Kitbashing the New Hope & Ivyland's "#40" - A Final Gift

FINAL UPDATE: AUG 27 @ 11:55pm: STC RUN-THROUGH SHOTS ADDED; LOCO/CONSIST NOW EN ROUTE TO PA... JUST IN TIME.

The New Hope & Ivyland Railroad began operations in 1966, running trains across the former New Hope Branch of the Reading RR in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The company was actually incorporated in 1962 with the intent of running a steam excursion tourist line, but soon found itself hauling freight as well once operations began in earnest. In addition providing much-needed revenue, the freight granted an early claim to fame for the NHIR, as its use of steam locomotives for this purpose were among the very last, rare occurrences of such anywhere east of the Mississippi River.

One of the locos occasionally tasked with this was their now-famous #40. Of the motley handful of steam locos that inaugurated the New Hope & Ivyland, only the #40 survives in operating condition today. Both the #40 and the NHIR itself have a checkered, ragtag history, but the ongoing survival of both is testament to the spirit of railroading, and the dedication of the people that answer its call.

#40 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation class" locomotive, built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. It was first owned by the Lancaster and Chester Railway Co. of Lancaster, South Carolina, and then another Carolina textile mill, before the NHIR bought it for $5,000 in 1966 (original 1925 sale price? $25,125.96).

A dear friend of mine was one of the "original" New Hope & Ivyland's founding fathers, and came to know the loco well. Having long suffered from declining health and no longer physically able to do much, he sent me one of Bachmann's HO-Scale "Spectrum Series" 2-8-0 models earlier this year and asked me to repaint it into the original NHIR #40 scheme...

...If only I had stopped right there, but no! I told him I'd address the numerous discrepancies (not necessarily faults, mind you) in the Spectrum model, and find a way to make it look more faithful to the actual #40, simple repaint (I'd at least have had to make custom decals) aside. And I'd "get to it when I get to it", because greatness can't be rushed and, well, he was the proud recipient of my Penn Line Reading Crusader restoration, which by his own admission was more than worth the wait, wasn't it...?

...if only I'd stuck to the repaint idea, because this summer has not been kind to many, and my friend now finds himself in radically worsening condition. Indeed, he's potentially on his deathbed; the emails from his family have been poignant, short, and alarming...

...and I suddenly no longer have any assurance of time. He could yet still play the stubborn ol' bastard card as he has so many times before, but woe be anyone who finds this bluff called. I can't risk not getting this done. And so it has to be done. NOW. (And if it ends up a "false alarm" and he gets to play the SOB card after all, well then, what's the harm in him being able to enjoy it that much longer? That's called a WIN).

Did I mention this would be my first steam locomotive kitbash? Well, you know me: never not under the gun, only working best under pressure, jumping in head-first with both feet!

So I'm going to do the best I can, in the "quickest" way possible. The challenge is amplified then, and thus to strike a compromise: Evoke the general character of #40 using only parts on hand, because my hand has been forced and I simply don't have the time to research, source, learn to make and/or order and wait for potentially more accurate parts (and make no mistake, there are many specifics to address). Making matters worse: I don't generally model the steam era, so I don't even have a scrapyard of other models to cannibalize. Couple this to my usual responsibilities and distractions - including solo-parent duty for most of a week - and it leaves precious little time to spare. So read along to follow my progress...

Rough Summary of Changes / Differences (better images forthcoming)

Backshop Progress:
August 15 2010:

Here, the loco is disassembled, and most of the boiler trim has been removed. Note the size and location of the holes where the domes used to be. The larger (sand) dome was up front, but needs to trade places with the expansion dome. Which means I'll need to enlarge the hole closest to the cab, and fill the one nearest the smokestack. Erp.

August 16 2010:

But it's not too hard to do! Here I've removed the boiler straps by shaving them off with an X-acto chisel blade. I also removed the cast-on generator (carefully though, so I can re-use it later), and enlarged the rear dome mounting hole by whittling away at the edges, removing a little material at a time. Amazingly it only took a few minutes once I got started; the first cut is always the hardest!

I installed a piece of duct tape inside the boiler to backfill the holes and support the smaller dome while I fill the gap around it. The tape also provides a foundation upon which to build up the fill putty.

Test-fitting the domes. The larger one is now where it needs to be - and looks like it was always there: this is where careful attention pays off. The small one now rests on the tape at the proper height.

August 17 2010:

I test-fit the boiler back onto the chassis to ensure the tape inside wouldn't interfere with anything; clearances on these models can be amazingly tight sometimes. The worst thing you can do is finish a bunch of delicate detail work, and then discover that some portion of it will prevent you from putting it all back together (ask me how I know this)...

