd run into main rod placement problems (3rd instead of 2nd drivers) and besides, I've already got two of those, anyway, LOL! 

Gonna have to think about this, I am.   Mainly, I'm kind of hot to build the Bowser just to see if I CAN! 

Tom

[andrechapelon]

twhite

Darth: 

A question.  Have you built the USRA Mountain?  And if so, does it have the cast-on domes?  The reason I ask, is that looking at the Bowser 4-8-2, it also looks as if it would be a really good basis for a Southern Pacific MT series.  However, the SP had very distinctive sand and steam domes (which I can get from PSC, along with other details), and I wonder if I'd have to do a lot of grinding, if they were not separate castings. 

Just curious, mind you.  BTW, my hat's off to you and your Bowser collection.  You're really starting to get me anxious to try one of their locos. 

Tom

Tom, the Bowser Pennsy M1/M1a chassis is closer to the SP MT's than the so called USRA chassis, having 72" drivers rather than 69" drivers. The MT's had 73" drivers. OTOH, with the M1 chassis, you've got the problem of scratchbuilding a boiler and cab. In any case, you'd have to remove that horrible cab from the "USRA" engine regardless. Why oh why did they do that?

Seems to me you'd be better off getting the DC version of the new Athearn MT's.

 Now if you want a Pacifc, the USRA kit would make a good start towards an SP P-8, especially if Athearn will sell the 120C-3 tender with which it's equipping the MT's as a separate item. You would have to grind down the sand dome and substitute a PSC casting and you'd have to build up the steam dome, but the result probably wouldn't turn out too bad.

I'm saving my shekels for a Pacific kit.

EDIT: Apparently Standard Hobby Supply has the USRA Pacific kit for $112.99, a $36.01 savings over MSRP.

Andre

 

[AlreadyInUse]

twhite

Darth: 

A question.  Have you built the USRA Mountain?  And if so, does it have the cast-on domes?  The reason I ask, is that looking at the Bowser 4-8-2, it also looks as if it would be a really good basis for a Southern Pacific MT series.  However, the SP had very distinctive sand and steam domes (which I can get from PSC, along with other details), and I wonder if I'd have to do a lot of grinding, if they were not separate castings. 

Just curious, mind you.  BTW, my hat's off to you and your Bowser collection.  You're really starting to get me anxious to try one of their locos. 

Tom

Tom,

The steam and sand domes on the 4-8-2 are applied details; easily replaced or modified. I started on my Mountain 2 months ago and it's been a lot of fun. It's actually been running on my layout for over a month. It can really pull! The only problem I've had is obtaining the super detail kit for the Mountain. Bowser has told me they won't have them until sometime in 2009. I didn't want to wait that long and eventually just bought what I needed. Mostly Cal Scale parts. I'm now waiting for one injector, a tender backup light and Kadee #6 and then I can paint the boiler and tender. The frame is now finished and painted with the installation of the brake cylinders and brake shoes. If you want more information or pictures let me know. There's some early build photos here (without and with the domes):

http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/140795/1567630.aspx#1567630

Peter

[jon grant]

You're making good progress.

One question - did the tender come with a seperate floor, or were there 2 vertical cast-on posts for the truck screws. I ask because the B6 0-6-0 I built had the posts and I had to chop them off to get a bed for the speaker.

edit

I just had another look at the first photo and answered my own question 

Jon 

[Darth Santa Fe]

garya

I'm curious; what other Bowser Kits have you built? (I assume the challenger from your signature).  I'm thinking about the USRA Light Mikado.  Any advice?

I'm building the Bowser 4-6-0 Casey Jones, and I was advised to use tissue paper "spacers" between the valve gear parts, then burn or soak it out after it was all riveted together.  Have you heard this?  It looks like you riveted everything together carefully without paper spacers.

So far, I've built:
1. PRR A-5 0-4-0
2. UP Challenger 4-6-6-4
3. NYC K-11 4-6-2
4. PRR T-1 4-4-4-4

I have built the mechanism of the USRA Light Mikado for scubaterry. He can tell you more about the overall quality of the whole kit than I ever could (all I've seen is the frame, cylinders, and mechanism). From what I have seen (on Bowser's website), it's another excellent steam engine, but I don't think I could give anymore advice than what I've posted here.

I've heard of using paper spacers before, but I've never tried it since I always seem to get by fine without it. I'm sure it works, though.

[garya]

Darth Santa Fe

For Christmas I got my 5th Bowser steam engine kit: a Pennsylvania Railroad L-1 Mikado. This topic will cover my progress as I make it, as well as show you all how these kits are built with numerous photos.

I'm curious; what other Bowser Kits have you built? (I assume the challenger from your signature).  I'm thinking about the USRA Light Mikado.  Any advice?

