The Challenger is FINALLY finished!

[Darth Santa Fe]

As some of you may know, I've been working on building a Bowser 4-6-6-4 Challenger for nearly two years now. Today, I finally finished it!

The accomplishment today that finished it was adding all the decals, which took about two hours. I think they turned out very nice.

The other things I've done since the last time I took pictures are:
I made some simple shock absorber details which are visible above the drive wheels,
I added the left marker light on the front of the engine, which took a while to do because I lost the original,
and I added a real coal load to the tender to help it look more realistic.

Building this Challenger has been a lot of fun for me, and now that it's done, it's something I can really be proud of. I don't know if this is what UP 3948 actually looked like, but I'm happy with how it looks, and that's good enough for me.

[SteamFreak]

Nice work, Darth! How does she run? I'm sure it could tow a trailer home, with all of that diecast weight.

So the tender is from one of those Monogram kits? Looks good.

[Darth Santa Fe]

It runs very well. Mostly smooth except for a slight wobble (big wobble around an 18" radius), and fairly quiet...for a big metal steam engine, anyway. I bet it could easily pull over 100 cars, since it weighs in at over 2 lbs. The boiler's hollow, so another pound of lead could be easily added.

Yup, it's a Monogram tender. Once you replace the molded on railings like I did, they look very nice.

[cheese4432]

That's about 1/2 pounds of tractive effort . Now to find the drawbar push/pull stick a scale in front of it and crank up the throttle! I suggest removing the couplers first. Then push around a properly weighted car and do some math to find out how many cars it can pull.

And it looks GREAT!

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Thanks for sharing your challenger with the forum.  It looks great. Congratulations! Take a bow!

My Bowsers are a 4-8-4 (lettered NP), a 4-8-2 (lettered ATSF), and a 4-4-4-4 (PRR T1). The T1 with its two motors and 5 lbs of weight will pull anything I put behind it.  

[spikejones52002]

Very Nice work.

I have a Boser Challange sitting in my basement in it box.

I started it many, Many years ago. I could not get the Quartering of the drivers correct. That is as far as I got.

Happy to hear of your success.

[ereimer]

 

an amazing accomplishment . if i wore a hat it would be off to you ! 

[Virginian]

Very nice looking work indeed.  Congratulations.

Spike, why did you have trouble with quartering ?  All the Bowsers I have seen had the drivers and axles already assembled and properly quartered.  (stupid button)  I would contact Bowser and I am almost sure they could help you out.

[Dave Vollmer]

That is an exellent job!

With all of the Challengers available ready-to-run, I think you did the hobby proud by building a challenging kit.  The results stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any high-end RTR or brass Challenger.

Good work!

[GAPPLEG]

I'm not a steam man, but I appreciate fantastic work. That is one fine looking machine.

[selector]

Darth, you have done very well judging by the photos.  I offer my congtratulations, though, not only for your achievement, but for seeing a two year project through.  Two years is not a long time in this hobby, but taking pains to build such a model over that period is a testament to your courage and determination.

Good show!

[Darth Santa Fe]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

cheese4432, I never thought of finding the drawbar pull that way. I may have to try that.

Heartland Division CB&Q, I also have a PRR T1 and I bet it could pull about 50 passenger cars around a huge layout, but I don't have either right now. Mine's from the newest run of T1s, which have Bowser's new skewed DCC ready DC-71s and a headlight, and have been modified to run on 18" curves, but they still run better on larger curves.

davidmbedard, the Bowser Challengers and Big Boys are the only engines that don't have any remotor kits for them, but the new DC-71 motor runs very well, so it doesn't really need a new motor.

spikejones52002, if the drivers are out of quarter, I'm sure Bowser can help you. If you have the old disk drivers on yours, you may even want to get some of Bowser's newer boxpok drivers for it. They're quartered very well, and come with more durable black plastic gears.

While I'm thinking about T1s, does anyone know what kind of passenger cars they pulled?

