A poor mans White Pass Mikado

[50calMal]

I just thought I'd post a few pictures of a 'lockdown' project I have just started working on. I have pondered an LGB model of White Pass and Yukon Mikado number 73 for some time, but both cost and negative reports of its performance have put me off (I know there is now a solution to the latter, but the former currently has no solution for me!) While perusing the second hand section of Scottish Garden Railways last year I was drawn to an Aristocraft Mikado that Sandy had for sale, this led me to thinking - could it be fattened up? Sandy kindly photographed the loco with a Bachmann Annie to judge proportions so I was convinced and duly parted with the readies and put the project aside for a rainy day/national emergency. So this week I started dismantling the loco and planning my conversion. While pondering the options and looking at photographs I decided that rather than number 73 or any of its 3 siblings, the proportions were better suited to one of the US Army Mikados used on the White Pass and Yukon during WW2. The survivor, still at Skagway, is number 195, so I decided to make that the inspiration for my conversion. It will never be an exact scale model, but more of a caricature or representation, but running in the garden, that's all we are doing really, scale modelling is for those indoor types!
So here is progress so far. I have modified an Annie cab to suit, shortened the model by approx 25mm under the cab and it's already starting to take on the proportions of the prototype. I expect it take me a while to finish, but I'm quite pleased with it so far.

Malc

 

[Tropic Blunder1]

looks awesome!

 

[Parkdesigner]

Outstanding!

 

[Paradise]

I have an AristoCraft mikado here I bought for exactly the same conversion. I recall the White Pass mikado wheel size and wheelbase was very close in F scale.
Looking very nice by the way.

 

[50calMal]

I have an AristoCraft mikado here I bought for exactly the same conversion. I recall the White Pass mikado wheel size and wheelbase was very close in F scale.
Looking very nice by the way.

Thanks, we'll see in due course whether the plan is sound, but yes I think the main dimensions are similar, I think the rear pony is a bit too long and the firebox is a bit too bulky, but it's the overall effect I'm after so I'll forgive things like that! There is already a lot of cutting and chopping going on so I don't want to go overboard. Next is to figure out the best way to bulk up the Annie tender. It needs to be taller and have smoother sides so that will require a lot of Dremel work and maybe some plasticard overlaid sides. This Mikado came with a Vanderbilt tender, so I sold that, as it would have been of little use for this project.

 

[Paradise]

I hope you don't mind a comparison post. It makes it easier to visualise. It looks close enough for me.
I always figured making a new straight boiler then the smokebox could be set back a little more but the original one works OK. I see what you mean about the rear pony. You have to draw the line somewhere with conversions otherwise you may as well start from scratch.

 

[50calMal]

I hope you don't mind a comparison post. It makes it easier to visualise. It looks close enough for me.
I always figured making a new straight boiler then the smokebox could be set back a little more but the original one works OK. I see what you mean about the rear pony. You have to draw the line somewhere with conversions otherwise you may as well start from scratch.

View attachment 266489

This is why I've selected the 190 class as being a better match than numbers 70 - 73. These are the locos that have been erroneously stated over the years, as having been converted from meter gauge locos built for the US army for use in Iran. This myth was de-bunked by Mike Peltier a few years back. They were all built to 3 foot gauge and shipped to the white Pas as such, in WW2. Number 195 is, I believe, still in Skagway although in very poor condition and number 192 runs at Dollywood in Tennessee.
Malc

 

[Rhinochugger]

Widening the cab and the tender is one of the simplest ways of 'bigging up' a loco

I've done a couple from 1:22.5 to 1:20.3.

I've also extended the running boards - pretty crudely, as I haven't replaced them, just overlayed with some wider material

The pilot is another area and I cheated there, bu buying a couple of K27 pilots

 

[Gareth]

The Mikado on the white pass and Yukon numbered 190 is what is known as a Mc Arthur Mikado its basically a WW2 Austerity built for service on Metre gauge and 3ft 6 gauge a lot ran in Thailand Burma and that region also in Persia and North Africa and India let alone the states also the there is as lightly different version which is the model depicted by the LGB Fulgrex Ltd edition this is a kin to USRRA standard there was also a standard gauge version and broad gauge version. Suggest book Tourett book Allied Locomotives Of WW2 . Hope this is of help

 

[Bill Barnwell]

Very nice, great job, Bill

 

[Flying15]

The Mikado on the white pass and Yukon numbered 190 is what is known as a Mc Arthur Mikado its basically a WW2 Austerity built for service on Metre gauge and 3ft 6 gauge a lot ran in Thailand Burma and that region also in Persia and North Africa and India let alone the states also the there is as lightly different version which is the model depicted by the LGB Fulgrex Ltd edition this is a kin to USRRA standard there was also a standard gauge version and broad gauge version. Suggest book Tourett book Allied Locomotives Of WW2 . Hope this is of help

Just to confirm at least one MAWD or MacArthur was extant in Burma around two years back when I visited with the Railway Touring Co
India had quite a few too for its Metre gauge lines
I modified a secondhand Aristocraft one that appears on my Indian exhibition layout ‘Sagor’
I renewed the upper section of the boiler to get the parallel look
I need to redo the cab as it is about a 20% too large

 

[Paradise]

This is why I've selected the 190 class as being a better match than numbers 70 - 73. These are the locos that have been erroneously stated over the years, as having been converted from meter gauge locos built for the US army for use in Iran. This myth was de-bunked by Mike Peltier a few years back. They were all built to 3 foot gauge and shipped to the white Pas as such, in WW2. Number 195 is, I believe, still in Skagway although in very poor condition and number 192 runs at Dollywood in Tennessee.
Malc

View attachment 266508

All good then. The boiler shape and the domes are fairly similar apart from their exact placement.