I'm building the Bowser 4-6-0 Casey Jones, and I was advised to use tissue paper "spacers" between the valve gear parts, then burn or soak it out after it was all riveted together.  Have you heard this?  It looks like you riveted everything together carefully without paper spacers.

 

[New Haven I-5]

 Darth, you make building these kits look so easy.

[Darth Santa Fe]

I haven't built that one, but the pictures on Bowser's website (http://bowser-trains.com/holocos/usra_mountain/usra_mountain.htm) show that the domes are separate, so it looks like you could have a good starting point for your SP MT Mountain!

[twhite]

Darth: 

A question.  Have you built the USRA Mountain?  And if so, does it have the cast-on domes?  The reason I ask, is that looking at the Bowser 4-8-2, it also looks as if it would be a really good basis for a Southern Pacific MT series.  However, the SP had very distinctive sand and steam domes (which I can get from PSC, along with other details), and I wonder if I'd have to do a lot of grinding, if they were not separate castings. 

Just curious, mind you.  BTW, my hat's off to you and your Bowser collection.  You're really starting to get me anxious to try one of their locos. 

Tom

[Darth Santa Fe]

twhite, when you just go at these things step-by-step, they're not as hard as you'd think they might be.

cudaken, the main thing I like about the Bowsers is that I build them myself. I've always loved kit building, so the Bowsers are a lot of fun for me. Of course, I do like big engines, even if I do have a small layout. But, when I (hopefully) do get my basement-sized layout someday, the pulling power will definately be available!

blownout cylinder, maybe you should consider a scale change, and join us in the dark side!

[Darth Santa Fe]

Now that the motor is on, the front pilot, and front and rear trucks can be assembled to the frame.

The parts for the front pilot are very soft metal, so if they don't fit right, they can be modified easily. The front truck just snaps together, making it very easy. The rear truck has a plate screwed on to retain the wheels, but the plate was slightly too long and had to be modified slightly (I bent the end at a 45 degree angle, so it wasn't a hard modification).

Now that the mechanism is totally assembled, the boiler can be put on for testing.

The boiler has a weight that is supposed to be glued in, but I have it stuffed in for now with a little paper towel. That way, it can be removed for when I paint the boiler.

My layout runs on DC power, so I secured the right motor wire to the engine frame.

I was able to hide the wire by looping it around the bottom of the motor, feeding it through the frame, and securing it with the rear screw for the boiler and drawbar. Pretty clever, if I do say so myself. The other wire goes through the cab and to a small screw on the front of the tender.

Tender assembly is very simple and straight forward.

The brass contacts/wheel retainers on the bottom of the tender trucks weren't contacting the axles, so I bent them slightly to make good contact with the axles, which should improve electrical pickup. The needle-point bearings should be oiled, because they'll squeek otherwise. The insulated wheels should be on the right side of the tender, so the tender will get electrical pickup from the left rail.

The next step is testing it out to make sure everything is working properly. This is where any problems that are left, like binding or electrical problems, can be found, and then fixed. It's a good idea to make sure the problems are fixed before painting, because excessive handling after painting can wear the paint off. Then it should be broken-in fully for the best possible performance.

Unfortunately for me, my switches are total garbage, so I have trouble running it in reverse without the trailing truck derailing and shorting. I may try adding a spring to the truck to see if that will fix it.

During this time, some of the super details can be added.

I will be painting my L-1 in two colors, so I only add the details that won't cross from one color zone to another (it makes masking and touch-up a whole lot easier). The tender will only be one color, so it can be fully detailed before painting.

That's all the progress I've made for now. My kit is missing two detail parts from the tender, so I will have to contact Bowser about them before I can start painting. I will be sure to continue posting my progress as I make it.

[cudaken]

 Darth, No wonder the Dash 8 / 9 you fixed for me is such a great running engine!

 If I remember right you have a smaller layout. Why do you like the Bowser kits so much? What had me thinking about them was the reported pulling power. Is it more the skill that is needed to build one? If so I understand.

         Your friend Ken

[blownout cylinder]

I'd go for a few of those---even if it isn't in N---grrr!

[twhite]

Darth:

You're really whetting my appetite for one of these Bowser kits--and your step-by-step instructions make it look a LOT less formidable than I thought it might be. 

Looking forward to the next installments. 

Tom

[Darth Santa Fe]

The next step is to assemble the cylinders, crosshead guides, crossheads and main rods to the frame.

