More Painting! An SP 2-8-0


And next up: A Balboa C-9 2-8-0 I bought several years ago. This one has a really unique looking tender. We'll see if I can get it done in a week like the C-10!
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That tender commonly known on the SP as a "whaleback" tender was very common on the SP particlarly for the many consolidations the SP ran. Consolidation Tenders were swapped often and from year to year the same locomotive might have a Vanderbilt, whaleback or rectangular tender. It was an efficient solution as the SP did not use coal on most lines after 1905. The tender could be the easiest shape. I believe whalebacks were mostly built at the Sacramento shops. After all California, Texas and Louisiana had a great deal of readily available oil but little usable coal. In addition, the owners of the SP also had interests in the oil industry. The final reason for the switch to oil in 1905 was the California legislature banning coal after a series of wildfires caused by flying locomotive cinders.
 
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That tender commonly known on the SP as a "whaleback" tender was very common on the SP particularly for the many consolidations the SP ran. Consolidation Tenders were traded often and from year to year the same locomotive might have a Vanderbilt, whaleback or rectangular tender. It was an efficient solution as the SP did not use coal on most lines after 1905. The tender could be the easiest shape. I believe whalebacks were mostly built at the Sacramento shops. After all California had a great deal of readily available oil but little usable coal.
Yep, and I'm having a dickens of a time finding the class for this one. My library doesn't show one exactly like it. I'm thinking Balboa may have taken a little artistic license and eliminated the walkways on the bunker sides. I'll probably letter it for a 72 SC, as that seems to be the closest. Unfortunately there weren't many models done with whalebacks. Boo Rim has done some recently, but I wouldn't be swapping tenders from one of those!. Then there was the B-1 and the AM-2. That's about it!
 
Yep, and I'm having a dickens of a time finding the class for this one. My library doesn't show one exactly like it. I'm thinking Balboa may have taken a little artistic license and eliminated the walkways on the bunker sides. I'll probably letter it for a 72 SC, as that seems to be the closest. Unfortunately there weren't many models done with whalebacks. Boo Rim has done some recently, but I wouldn't be swapping tenders from one of those!. Then there was the B-1 and the AM-2. That's about it!
Try this https://nightowlmodeler.blogspot.com/2016/12/sp-tender-swapping-part-1-game-for.html. Jason hasn't covered whalebacks in detail.
 
ALAN -- Is the motor cradle - shown in your second photo - the "newly formed" one that you referred too!
Also, in photo #4 appears that the gearbox and motor driveshaft are different sizes? Does the tubing allow a press fit for both, or was one end enlarged a little?
 
ALAN -- Is the motor cradle - shown in your second photo - the "newly formed" one that you referred too!
Also, in photo #4 appears that the gearbox and motor driveshaft are different sizes? Does the tubing allow a press fit for both, or was one end enlarged a little?
Yes. As you can see in the end on view it’s just a couple of pieces of brass angle soldered to a piece of flat bar. Crude but effective, and you don’t see it, so it doesn’t have to be pretty. You’re right, the shafts are different sizes. 2.4 mm on the gearbox and 2 mm on the motor. I use model aircraft fuel line, the smallest diameter I can find which does allow a press fit. There are bushings available that can be soldered to shafts if you want to use universal joints.
 
Not as many pics this project since you all know the process now. Everything got stripped and a trip through the blasting booth tonight. About a half a dozen repairs, cold or failed solder joints, and some detail enhancements. On this model, my reference photos show a bell pull. Some engines had air ringers, some had a good old fashioned rope. This one got a rope. I also added a whistle rod. Some engines had a rope here, and some had a metal rod to allow the engineer to play the whistle better. I also added lagging clamps. They were a pain in the butt to solder in, but they really make a difference. Tomorrow we go to the paint booth!
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By "lagging clamps" are you making reference to the 5 small protusions down the length of the boiler?
I'm going to have to look at my locos closer - I don't recall seeing any of these before?
May I ask where/who makes them?
If that is what we are talking about - nice job - I do not see any excess solder at all!
 
That is so cool. I may have to look for a suitable Brasser to restore/build/mod.... It may look good sitting in the park near my modern set up as a tourist attraction.
 
By "lagging clamps" are you making reference to the 5 small protusions down the length of the boiler?
I'm going to have to look at my locos closer - I don't recall seeing any of these before?
May I ask where/who makes them?
If that is what we are talking about - nice job - I do not see any excess solder at all!
Yes, except now there are six! I put another one between the generator and turret dome. Two per boiler course is about right for most engines. These are made by Precision Scale, and the folks who recently bought PSC are selling them on e-bay, so you can get them there. They aren't common on plastic steamers, any more than grabs or eyebolts used to be on Blue Box diesels! I did solder these on, and they are a real pain where the sun never shines! I tin them first, and get some solder in the part with a pencil iron, then I set them with soldering tweezers. You can also ACC them, but ACC on brass models is against my religion! Below is a photo of the parts and the PSC card with part number. Just search e-bay for Precision Scale lagging clamps in HO and they'll come right up. Project update: everything got painted black tonight, and is currently baking happily in the oven!
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If I could find a Hooterville style 4-6-0 Brass loco (in HO), i'd start right now. Anybody got one??? :)
That was a TV/Movie prop, a replica locomotive. You'd probably have to settle for something close. I'm not sure what's available out there in the way of old style ten wheelers. That engine was also used in "The Wild Wild West".
 
So guys, the C-9 Boiler has been detail painted, and is baking at 200 degrees. She'll be done in an hour or so. Then it's decaling time and the finishing touches. I'm looking at what to do next, and thinking about this one. It's a T-1, and was the SP's oldest "in service" steam locomotive in the fifties. Westside did the model as a part of their fire train, and later did it again without the firefighting plumbing. I acquired it from an old and dear friend, who's been gone a long time now. The other candidate is another Mike, the Mk-4 I picked up last year in Monterrey at the SP Historical Society's convention. What say you?
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