[bb4884]

Looks nice. Are the 4th & 5th tender axels blind?

[selector]

...While I'm thinking about T1s, does anyone know what kind of passenger cars they pulled?

Photos I have seen suggest they were often pre and post-war heavyweights.

[MidlandPacific]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

cheese4432, I never thought of finding the drawbar pull that way. I may have to try that.

Heartland Division CB&Q, I also have a PRR T1 and I bet it could pull about 50 passenger cars around a huge layout, but I don't have either right now. Mine's from the newest run of T1s, which have Bowser's new skewed DCC ready DC-71s and a headlight, and have been modified to run on 18" curves, but they still run better on larger curves.

davidmbedard, the Bowser Challengers and Big Boys are the only engines that don't have any remotor kits for them, but the new DC-71 motor runs very well, so it doesn't really need a new motor.

spikejones52002, if the drivers are out of quarter, I'm sure Bowser can help you. If you have the old disk drivers on yours, you may even want to get some of Bowser's newer boxpok drivers for it. They're quartered very well, and come with more durable black plastic gears.

While I'm thinking about T1s, does anyone know what kind of passenger cars they pulled?

Probably P-70s, for the most part. 

Nice job on the Challenger - I'm kinda busy right now, but I'm planning on building one of those K-11s and customizing it like I did the 2-10-2.

[Anonymous]

...While I'm thinking about T1s, does anyone know what kind of passenger cars they pulled?

Photos I have seen suggest they were often pre and post-war heavyweights.

Heavyweights. And what a job!

[ShadowNix]

Darth,

WOW!!! Did you put DCC in it...?  Man, looks GORGEOUS!!!  Give us tips on how you painted her!

Brian

[Dave Vollmer]

While I'm thinking about T1s, does anyone know what kind of passenger cars they pulled?

Probably P-70s, for the most part. 

T1s were often used with lightweight Pullmans on the PRR Blue Ribbon Fleet of overnight trains.  The T1 was often seen with cars in the 1939-era lightweight 2-tone tuscan PRR "Fleet of Modernism" scheme.

By the time the T1 came around, many of the P70s were in use on locals and commuter runs.  I do, however, find photos of T1s with P70s and even non-air-conditioned heavyweight Pullmans!

So, you P-70s will work.  I'd also look for a few Pullmans and mix 'em up.  A few of Pennsy's trains had dedicated matched sets (Broadway Limited, Traliblazer), but many had a hodgepodge of coaches, sleepers, diners, and such.

 

[0-6-0]

Hello Thanks Darth. You had to raise the bar. It only took 2 years I would hate to see it if you took your time. No really you did a great job keep up the good work. frank

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Speaking of T-1's, I read they could haul 25 heavyweight passenger cars at 100 mph.  They were some engines. Very big and very fast. They would spin their wheels as they started to haul eastbound trains out of Chicago. The economics of E7 diesels resulted in their demise.

Back to thread's topic........  again, that's a really good model of the challenger.

[mikath]

Awesome!!!

/Mika in Sweden.

[SteamFreak]

Darth, what is the minimum radius she'll negotiate? (Mechanically, not aesthetically.) Also, it looks like there's a rhinestone headlight. Would the casting need to be drilled out to mount a bulb or LED?

It's amazing when you think that these kits that are at least 40 years old can still produce such a convincing model (with plenty of skill and hard work, of course ).

[MilwaukeeRoad]

Simply beautiful!

[Darth Santa Fe]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Heavyweights it is. I'll probably go with either Bachmann's or the ones Athearn makes for Bowser at the moment (Walthers suggests 24" minimum radius for their cars, and I have 22").

bb4884, the 4th, 5th and 6th tender axles are all blind for tight curves.

MidlandPacific, when you do get around to making that K-11, I bet it will turn out just as well as the 2-10-2 did.

ShadowNix, no DCC yet, partly because I have a small layout which I usually only run one engine at a time on.

My only tip on painting would be to only put on detail parts that don't cross two areas with different colors, which will make it easier to mask, and when you get around to putting the other parts on, you won't have to paint them while they're on the engine.

