Adding details, one a structural necessity, to Bachmann 4-6-0 Big Haulers

[Southwestforests]

Hey y'all;
About a decade back I took some money from a disability settlement and splurged on several Bachmann Big Hauler sets, an Anniversary 4-6-0, a Hartland 4-4-0 & 2-4-4, several Hartland Macks.
Theory was that the Big Haulers were basic models which could be detailed to my liking over time.
A thing I enjoyed doing in smaller scales.
Also, some repainting was part of the process.

Progress happens in bite sized pieces at intervals varying from months to years. Some of the cause being other interests some of the cause being on account of health.

Lately progress is being good! I am a happy camper.

Now ... the 'structural necessity' part ...

From experience and conversations it was learned that with the BH's crosshead guides being unsupported they were vulnerable to breakage during handling or as derailment damage.
So, finally, I have gotten around to making and installing the crosshead guide's braces/brackets/yokes, whichever the correct term is.

Other details; Class/marker lamps from Ozark Miniatures; carving off of molded on sand pipes & replacement with 3/32in brass tube; adding of sand dome actuating rod and lever; parts from Ozark Miniatures to represent the cylinder drain cocks; other bits here and there.

LED replacements for the literal 'dim bulb' factory headlights is a major part of the project. The PRR loco got a 10mm bright white found at Radio Shack & while running up at Mike's house that headlight would light up the neighbor's house!
Yes! That's my kind of headlight!

Since the locomotives' smoke generators were never going to be used they were removed and several locomotives had provision made for inserting a 9v battery through the smokebox door as the source for headlight power.

A couple wood burners got their extended smokeboxes shortened since in real life the extension housed a cinder catching arrangement for coal burning.
As part of that a couple locomotives also had their fuel type changed.

A couple BH got whistle pull cords as per drawings of someone's 3ft gauge 2-8-0 with post on cab roof and angled duct through roof.

EDIT: It's not only narrow gauge locos which had that arrangement, was just now on November 14 looking through the 1962 book Pennsy Power by Alvin F. Stauffer and on pages 103 to 107 several classes of 4-4-0 are pictured with same whistle pull cord arrangement in 1880s and 1890s.
Had forgotten about them.
But maybe they were in mind when the whistle pulls were done several years ago.
Ironically I didn't do that on the Pennsy BH because on it I moved whistle from steam dome top to steam dome side, thereby substantially lowering the whistle pull.

Alright, enough text, now for photos,

First, a detail of D13 class photo by Pennsylvania Railroad, circa 1890s, showing whistle cord arrangement I used,

Now, my models,

 

[Southwestforests]

And now, the repaints.
Before and after images of the PRR and V&T locomotives.
Durango & Silverton got its boiler jacketing repainted from plain black to metallic black, not obvious enough in photos.
Glenbrook Valley 5 is getting neither free-standing sand pipes nor repainted boiler jacketing because the fancy trim on its domes is applied via printed paper wrappers & those won't take masking.

The real V&T 26 was delivered around 1907 and would never have looked like that!
But, hey, I liked it, so run with it!
Also, repaint cars from 1900s yellow to 1800s red/maroon/wine, as variously described in press so as to go with 1800s locomotive livery.
Sorry mates, but that dandied-up stack has GOT to go!

 

[Southwestforests]

Parts still in the pondering stage are valve rods for the non-Walschaerts locomotives.
Primary point of that pondering is where to locate the rocker lever which comes out from the between the frames eccentrics.

Have seen photos of period 4-6-0 with it ahead of the lead driver, with a between the frames extension arm from main driver axle over lead driver axle
as per Figure 56 on page 24 of my 1980-something printing of Kalmbach's Model Railroader Cyclopedia Volume 1 Steam Locomotives.
But ...
I kinda like several photos of 4-6-0 which have longer rods back to a rocker arm lever between main and lead driver.
With there being some kind of connection or joint in the rod between crosshead guide yoke and valve chest.
That offers more interest visually, at least it does to me.

Also, need to find more detail of where rod emerges from valve chest.

 

[PhilP]

Y'all not doing anything for the British Idea of what a South-Western American modeller, might look like, with that photy you have posted..

Following with interest...
I have a mess of a similar loco, in pieces, I acquired a while-back..

PhilP

 

[Southwestforests]

the British Idea of what a South-Western American modeller, might look like,

Well, my family name is Wood ...

Trivia note; though born in the southwest I now reside in the midwest.

Progress will have spurts, bursts, interruptions, dormancies, that seems to be my historical pattern.

 

[Southwestforests]

Here is how the firemen are attached, loosely, to the hinged apron plates: shortened craft pins inserted through holes from bottom of apron fit in to holes drilled in firemen figures' heels.
Figures remain removable for transportation and storage of locomotives.