I also began filling parts of the mounting grooves in the boiler & firebox where the running boards used to be. Portions of the boards will remain in their original position, but where they are to be relocated, the grooves must be filled and made a seamless part of the boiler (or firebox as the case may be).

The result of a few more holes filled - including the big one around the steam dome - and preliminary sanding. Sanding smooths out imperfections in the both the fill putty, and the plastic I carved away. But for now this isn't so much a "finishing" step, as a test of the grit and technique. I've still got other work to do first.

...and the other side.

It all looks horrible now, but the finished product - and paint - will hide all the faults. At least, if it's anything like the various diesels I've built, you'll never know the difference ;)

August 18 2010:

Added what I hope will be the final dose of putty around the expansion dome, and began sanding and frenching it in smoothly. Cleaned up the running board filler too, and applied some more aggressive sanding almost to a "finish" (good enough for primer) level. But I still need to wait for that (did I say hopefully) last application of putty to dry overnight.

Tonight's biggest task was directed to the cab: First I removed the air deflector from the rear of the roof per the prototype; doing this was far easier than cutting the forward windows into each side! To do that I summoned my surgeon's hand, and eyeball-measured and free-hand scored the window outline into the cab walls with the tip of an Xacto #11. Keep retracing the scores and eventually the blade will dig deep enough to perforate the plastic. Repeat on all four sides, then remove the panel, and true up the edges and corners with appropriate files. Do the same on the other side. It was relatively simple work made long and tedious through the knowledge that a simple slip could have ruined the whole thing - but taking care, the results are well worth the effort.

Also removed the side vents as #40 does not have these; this is why a portion of the number is suddenly missing on each side.

With that, the most serious hacking is done. Now the real work of modifying and retrofitting the original and aftermarket details can begin...

August 19 2010:

The fill putty seems to indeed be done! So tonight I installed the following details:

-Two brass single-phase 9.5" air pumps by Cal-Scale (part #AP-256). Replacing the single-phase unit that came with the model (and eliminating the climb-over running board) is the single most obvious difference on the brakeman's side, so it had to be done.

- Auxiliary Dome with steam whistle and poppet valves, Cal-Scale brass part #190-228. This was completely missing on the Spectrum model, leaving a fairly large void where all the visible apparatus from #40 should be. Like the re-used Spectrum sand and steam domes, this particular auxiliary dome is not an exact match. Nonetheless, beggars can't always be choosers, so as long as it lends the proper profile and necessary character to the model, it is far better than nothing!

- Cal-scale Buda-Ross Generator, part #GE-214. Looks quite a bit better than the original cast-on unit I removed. Indeed, when the right parts have turned up quickly, I've used them.

I also modified the running boards to make them straight from smokebox to cab, as on the prototype. This required careful cutting and splicing, especially where the dual air pumps are mounted. Again, to be 100% accurate the boards should probably be about 6 scale inches lower, but this would actually open an entirely different can of worms - owing to design & assembly characteristics of the model - and I simply am not confident I have that kind of time to play with. Still, leveling them out approaches the character of the prototype - especially on the fireman's side.

Finally, I mounted the marker lights and main headlight in their proper locations. Not permanently yet, but more to ascertain the appearance. Looks good, I think. The marker lanterns are probably inset a bit far, but I didn't have any longer leads to work with.

Next up: plumbing the whole works. This might actually be the most difficult part. I think I can re-use a good portion of the original parts but I will have to fabricate some others. If nothing else, the exposed tubing above the cylinders on the firemans' side will definitely need to be scratchbuilt, and it occurs to me I may not have the proper thickness of wire handy after all...

Thankfully the laid-back joes over at 2 Guyz are willing to lend advice!

August 21 2010:

Holey moley, is it ready for paint? You be the judge...

On Aug 20, the STC crew took a holiday at the KY State Fair. This afforded a consultation with a supplier, at which point I determined that the original smokestack - or is that "short stack"? - should indeed be chucked! A section of brass tubing I stumbled upon would be a far better - and taller - substitute.

And that wasn't the only addition made during Saturday's "now get back to work" marathon session. Much time was spent measuring, evaluating, and determining which of the various original detail parts to keep (a few sand lines), modify (some sections of tubing and board), discard (everything else)... and which parts to fabricate from scratch (everything, uh... else). What was fabricated in house?

• Smokestack: 3/8 x 1/32 brass tube. Top flare ring cut off original stack and re-used.
  
