Mantua Mike part

[trailrider]

Does anyone know where I might find the bottom coverplate for a Mantua 2-8-2 Mikado? I have checked ebay and the only thing is a chassis and brass coverplate for a Bowser Mike. They want $24.95, which is a bit more than I want to spend, and the chassis apparently isn't set up for the brass bearings the Mantua locos use. If I can't find one, I will probably have to make one. I am also short of the screws that hold the coverplate to the bottom of the chassis. I've got a bunch of spare parts that I'm trying to use up. (NOT that I need any more Mantua steam locos. Got a bunch of them, including a bunch of cut up boilers from kitbashing 2-10-2's and 2-10-4's.) I'd like to do an articulated, but the problem is connecting the front and rear gearboxes through the rear cylinder block. I might try for a 4-12-2 Union Pacific, but not sure I could get the lead truck to have enough lateral movement, or whether the thing would run around 20" radius curves. Oh, well, just noodling.