Large Scale Central

Freedom Class 0-4-0 - A project under development

Modeling Rolling stock
#1

When I started in large scale, I was five, the year was 1986. My father liquidated his entire collection of O scale lionel trains in order to get the money to buy me an LGB starterset. As I got older, I kind left the herd as it were, looking at the smaller scales, considering how to model our local shortline, the Arcade & Attica. I eventually got back into LS with my purchase of an Aristo Pacific in '98, coinciding with my hiring on with the Arcade & Attica. Time and events pass, I’m now en engineer for Norfolk Southern, and my dreams of modeling the A&A have also grown into the dreams of my own railroad empire, the Freedom Central Railroad: Defending America Via The Rails. But, it all comes back to that little 0-4-0t LGB Stainz. After sacrificing his entire collection to get me that starterset, I could hardly get rid of the train, despite being the wrong scale, the wrong gauge and the wrong nationality. I mean come one, how can I integrate a model of a meter-gauge 0-4-0 tank engine into a railroad that represents a modern American standard-gauge shortline? Well, the how is based on my version of events which eventually come to pass: I envisioned a terrorist attack against our embassy in Baghdad which sent oil futures trading to the point that diesel fuel jumped to $10/gallon. The shortline’s manager decides to switch to coal-fired steam. Buying a replica of the Stainz and shipping it to the US, the engine is (heavily) modified to operate on US Rails. Though, the heavy service its called for requires an extra fuel supply, hence a tender. Originally planned to be an Aristo sloped-back unit, I pondered the LGB matching tender. To make the decision, I drew up my thoughts, resulting in:

[url=

]Full Size Version: PNG File, 101kB[/url] I picked up a second Stainz off ebay to use for the motor block, then located a non-working tender. Got a set for less than 120, which I’m happy with. Now, before I start hacking into these things, anyone have any thoughts on the design? Positive/Negative/Smart Remarks welcome. Serious discussion appreciated.

#2
Jason Gallaway said:
Time and events pass, I'm now en engineer for Norfolk Southern
Cool! Keep moving that freight and make me some money! :)
Jason Gallaway said:
Now, before I start hacking into these things, anyone have any thoughts on the design? Positive/Negative/Smart Remarks welcome. Serious discussion appreciated.
I have no thoughts cause I'm clueless on that stuff. All I can say is get out the saws and knives and DIG IN! But you must post pictures of the progress! ;)
#3

Would this help?
http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/StainzBash.html

You have the c-16 cab, and a tender shell, doncha? I probably have some domes you can have if you need em.

#4

I most certainly do! Mik. (Even some extras if you want a couple, lol.)

I guess my question was more along the lines of do you think the design looks good?

I’ve already sanded off nearly all molded on details, nice smooth boiler-barrel. Cutout the accessway from the cab to the tender. I’m thinking that the tender will be scratchbuilt because its mainly just a large square box, plus I’m going to make the tank part taller than the delton tanks.

As for the domes, I’m planning on using what came on the boiler. Not a perfect match for American prototype, but it works.

The big sticking detail right now is the pilot(s). I was hoping to source two of the LGB Genesis pilots. But the only source I can locate is $60 each! I’ll have to check out the different diesels from the other manufacturers for that part instead I guess. I was thinking the pilots on the LGB ALCO 6-axle, but they’re only available from the same guy for 50 each.

#5

Jason,
I think I can help with the pilot. You could get a plow from USA trains part # 2021 it’s a universal one that fits all their diesels and it’s under $20 then just make a mounting plate for it . http://www.usatrains.com/usatrainspartsmenu.html I think that might work better than a Genesis pilot personally.

#6

If it looks good to you, then it looks good. That’s the nice thing about large scale, you can still give critics the big finger.

If you’re asking, “Is the backstory plausible”?.. it’s a bit of a stretch. If fuel costs are that high, then overseas shipping would have been prohibitively expensive for a 4 coupled, and they’d have covered those exposed steam lines.

Now if it was already here (in an amusement park, museum, plinthed, or something) Your story becomes a little more believable. If you want to stick to a fresh import, how about a rich crazy coot who wanted to prove steam power could be a 21st century player again (ala Ross Rowland minus the 614)?.. Then you could even have it fired by LNG if you wanted.

#7

My back story had that the museum that owned the real Stainz had been offering small excursions with it, but the popularity caused the train to grow beyond the engine’s capacity. So, the museum built a duplicate, both as extra power and as backup, but the public backlash caused the engine to be mothballed. Just before the engine was to be scrapped, the FCR manager managed to get the engine for scrap value.