The valve-gear hanger holds everything together, so it should be put on while working on this part of the assembly. The screw called in the instructions for the valve gear hanger is about 3/32" too short. A longer screw with a phillips head is provided and should be used in place of the other screw (I had a screw from an earlier Bowser kit that was the exact length needed, so I used it instead). Everything should work absolutely freely with no binds. One of the front wheels on mine was binding with a crosshead, so a spacer had to be put on the opposite wheel to keep the bind from happening. I made a C-shaped washer from some thin plastic and snapped it onto the axle, and the problem was fixed.

Next is what many consider to be the most difficult part of the kit: the valve gear.

Bowser provides a small riveting tool with every kit, which is used with a light-weight metal object, like a small to medium sized wrench. I used the blunt side of a pair of scissors this time. The riveting should be done on a hard surface (I used a small piece of sheet steel). To flare the rivet, place the tool on top of the rivet, and tap the tool. Check the first couple rivets frequently to make sure they are being flared properly.

Once the rivet is finished, check to make sure the rods can rotate all the way around freely. Sometimes, if a rivet is a little too tight, wiggling the rods around can loosen it up alright. If there's no way to fix it, remove the rivet and try again (Bowser provides plenty of rivets).

After the valve-gear is fully assembled, it can be assembled to the frame and mechanism.

The front of the valve-gear drops right through the large hole in the front of the hanger, so the hanger doesn't have to be removed for maintainence or painting. The hole on the small rod that assembles to the crosshead was too small for the screw to go through, and had to be expanded. The screw also had to be threaded through the crosshead, but this isn't hard since the metal for the crosshead is very soft. The cylinders also had to be modified slightly to clear the front of the valve-gear. All screws should be cut off, with a small drop of super glue put on the threads. After a few minor frustrations, the valve-gear went together well, and worked freely. Clearance should be double-checked to make sure there won't be any problems later.

And now comes the final step for the mechanism.

Bowser's new DC-71 motor is an excellent runner, with fairly low current draw. It's not quite as quiet as a can motor, but boy is it smooth! It mounts to the frame with two screws; one in front and one in back. Thin fiber washers are used to adjust the gear mesh. The gear mesh on mine was just slightly loose, so one washer was added to the back to tighten it a little. The gears should have only the tiniest bit of slop in them, but they shouldn't be so tight they bind (the axle rests on the worm instead of the bearings). A little grease should be added to the gears at a time, running each little bit in until the gear teeth are fully coated with a thin layer of grease. The motor bearings should also be oiled a little.

More in the next post!

[Darth Santa Fe]

For Christmas I got my 5th Bowser steam engine kit: a Pennsylvania Railroad L-1 Mikado. This topic will cover my progress as I make it, as well as show you all how these kits are built with numerous photos.

Of course, the first thing to do is pull it all out of the box. The brass handrail wire is kept in the very bottom of the box under all the foam.

Looks like it's gonna be a whole lot of fun, doesn't it? Some tools you'll need will be small screwdrivers, drill bits ranging from about size #55 through around #75 (check your instructions for exact sizes. Most, but not all, holes are already drilled), a small file or two, and your choice of glue. I'll be using liquid and gel super glues.

The obvious next step is cleaning up your parts.

Most of the metal flash can be easily filed off, and some will even peel away without much trouble. The L-1 has excellent quality parts, with much less flash and very fine seams compared to other Bowser steam engines I've built. There are a couple spots that need to be filled and then filed or sanded smooth.

Once everything is cleaned up, assembly can be started. The first step for assembly is placing the drive wheels in the frame. To do this, which wheels are insulated and which aren't must be determined.

As you can see, the insulated wheel has a thin strip of insulation between the center wheel and rim. Some are less obvious than others, and if which is which can't be determined by the eye, a power supply can be used by touching one lead to the axle, and the other to the wheel rim. If a short happens, that is the uninsulated wheel.

After it's been determined which wheels are insulated, they can be put in the frame. All insulated wheels should be on the left side (right when turned upside down) so the engine will get power from the right-side rail. The axles should be oiled a little, and all wheels should spin freely.

Once all the wheels are in, the siderods can be added.

Bowser provides the proper size hex driver for the brass hex-headed screws. The screws should be tight enough not to back out, but not so tight that the threads will be stripped out (remember, these are brass). Sometimes, the holes in the siderods will be slightly too small, and will have to be expanded with a round file, or some other tool that can properly expand a hole. The siderods should be oiled to work properly.

The next step is to assemble the crossheads and main rods.

Before screwing the crossheads to the main rods, all flash should be cleaned off, and wether the crossheads can slide freely on their guides and in the cylinders should be checked. Once they've been assembled (make sure the main rods can move freely on the crossheads), the end of the screw should be cut off as close to flush as possible, and a small drop of liquid super glue should be added so the screw won't back out. If the screw isn't cut, it will bind with the siderods on the front wheels.

This post is getting long, so I'll continue in the next post (which will be up in a few minutes).