• Air line matrix above fireman's side cylinders: .032 brass wire, + 1/32 x 1/64 brass strips
  
• Boiler air lines: .032 brass wire. Valve coupling sourced as "closest visual approximation" from a scrap unit.
  
• Handrails: .024 brass wire. These had to be custom-made to add the curved section at the front of the firebox.
  
• Air pump feed line: Florist's wire (I love this stuff - it's thin and flexible, yet rigid and durable)
  
• Boiler footsteps: made from scraps of unused running board.
  

It sounds pretty straightforward and it is... but it's a lot of work measuring, drilling lots of tiny little holes, cutting (and recutting), etc etc etc. At the end of the day it's not going to be a museum piece, but the results - even considering the compromises, are pleasing.

There are other details I could address, additional plumbing I could tidy up, and more accurate parts I could find, but again: time is of the essence, and I think this gets the character down. The main part I'd love to change is the valve coupling for the air lines - I used a very crude generator casting to "fake" the appearance - but all in all, it works. It's far better than what was there before - which was nothing.

So, I think this is ready for the paint shop.

Unfortunately however, the tender is going to prove another can of worms. I can't shake the fact that the one included with the model is just too damn big. More appropriate models exist - even from Bachmann - but so far ebay searches are not turning up much of anything helpful (too expensive or too long to wait). So... some more hacking might be in order...

August 22 2010:

Yep. Sometimes, few things are as simply handy as a miter box and hacksaw. I chopped about an inch from the middle of the tender, and spliced the resultant "halves" back together. Use 3/16" styrene strip to reinforce the joints on the backside, and fill the seam with putty. The trickiest part was cutting the bunker/coal load to fit. The electronics inside *could* have been tricky, but fortunately they fit back in with no modification - they were obviously designed with smaller tenders in mind.

I replaced the original tender trucks (wheel sets) with a more accurate set of "archbar" freight trucks, as seen on the real #40. Amazingly, these were a lucky find on one of the few scrap steamers in my junk pile! And being made by Rivarossi, they're well-detailed and sprung to boot.

I did have to re-use the original axles from the Spectrum model, as they are metal with insulated wheels, necessary for electrical pickup and conductivity.

Now... into the paint shop...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lettering and striping was all custom-made by me. To create it, I place the model on a scanner to import a "1:1 in scale" image of the unit, then layout graphics atop the scanned image in Corel Draw. I design all my layouts to support overlay multi-pass CMYK spot colors on an ALPS MD-5000 printer: a scarce, expensive, miraculous device that can print white and foil among other things... until its finite lifespan is over, that is...

The color I chose for these is amazing! Instead of using plain yellow, I decided to use a metallic silver basecoat. The net result is a color photographs in a vivid "flat" yellow, but actually has a foil/metallic appearance in person. A nice, personal touch of class, I thought.

Making your own decals means you can get very detailed. And yes, they are legible in HO Scale!

And the loco. She's a beaut, isn't she? As is typical, I immediately noticed a few things I "missed" as soon as I reviewed the comparison shot, so I'll be fixing those. But she's almost ready to go! I hope to add the final tweaks on Monday, stage a few on-layout pic on the Saint Canard on Tuesday, and send her back to home rails on Wednesday...

August 25 2010:

Alrighty... so things got a little hectic in the past couple days, but departure is only delayed by a day. I had a few things to correct meanwhile, and did so... and NOW I can say, "SHE'S DONE!"

The main changes and fixes since the 22nd? Here they are:

• Painted cab roof an oxide color, per prototype
  
• Painted the rest of chassis/frame in firebox area
  
• Scratchbuilt a visor for the headlight
  
• Shortened and moved the air reservoir on the engineer's side (below walkway / above wheels) as appropriate
  
• Painted drivers and pilot wheels a flat "charcoal" color
  
• Adjusted air line on fireman's side to pass through walkway
  

Taken in sum... the little changes finally add those finishing touches to REALLY make it as accurate as possible...

Aug 25 Version

(Aug 22 version)

And with that, may God speed thee to Pennsylvania, little #40...!

-GIC

August 26 2010: #40 on its departure run-through on the Saint Canard Midland

Excursion consist in tow, #40 greets STC employees and railfans alike as she passes the appropriately named yard tower in Saint Canard.

Traffic at the US12 crossing near the cannery finds itself gifted with a front-row view of a rare treat

Crossing over SR76 in the old downtown.

Truly a sight to behold...

A staged meet finds the #40 and one of the STC's workhorses, GP40-X #7638 "Anthony Phillip", paying their mutual respects.

Highball homeward bound to Pennsylvania... (don't worry, the mainline jukes away from the old farmhouse)!