Dave Vollmer, thanks for the extra detailed info on the T1 passenger cars.

SteamFreak, the minimum radius it can take is 18", but the front of the boiler has an overhang of over 1" on curves like that.

The headlight and marker light lenses are all jewels, but the brass headlight that comes in the super-detail kit is designed so it can be easily drilled for a small light bulb.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Super job there Darth. Good photos also. What's next?

[AggroJones]

Congradulations. I bet she'll pull as hard as a Lionel. 2 years building on one locomotive? You just may have more patients than me.

Now for the next step....weathering!

[R. T. POTEET]

Drool! Drool! Drool!

The Challenger was the one die-cast loke I always wanted to do but never did.  Shortly before I went to 'Nam in '69 I had completed a Cary/Mantua Pacific - I had previously completed a Cary/Mantua Mikado - and when I got a concurrent assignment to Germany the first thing I did when I got there was order a Challenger and the superdetail kit.  It was out of stock - give Bowser credit - since they could not ship the Challenger they did not ship a superdetail kit and my American Express Money Order accompanied their letter of explanation.  I turned right around and ordered a PRR N-2/USRA Santa Fe which became my third die-cast locomotive.  I continued to build die-cast lokes while overseas and then when I rotated in '73.  First thing I did when I got to the Azores in '77 was order a Challenger, and son-of-a-gun, it was once again out of stock and my check was returned to me.  Never did get one built; as I gaze upon the photographs of your completed unit I wax nostalgic for those old HO Scale days.

Had I completed one I probably - that is really a far-fetched 'maybe' because there were other issues involved - would have remained in HO Scale and been there still.

By the way, that Monogram tender from their static model came available between my first and second order; one of the things which prompted me to place the second order was a conversion article in one of the hobby magazines.  A friend of mine from the model railroad club I had belonged to in Massachusetts had a 'Centipede' tender from a UP Northern which had taken a plunge into 'Bottomless Canyon' and which he was willing to part with for twenty five bucks.  I, naturally, didn't acquire the tender since I had not acquired the engine; I gave some thought to re-ordering a Challenger when Bowser began advertising it in their ads again but by that time my acquaintance in Massachusetts had died and I didn't have the slightest idea where I could get a tender.

[snagletooth]

SWEET. I tried one once, ended in COMPLETE failure. Sweet! it ain't easy, for sure

[spikejones52002]

Greetings Virginian

I could not get the wheels to turn with the side rods on.

At the time I was an Electrician working in a manufacturing plant. I has access to all trades. I had a Tool Maker and Machinist attempt to help.

The tool maker even made me a jig to quarter all the wheels. When I assembled the truck they still would not turn (they Bound).

The only suggestion was to elongate the side rods. I did not like that idea.

Then I had personal problems and everything was sidelined.

Now all my other gauges are sitting in my basement.

Now I am only run "G"

[Darth Santa Fe]

Paul W. Beverung, thanks for the comment on the photography. It can be hard to get clear pictures in close-ups like those, and I ended up having to re-take most of those photos because the originals were so blurry.

I'm not completely sure what's next, but my ##th birthday is in a week, so there's a chance I'll get a PRR B-6 0-6-0 (it's the #2 most wanted thing on my list). If I don't get one, then my next kit will most likely be a PRR L-1 Mikado, but that will be a while off, since the next engine I want to buy is a Rivarossi 2-6-6-6.

AggroJones, I bet it could even outpull a Lionel!!

I think we all have our patience in different areas. Mine's in kit buidling, and yours is obviously in detailed weathering. I don't have nearly enough patience for really detailed painting.

Nice dirty Challenger. Is that an Athearn?

spikejones52002, I had the same siderod binding problems with my K-11 and T-1. All you need to do to fix it is to enlarge the holes slightly until everything moves freely, which really isn't hard to do at all. Once that's done, I'm sure you can have your Challenger up and running in no time!