One of the last two spot engines is steamed up and waiting for the hostler to take her to the ready track. The other remaining spot, No. 40 is still under construction in the underground shop in Pacific.
Fantastic models and photos. If I may ask, where did you find the coonskin number plate on the smokebox door? I need one badly for my 4-4-0 project. I think I'll try to scratchbuild one if I can't come up with some other idea. Did you do the paint and detail work?
Precision Scale still makes the old Kemtron part, and they may be found at Walthers. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/585-31607
Beautiful model Don! What loco did you start with? I wonder if we could use one of the new plastic/metal 2-10-2's that could be used as the basis for a spot? ~mike
Jim - FYI, this part is also available at Walthers in plastic if you don't need brass: 585-31608. I bought a couple of each last time I was at Walthers (a year ago) and they still had a bunch of them in stock. I slice the plastic coonskin off of the bracket, sand it a bit thinner, and mount them on the front grills of Stewart's Frisco Baldwin VO's and DS models for the number plate. Ken
Don - Wonderful model as always! A beast of burden indeed. I can see the 19-spot sitting like that at Newburg waiting for a hill assignment or even a trip down the Ft Wood branch. Ken
The USRA LIGHT 2-10-2 had the driver diameter and spacing that matches the Frisco engines closely. The Bachmann 2-10-2 mechanism would be a good place to start. The boiler, cab and tender would require lots of work. John Sanders
I built this back when Overland released the 4300 and 4400 models. I was able to pick up two "junk" 4400 superstructures and "reverse engineered" them. I think I used a Hallmark ATSF 2-10-2 mechanism to get the correct drivers with the crescent counterbalances. I built the cylinders, used a PFM Baker valve gear hanger, made new stack and domes and tender. The second one is about the same, except I don't know where I got the running gear. It's been in a box for years. The 19 doesn't run worth a cr@@ and may wind up being a hanger queen till I figure out what's ailing it. The 40 already runs great, just needs to be finished. I'm hitting a few licks on her now and when she is done, I can go back and finish my 1064 Hudson, which has been in the works for years also. I use it as a fill in project. Ought to dig her out and see what she needs. I haven't done the running boards yet, so that's kind of a major pain. If I dig it out, I'll post progress photos.
Here's a trainshow photo of Frisco 2-10-2 "spot" #40 in a dead line. Location, date, photograper unknown. Tom