Building the Arbour Models 2-8-4 kit! (Finished!!)

[dinwitty]

I have the Allegheny, did a start build on it, I found an original Winton Allegheny unbuilt, without tender I found a tneder no trucks then I found some winton trucks...I decided to co-build them together and started a website on it, but I have not worked on them for a while, I think I am stuck on the Winton pilot truck, I will get back to it eventually. I heard horror stories on the Arbours, one fellow I knew bought one and threw it out. Another story I heard someone built the Allegheny, first run screws were falling out and siderods busting. I found another on ebay somebody built, asked him a few questions and I bought a fully built one, tested it and ran great. I congratulated the owner for doing a great job and how other ones had some bad luck. But its no differrent than doing a Bowser or MDC, take your time, check every step and you will be one ahead. I have built the bowser big boy, challenger, MDC shay, HOn3 2-8-0's.

[Darth Santa Fe]

It's been a long time since I've made any updates for this, but I am back to making progress!  I found a lot more mechanical snags to work out, so most of the next video will be focused on that.  Some of them were my fault, but now that I know what's going on, it won't be long before I have it running like a Chinese knock-off of a Swiss watch.

I'll also be putting up a video of a DJH kit in a couple months.  I bought one of those because I needed a new kit that would go together smoothly as a break from the 2-8-4 (you could call it therapy).  They're expensive with the all British manufacturing, but worth every penny!

[littlebear]

Darth, Thanks for this inspiration. Your fine work has spurred me on to pursue a kitbash project for a C&O Allegheny. From your experience this would involve a modified Bowser Challenger mechanism underneath a Arbour super structure.

[ACY Tom]

Darth, 

It's great to see that you're back in business in your new digs!

Tom

[CandOsteam]

Hi Darth,

Thanks for part 3 of your build.  The Kanawha (pronounced "Ka-naw") is running sweet and the superstructure looks to be coming along nicely.  I look forward to more down the road.

My K-4 is "on ice" while I do work on my C&O in the basement.  I've left it at a good place with all valve gear in and mechanism running smoothly with a NWSL/Sagami drivetrain.

I'm happy to see yours progressing and is now over the hump to remind me of my unfinished K-4 from time to time.  I need to feel inspired to do my best work and right now my inspiration is focused on geting more of my railway looking and feeling like appalachia.

Joel

[Darth Santa Fe]

Part 3! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SREWV5ETTE4

It still needs plenty of mechanical work, but hey! Getting one of these to work at all was supposed to be near impossible.

Different environment and new phone camera about 1/3rd of the way through. I still need to work on lighting in my new basement.

[PRR8259]

I believe you are correct and edited my post above accordingly.  I think they told me the same thing.  They did not anticipate the tooling to be in the shape that it was...

[Darth Santa Fe]

PRR8259, I heard Bowser acquired the tooling for the Arbour kits, but in addition to declining sales, the molds and fittings were so poor they would've had to practically start from scratch to make parts to their high standards of quality. Kind of a shame the molds were made so poorly, because Arbour Models had plenty of potential.

Heartland Division CB&Q, thanks for the photo!  That'll help with detailing.

JimT, I still need to make the left valve gear, so I'll be sure to get a few photos along the way.

[JimT]

I really enjoyed watching those two videos!! and looking forward to the next installment. I'm particularly interested in the Baker valve gear, I have a project in mind that requires a switch to a Baker setup, so I too am interested in extra photos of how you fabricated the parts for what you needed, if you have them available. Anyway. Great job, really enjoying this thread.

Jim

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Darth .... I took this photo of the C&O 2-8-4 at Kentucky Railway Museum a few years ago.

[PRR8259]

Bowser had purchased what was left of Arbour Models something like 25 years ago, with the good intentions of re-releasing the kits like specifically the Berkshire.

Then what happened is the sales of Bowser steam engine kits just absolutely plummeted, and Lee English simply never got around to fixing the problems of the Arbour Models tooling.  It may be because the tooling was in far worse shape than expected at the time Bowser acquired it, such that some of it might have required total replacement.  Again--this was at a time when the kit sales began to plummet.  Replacement would not have been economically justifiable.

A couple weeks ago in their retail store they had a bunch of steam locomotive "grab boxes"--full of boilers, frames, drivers, assorted other details for various steam engines.

There was, a couple weeks ago, one box of Arbour Models Berkshire parts.  There were several (at least 3 if I recall) boilers in the box.  Interested parties might contact the Bowser retail store (English's Model RR Supply) in Montoursville, PA to see what might still remain.  They are down to literally the last of the steam locomotive parts for some of these models, and are putting what they find out for sale as they clean the warehouse.

That may have been the last; I do not know and cannot confirm.

There are no more kits because the yearly sales were not enough to even just pay the employees salaries' by the end of the kit production a few years ago. 

They have no intentions of ever offering another HO steam locomotive even in rtr form, so I am told, because in their opinion there is nothing left to do that would sell enough units that is not already available or announced from BLI, MTH, Athearn, Rivarossi and others.  They have zero interest in ever producing a brass hybrid steamer, either.

John Mock

[doctorwayne]

Just now finished watching both videos.....very nicely done.

Wayne

[CandOsteam]

Darth,

Sounds good.  I'll keep an eye out.

Joel

[Trainman440]

I can't wait!

[Darth Santa Fe]

I'm starting to make more progress with the kit and am hoping to have another video done soon!  I'm working a lot on the main body castings right now, and things are going well so far.  I need to get a few screws though, because my current selection just isn't fitting a couple spots quite right.  Once the body's done though, I can finally get to doing some actual track testing!

