Yesterday I managed to get all the parts of the locomotive shell in place. First I painted the door trims and window frames. Next I installed the window glazings, lights, lanterns, and handrails. Then fitting the cab floors and boiler in place (the most tricky part!). Here's a bunch of photos of the finished work. Well, almost. I need to clean the windows to get Toby show-ready.
Once my Rx is delivered I can put that in place and run my loco. I also want to add a couple more details to the cabs such as brakes, hand wheels, and gauges. Click on a photo to view this gallery in full-screen.
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I managed to get Toby's boiler painted today an it looks just as good as I had hoped!
Note in the second photo the chimneys line up almost perfectly (although the interior part looks smaller for some reason). More progress on Toby today!
I made a quick modification to the strap I am using to keep the battery in place. I realized that it would be better to be able to remove it when needed, so I took a zip tie and drilled a few screw holes in it. This actually works out better because it holds the battery in place more effectively. I also finally finished the boiler details which include a dome (I assume it's meant to be a steam dome, but I'm not sure), plus rivets on the front & rear corners. The dome is a cap off a food coloring container! Finally, I finished cutting open and sanding the windows and doors in the locomotive shell. Next up is painting the frames then putting it all together. I have made lots of progress on Toby in the last few days. I'm working hard on this model because I am hoping to bring it with me to the ECLSTS in York, PA later this month. My last update saw the construction of the boiler inside the shell and I have since had to cut it in half to fit it in the shell.
Let's see... what else have I managed? I painted the entire inside of the shell using the same red-brown that I used for the cab floors. I wired the Li-Ion (11.1v) in place and soldered the wiring for the front & rear lights. The only thing I am waiting for is the Receiver from RC Trains to finish the wiring.
All that's really left to do is finish the window and door frames, touch up paint as needed, and then put everything together! This loco will definitely be ready for the show in three weeks. Today I built the boiler for Toby's interior. When I build a model like this I do it in cardboard first then in the final material - in this case, styrene.
It's been quite a while since my last post! Since the weather has gotten colder and the ground has frozen it has become nearly impossible for me to do anything.
But, I have recently begun actual work on Toby the Tram engine. All the doors have been removed. They need refining, but the model already looks much better! (I also removed that one window, but my hand slipped and I took out two chunks on the bottom frame. I'll have to fix that somehow.) Once I got the doors out I was able to fabricate cab floors for either end of the loco. They will not be staying white. I was, of course, one of those kids who grew up watching Thomas the Tank Engine on TV (the original, not the newer CGI) and reading Rev. Awdry's original stories. My favorite engine was #7: Toby the Tram. I always wanted to have a model of him as I got older and, as we know, I bought Bachmann's Large Scale Toby over the summer.
It is now time for Toby to head into the Steam Works and get some work done. Here's an outline of my intentions for #7...
Today I had a short running session with Toby and a modified "Troublesome Truck" for cleaning the track.
To modify the truck I cut the brake lines off each side and screwed an LGB cleaning unit to the bottom. I may need to modify the car slightly more, as the cleaning pads are a bit too low. It came off the rails twice today when the pads got caught on a rail gap. But, it definitely works! I noticed a significant improvement in power pick-up after a few laps around the inner loop. Oh, I also took the face off both troublesome trucks and hope to decal the cars at some point in the future with "LHRR" and car specs.
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Hello!My name is John. This is my website dedicated to all things model railroading! I hope you enjoy! Archives
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