Meet "Frank". (Contains Actual Model Railroad Content!!)

Short for "Frank N. Steam".
Found an unused Balboa S.P. MK-5 chassis on eBay and bid low figuring to use it for parts if/when mine broke down. Got it, and it sat
untouched in a box for two years.
Then about six months ago I found an old Westside S.P. Whaleback tender at a swap meet; exactly the sort that frequently showed up behind MK-5 Mikados. Bought it thinking I could letter it for the Sud Pacifico de Mexico and swap railroads with my MK-5 by simply swapping tenders.
And then just a few weeks ago a virgin (unpainted) Balboa S.P. MK-5 boiler shell showed up on eBay and I got to thinking "Ya know, you already *have* 2/3 of another locomotive just sitting around..." so I went ahead and bid.
Had to cast my own lead boiler weight, but I had the original one to copy so that didn't prove too difficult (the burns have healed nicely), and after a week or two of fitting the boiler shell to the chassis (You thought they were mass-produced, and that parts would automatically interchange? HO-HO! It turns out that "Hand-built" means they were all slightly different!)
Anyway, herewith the results: Sud Pacifico de Mexico Mikado # 853. The heaviest class of steam engine that ever ran on the S.P.de M. And notorious for bending the then 60-pound rail into interesting new shapes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727@N03/3645193774/sizes/o /
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727@N03/3645189518/sizes/o /
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727@N03/3644377671/sizes/o /
She still needs a little weathering on the boiler, but she runs just fine, and fits onto my 90' turntable with just a scale foot to spare at both ends.
A serendipitous locomotive.
~Pete
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload
Twibil wrote:

[...]
And good looking, too!
;-)
wolf k.
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload

Thenk yew, Wolf! I'm partial to medium-sized steam locomotives with short, fat boilers.
In fact, this is sort of my ideal...
http://www.gdlines.com/GD_Galleries/locomotives/slides/34alone.html
~Pete
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload
On Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:13:38 -0700, Twibil wrote:

Very nice indeed. Are you planning on modeling the "interesting shapes" as well?
--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload

Heh. My trackwork has *always* featured "interesting shapes", and when I was primarily modeling logging railroads I told myself that it was prototypical.
Now I just hope everything stays on the rails.
~Pete
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload

That's pretty damn gorgeous, especially for a kitbash. *
--
* PV something like badgers--something like lizards--and something
like corkscrews.
  Click to see the full signature.
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload
On Jul 1, 2:05 pm, pv+ snipped-for-privacy@pobox.com (PV) wrote:

Thank you, PV. Scratching and kitbashing structures for the layout is one of my more favorite things to do, but I lack both the tools and the skill to scratchbuild a brass locomotive.
However, right now I'm in the middle of building a line-side propane business yclept "Strickland Propane", and printing out the decals for same.*
*There's a joke in there somewhere, but if you've never watched "King Of The Hill" it's probably a "whoosh".
Sorry.
~Pete
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload
On Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:46:16 -0700 (PDT), Twibil wrote:

Hmmm - sort of like Furzenloser Fuels - "Around here, if you smell gas, it's Furzenloser!"
--
Steve

Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload

As usual, Very Nice work!
I'm particularly impressed at how well your work stands up to hi-res digital scrutiny. With or without weathering ...
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Well, most of that is Balboa's work and not mine.
~Pete
Add pictures here
✖
<% if( /^image/.test(type) ){ %>
<% } %>
<%-name%>
Add image file
Upload

Site Timeline

Related Threads

Polytechforum.com is a website by engineers for engineers. It is not affiliated with any of manufacturers or vendors discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.