Honestly, if Aristo would release a USRA 0-6-0, I’d have preferred to use that as the original steamer on the road, but its not really an option. I figured it worked since the line was only 4.5miles originally, plus, the diesel fuel bill wouldn’t affect most shipping companies as the cause was an embargo against America.

#8

Anyone carve up an Aristo DASH-9 AND a USA SD-40-2 or/and SD-70-MAC?

Any thoughts on the best one to use? ANY plow can work for the tender, the back end is pretty much a flat piece of (simulated) plate steel (2-3 inch scale thickness), where as the front only has the main body of the stainz to mount to, which pretty much means a scale 4foot, 6inch width.

When I FIRST started tinkering with my unit, WAY back in 1998, when I first hired on with the Arcade & Attica, I actually took an Aristo knuckle apart and shaved the tank enough so that it could fit into the coupler mounting socket on the front of the Stainz. The plan was always to replace this with a full American style pilot beam and knuckle mounting. When I first saw the Genesis pilot, I was struck with the possibility that I might be able to mount it to the engine using the original couple socket, which is why I fell in love with the idea, that and the fact that of all the pilots around, it seemed the closest to prototype as far as details. Remember I’ve been dealing with the full size things for 8 years now, not including my volunteer time on the Middletown & Hummelstown and my five years with the Arcade & Attica… god I miss the steam!

Come to think of it… Rooster, next time you find yourself out near the Hershey Area, stop into the M&H offices for me and see what the story is with No.91. I’ve been thinking of taking the kids down to see it if its still running. That would leave just the 2317 and the old Baldwin shop goat at steam town that I need to introduce them to so they are caught up with my collection of operating steamers.

#9

What about El Cheapo Deluxo? http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-Scale-Snow-Plow-for-diesel-engine-2-PLOWS-/170903582165?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item27caa5b5d5

#10

Jason
You could make a plow for it?

As for #91 (ex CN I think…I know it was Canadian) was in their shop 2 yrs ago and not running. I had my boy(10yrs old) there in the summer 2010 we peeked in the windows and tried to find somebody home to no avail. So my sister comes in for a visit that fall, those two head out for a weekend of whatever he wants to do…he wants to take her to see #91 she reluctantly agrees …well needless to say they both got a tour of the shop and were all over #91 WITH NO CAMERA!! He told me how cool it was and she could have cared less!..such is luck?
I plan on a visit back there this spring (winter schedule is random and expensive with special Santa Trains etc) I love their bone yard though.

Jason …Williams Grove Graingers still has a steamer they run and a sawmill with steam tractors

#11

David, its a shame really. I started volunteering there not long after I moved to PA, while I was working at Staples on Union Deposit Rd. I tried to maintain my service there even after I hired on with NS, but at the time, the economy was good, and it seemed that less than 20% of the Conductor Trainees made it through to being marked up. The day after I was promoted to conductor, I was able to hold a spot on the HBG/NJ long pool, running trains to North Jersey, (though not running as I do now, lol).

At that time, M&H was just about ready to get bring No.91 back to service after a SERIOUS overhaul. I was there for the FIRST trip, which just happened to coincide with a BoyScout booked run. The diesel preceeded the steamer with one coach, and 91 followed with three coaches. With the centercab in 8-throttle, 91 was constantly being braked because she wouldn’t fall behind the diesel train. She just wanted to ROLL! I’ll never forget the feeling of riding in teh cab as we pulled across Swatara Creek Trestle and blasted up and around the grade to Indian Echo Caverns.

Thanks for the link Mik, but I had already dismissed them. I’m not really impressed with the upper surface. They LOOK too much compromised for model service. I’m thinking if I can lay my hands on a couple, the best option is a couple of the Aristo D-9 blades. But I really need to look at all the current options to make certain.

I had considered going along MIk’s route and putting a snow plow on, (I have a box of stuff coming from the German dealer off ebay) but I just couldn’t get my mind wrapped around the idea of how I imagined the engine looking with one front & rear, which is a serious consideration since the engine would be running point-to-point on the real road. Thats why I want to go with diesel plows in the first place.

Course, another thing I need to source is 4 ditchlight castings. I really like the DASH-9 version.

Oh decisions, decisions!

#12
Jason Gallaway said:
I'll never forget the feeling of riding in teh cab as we pulled across Swatara Creek Trestle and blasted up and around the grade to Indian Echo Caverns.
That is my favorite part of the trip I love the trestle and the winding grade