 

[Tropic Blunder1]

Love the S118's theyre a very distinct loco that was extremely widely spread. Ive often wondered why something like this was never produced in 1:24 given how many systems they operated on but I guess they are fairly unkown. By most accounts it seems they were fairly successful over here in Australia with two remaining in pretty much operational condition. Wasnt there an attempt to restore 195 to operational condition?

 

[50calMal]

Love the S118's theyre a very distinct loco that was extremely widely spread. Ive often wondered why something like this was never produced in 1:24 given how many systems they operated on but I guess they are fairly unkown. By most accounts it seems they were fairly successful over here in Australia with two remaining in pretty much operational condition. Wasnt there an attempt to restore 195 to operational condition?

I'm a big fan of the Austerity designs, both the the British WW2 designs and the US S160s etc as well as the BR Standards that came from those designs. Very brutish with no frills! As for WP and YR No. 195, I believe there have been suggestions that they might increase the steam fleet. There has been considerable investment there in motive power and infrastructure the last couple of years, but who knows what will happen now with the cruise ship industry literally dead in the water.

Malc

 

[steamskip]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but i was doing some Googleing and this thread came up!, im currently working my way through various bit's and bobs of a 1:22.5 scale S118 using a set of 1/8th scale 5" gauge AC16 drawings and scaling everything down. Currently only done the domes, front buffer beam and frames, plenty to do Flying15 you're locos look fantastic any chance of some more pic's? Don't you also have a YP, id love to see it, 50calMal How's your build going? Do you need any drawings or information, im more than happy to help!

 

[dunnyrail]

This is why I've selected the 190 class as being a better match than numbers 70 - 73. These are the locos that have been erroneously stated over the years, as having been converted from meter gauge locos built for the US army for use in Iran. This myth was de-bunked by Mike Peltier a few years back. They were all built to 3 foot gauge and shipped to the white Pas as such, in WW2. Number 195 is, I believe, still in Skagway although in very poor condition and number 192 runs at Dollywood in Tennessee.
Malc

View attachment 266506View attachment 266508

Slightly off pist as it were but I was struck by the similarity of the S160 2-8-0 that came to UK then went over to Europe during WW2. There are some 8 of these in the UK at least 3 being possibly 4 in running order. Probably no surprise at the similarity as the White Pass beasts were also built during WW2 as stated above.

 

[Flying15]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but i was doing some Googleing and this thread came up!, im currently working my way through various bit's and bobs of a 1:22.5 scale S118 using a set of 1/8th scale 5" gauge AC16 drawings and scaling everything down. Currently only done the domes, front buffer beam and frames, plenty to do Flying15 you're locos look fantastic any chance of some more pic's? Don't you also have a YP, id love to see it, 50calMal How's your build going? Do you need any drawings or information, im more than happy to help!

Here’s a few pics of the layout with locos set up in Indian guise (Sagor).
There’s a Indian Western Railway 4-6-0 built an a big hauler chassis; a YP built on an Annie chassis mucked about with to make it a Pacific and the Cylinder block modified to look like a piston valve set up!
Then there’s the Aristocraft 2-8-2 which since these pictures were taken has had its cab modified
The tank engine is a slightly modified LGB 0-6-2T and then there’s a colonialised Bachmann Industrial 2-6-0
Hope these are of interest
Chris

 

[steamskip]

Flying15 Thanks for that thye really look the business! really captures the spirit of the YP and The MAWDs

 

[50calMal]

As requested, a few updates on the Mikado build. After a lot of chopping, cutting and shutting, proportionally it hasn't quite turned out how I wanted, due to a couple of factors. I had to shorten the cab slightly, but unfortunately this only emphasizes the fact that the pony truck is not far enough under the cab. This however can't be moved, due to the location of the motor. Another aspect I would like to have done was to shorten the loco at the front. The cylinder block really would have been better moved back toward the driving wheels by about 25mm. However given the fact that I couldn't move the pony truck I felt that the work required to move the cylinder block wouldn't have gained me much in the overall finished loco proportionally, so I will have to live with what I have. It is now almost ready for finishing so hopefully the next few weeks might find it finished.

 

[Timmo]

Interested to read your posts. I have a similar project in the queue to convert the Aristo Mikado to a Chilean Northern W Class mikado.

I have also found the problem with the position of the rear trailing truck (too far back) and the cylinders (too far forward), so will be interested to see how you get round this.