Pin locations were marked by putting a drop of acrylic craft paint on figure's heels then setting in place on apron.
Holes in figure heels are drilled a couple diameters larger than pin diameter so as to allow for imperfect alignment.

 

[Southwestforests]

Now let's talk about headlights for the Durango & Silverton Big Hauler in the black & yellow "bumblebee" livery.

First, illustrations of what we're talking about, from Bachmann's 2009 print catalog;

So far what has been done is:

Change from coal burner to a woodburner by replacing tender's coal load with wood load, and the stovepipe stack with the balloon stack, from Glenbrook Valley engine.
Then remove smoke unit and shorten smokebox by sawing between the double rivet rows.

Add cab-to-tender apron and fireman figure.

Replace round headlights with box headlights from Hartland Locomotive Works, HLW, spare parts.
Those lights were purchased a few years ago. Last I heard in 2020 HLW has suspended production indefinitely & dropped their website.

Round headlights are being replaced with box headlights because;

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/63738/

and

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/642431/

(and possibly just because I want an excuse to do a headlight project)

Today finally progress is made on adding LED to the headlights.

Headlight is a 10mm LED found at the now closed Radio Shack a few years ago mostly because I like big and blindingly bright headlights, but, hey, they do legitimately need a bright headlight for those excursions in the treacherous mountains, right.
Backup light is getting a 5mm LED.

Now, on to the photos;

 

[Southwestforests]

A detail being added to some but not all of the Big Haulers is a freestanding anti-drifting valve to replace the factory-issue molded bump.
Anniversary edition 4-6-0 do have a factory-issue freestanding part.

The part I'm using is, CYLINDER DRIFTING VALVES (snifter) (2)

Big Haulers which have fancy valve and cylinder paint I'm not interested in damaging then touching up are keeping the molded bump with the V&T engine on left in photo being one of them.
Note: valve on Durango & Silverton loco is merely placed there for photo, it will be glued after black paint is touched up.

And speaking of the V&T engine ...

Here is its sand control rod in place,

 

[Madman]

Excellent work !

 

[Southwestforests]

Thanks! Guess it may be readily deduced that I'm having a lot of fun with these.

The cars and cabooses are getting attention too although at a slower pace than the locomotives.
Currently pondering how exactly to make electrical conduits on roofs of Durango & Silverton passenger cars for electric lighting as on at least a couple of the real life excursion cars.
Granted, most D&S coaches have no electrical conduit up there but I want the fun of adding the detail.
And adding a few more lights to replace the 2 factory bulbs.

One wish is for more kits of figures which would be easily adaptable to making the poses desired for train crews; and passengers too.

Anyway, here's a review of the current real D&S cars, D&S Cars

Also a factor in my thoughts are the similar Denver & Rio Grande cars.

 

[Paul M]

Currently pondering how exactly to make electrical conduits on roofs of Durango & Silverton passenger cars for electric lighting as on at least a couple of the real life excursion cars.

Do you actually want the conduits to have power cables in them, or for show?

 

[Southwestforests]

want the conduits to have power cables in them

Have pondered that question.
If conduits are made of brass rod that can carry one side of the current with an interior wire carrying the other side.

Right now the concept is to use 2 brass wires, 1 for each side of current; use a jig for spacing to solder 5 LED to them; then secure that assembly up inside clerestory; wiring would all be interior to car with rooftop conduit as merely detail.

 

[Southwestforests]

Do you actually want the conduits to have power cables in them, or for show?

What I said in prior reply about how the lights were likely to be done has changed, see:

Modifications to Bachmann Big Hauler passenger cars

Hello again; the Big Hauler train set locomotives are not alone in getting altered to my tastes, the passenger cars from those sets are getting modifications too. Some were done a few years ago but there is plenty left to do on all the cars. In 2009 - 2011 Bachmann offered additional passenger...

www.gscalecentral.net

 

[Southwestforests]

Oh, and it is possible to make the coupler cut lever on tender prototypically functional.
Did that several years ago.

 

[JimmyB]

Oh, and it is possible to make the coupler cut lever on tender prototypically functional.
Did that several years ago.

All ways wondered what the bar on some of my USA outline stock was for.

 

[Southwestforests]

what the bar on some of my USA outline stock was for

Seems most fitting to quote a UK fellow from some years back on a show named Connections, "And so, there you have it!"

And while we are connecting things ...

Have you ever heard the phrase "It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop"? This is a reference to this coupler pin! If the engineer and brakeman work together so that the coupling is accomplished gently, the couplers join together so that the pin drops quietly enough to hear it go "clink". This phrase is one of many that originated on the railroad.

How couplers work