[CandOsteam]

Darth,

Well done on installing the main rod, crossheads, and valvegear while keeping the mechanism working very smoothly.  From personal experience on working on this same mechansim, this is no small feat and you deserve a round of applause!

Love the added working linkage to the mechanical lubricator and the fabricated connecting rods and Baker 2 yoke that snapped.  The casting is iffy as you say and bending the tangs down is very tricky because the pivot pins have to line up with other vg connecting rods.  I have a broken one lying on my workbench too waiting for me to contact PSC to get a replacement.  But like your fix by making one from scratch.

BTW:  Heating brass castings that need to be bend over a flame to a dull red makes brittle brass easier to bend.  But care must be taken since overheating will take the temper or hardness out.

On the bright side: I do use the trick of overheating to make flat stock out of round brass rods for projects--easier to squish flat with a flat nose plier.  I will also heat brass castings that need to be drilled to soften the metal for easier drilling.

Anyway, great video #2 and look forward to your next steps.

Joel

 

 

 

["JaBear"]

 

While, as Dave mentions some progress shots of how you make the detail parts would be educational, I’d actually like to know where you get the patience from. Obviously it’s available in very large amounts.

Thank you for sharing,

Cheers, the impatient Bear. 

[hon30critter]

Darth:

Another excellent video! Thank you.

I love your ability to craft finely detailed parts. If you are so inclined, I wonder if you could show some progress shots of how you actually made some of the parts. I have been working on a scratchbuild of a front truck for a McKeen motor car but my work seems a bit crude compared to yours. Anything you can show would be educational for me, and I'm sure many others.

Dave

[Darth Santa Fe]

Took a while, but here's part 2!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI-aU18poG4

For this part, I really wish I had the missing Arbour parts! I've heard it's tough using those, but even that would've been easier than what I've had to do here.

[Darth Santa Fe]

Thanks! I'm glad these videos are helpful beyond just building a kit!

NP2626, thanks for the advice! I can see how the way I tapped the holes could cause a problem, but in this case, the tap would get stuck if I didn't take it out and clean it every now and then. I guess the Arbour metal is an odd blend. I will consider your advice for tapping into other metals, though!

[NP2626]

Great video!  It's really a shame that no one manufacturers kits for locomotives anymore!  I've put together Mantua, MDC and Bowser steam loco kits and of course Athearn Diesel kits and always found the process very enjoyable!  I still have a few loco kits left to build all are MDC steamers.  Loco kits are getting harder to find, it appears to me that if you want a steam locomotive kit, you should probably get on the stick and buy one before they are completely a thing of the past.  MDC Roundhouse Shay kits are somewhat available on Ebay.  However, some sellers are asking up to three times what they were selling for from the manufacturer!  The Shay kit was not an easy build, either.  

   

I have to say I don’t know why manufacturers stopped making kits.  Whatever the reason, I truly regret that this is the case.  There are few model railroading experiences which give more pleasure than see a locomotive kit operate for the first time after a long session of assembly, painting and detailing.

 

I am thankful that detail parts are still available, not like they were; but, at least some are still available!

 

I have tapped a lot of holes in many different types of materials, being a tool and die maker.  I have never backed the tap completely out of the hole as you show, to clean the tap of chips.  I would suggest doing it the way you are, would add to the likelihood of getting the hole cross threaded.  I turn the tap in until I am sure the tap has gotten started, then turn in another two to three turns, back the tap for ½ turn to break the chip loose, then turn in another two to three turns, back the tap, etc., etc., until the hole is threaded as deeply as is needed.  This will work fine for through holes, as long as chips can fall through the hole.  With blind holes (holes that don’t go all the way through) backing the tap out of the hole will be necessary and then blowing the hole and tap clear; or, removing the chips some other way as you go, is necessary.  There is nothing worse than breaking a tap off in a hole and so, this process must be done with care.

 

The above is not meant as criticism of how you are doing your threading, Darth!  Hopefully you will find my suggestions to be helpful.  My suggestions are meant to be so!

I look forward to your next video installment! 

[Southgate]

This goes down as a nice instruction video. Lots of good advice here. I think those chrome wheels are kinda cool looking, at this stage.  I'll be following. Dan

[hon30critter]

Darth:

Another excellent video. My Hogwarts Express binds a wee bit and I think you just showed me how to sort it out.

Dave

[CandOsteam]

Darth Santa Fe

I'm finally doing it!  I'm building an Arbour Models kit!  And for those of you who don't know, the one I've got is the C&O 2-8-4 Kanawha, which is considered by many to be near impossible to build!  I'll admit, many of the parts are poorly made, and it's taking a lot of work, but I think this'll really be something great when it's done.

The first video here shows how to build the chassis up to the siderods:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GVTUAlsHQ

Next video will do the main rods, crossheads, and valve gear.  Those are taking a while to finish, so don't expect the next video for at least a few days.

 

Darth,

Your experience and good mechanical sense shows!  Enjoyed the video and looking forward to more as you progress through the build. 

I had the same siderod bind issues when I was doing mine and like you, had to make some of the crankpin screw holes slightly oval to remove every last bind.

At the pace youre going, you'll have everything done and painted before I get the stack installed on my K-4!

Great job so far.

Joel

[ACY Tom]

You do some nice work!

[Darth Santa Fe]

I'm finally doing it!  I'm building an Arbour Models kit!  And for those of you who don't know, the one I've got is the C&O 2-8-4 Kanawha, which is considered by many to be near impossible to build!  I'll admit, many of the parts are poorly made, and it's taking a lot of work, but I think this'll really be something great when it's done.

The first video here shows how to build the chassis up to the siderods:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GVTUAlsHQ

Next video will do the main rods, crossheads, and valve gear.  Those are taking a while to finish, so don't expect the next video for at least a few days.