1522 to roll again... (in HO scale)

Discussion in '4-8-2 Mountain' started by V&AL, Jan 5, 2007.

  1. V&AL

    V&AL Member

    Howdy!
    I chased the |-| 1522 by bicycle on it's last run. I recently purchased a Bachman heavy 4-8-2 unlettered so that she can roll again.

    http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/catalog/?function=detail&id=256

    I know I need to paint the cab roof a reddish color, the smoke box is a few shades too dark (but I'm gonna leave it as-is for now), and add some air tanks on top of the boiler. Can anyone tell me what shade of red to use for the cab roof, what decales to use and where I might find the air tanks. I've been a casual modeler for years, and I'm jsut getting into the "serious" side with more attention to detail, standardization of coupler hight, wheel guage and all that fun stuff, so I'm always open to advice.

    thanks much!

    Rob
    Chief Engineer,
    Virginia and Alleghenny Railroad
     
  2. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Rob -
    Welcome aboard and we'll look forward to seeing photos of the finished product.

    Regarding the cab roof color ("Danger, Danger Will Robinson!") this has been the topic of lively debate over the years in one vein or another.

    Look under "Modeling of the Frisco - Modeling Tips" and "Paint Formulas." The tables are a bit off kilter from the website transition - maybe boxcar red if I'm reading correctly?

    Note the following quote:
    "As for the red roofs, according to Lee Buffington, for a time the Frisco did paint the roof of the cab with an oxide red paint. The practice was short lived as the red roof became black fairly quickly. Even a railroad that was known for keeping their steam engines clean couldn't reach the roof of the cab easily. Besides that, hardly anyone could see the roof from the ground."

    Not sure what era you're modeling but if it looks good to you, go for it!

    A few years back, I'd posted a purely theoretical thread on a 4-8-2 that I purchased.

    http://www.frisco.org/vb/showpost.php?p=10193&postcount=17

    Theoretical because it's still in the box. As it is, I'll be fortunate to finish my Pacific in my lifetime. 8^)

    Don Wirth posted some great photos of his brass 1522 that might provide some good inspiration and reference.

    Good luck!

    Best Regards,
     
  3. V&AL

    V&AL Member

    Time frame will officially be modern era and a "what-if" she hadn't been re-retired. In the future I'll probably model the SLSTA cars to go along with it. However, given the era of the club I belong to ('50s - 60's) she won't be too specific. She'll also double-head with the N&W J-Class locomotives like the real 1522 did in her excursion years.
    Most photos I've seen, and when I've seen her myself, the cab roof was red. I'm not too picky abotu the exact details, as long as she's reasonably close. I'm goin for: Front Light/ 'coon skin numberboards, airc tanks ontop the boiler, cab roof to red and appropriate lettering. And: My first scratchbuild project- the Auxilary water tender with diesel MU posts on the rear. For steam era operations, the water tender can easily be left out. thanks much for your help!
     
  4. bmlhsj

    bmlhsj Member

    V&AL,

    I also recently purchased a Spectrum 4-8-4. I was very pleased with the general look of the model, however, I did notice several glaring differences. The most obvious is the air tanks. Also the sand dome on the model is not quite right. Various pieces of equipment and piping are out of place. As for the roof, it looks like the STLA painted it bright red. I'm still doing research and may have to do a trip to STL this spring to see her in person. Champ makes a set of decals: EH-263(Gold letters & numbers) and S-39(Doric Striping). As I find proper detail parts I will post a list and photo links.

    Brett
     
  5. bmlhsj

    bmlhsj Member

    Since Chris mentioned the tender.....(that could be a whole 'nother thread!): conversion to oil-burner w/ 6-wheelers and piping. STLA has a toolbox on the fireman side. Back-up light. Even in the second hole, the link pin is to far out to match prototype. One thing I forgot to mention on the engine, on the 1500s, the main drivers (second pair back) were Scullins.... We've got our work cut out for us : ) I will try to post progress photos also.

    Brett
     
  6. f4joe

    f4joe Member

    Hey Rob,

    I am starting one for myself as well, I already have most of the detailing parts for the Bachmann and I have a PFM Brass one I am detailing as well.

    Good luck!
    Joe
     
  7. V&AL

    V&AL Member

    Joe,
    Care to share what detail parts you plan on using? This is my first detailing job, so I'm not up to speed on the best sources for parts and stuff.
    Thanks much, and good luck with your project. We'll have to swap photo's.
    Rob
     
  8. V&AL

    V&AL Member

    well anyone else done any work? All i've had a chance to do is try some athearn 3 avel passenger car trucks under the tender... not working good.

    I've been poking arround looking for a good tender for donor axels and a water tender.
     
  9. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Thx for the update, Rob. Alas, with a modeling shift from mainline to branchline, the 4-8-2 has been traded in for a Russian. 8^)

    I am eager to hear more updates, reports or photos from those who are modeling any of the 1500-series, or are trying to do so!

    Keep pressing onward,
     
  10. mcalisi

    mcalisi Member

    Hello all,
    I've been searching high and low on the forums and haven't yet found any mention of IHC's offering of 1522 (don't know when it was produced). I'm just now getting back into model trains and I saw a used model while I was out in Denver for $80. I don't know much about IHC, and I left HO trains as a teenager around 1990, so I figured those of you modeling the Frisco might have an opinion about it.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2008
  11. mcalisi

    mcalisi Member

    Well, I decided instead to go with a Bachman Spectrum version of the Frisco mountain class and am considering following some of the modifications listed at http://www.frisco.org/vb/showpost.ph...3&postcount=17 I am now trying to figure out how to go about some of them, such as converting the tender to an oil bunker and relocating the air reservoirs to the top. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do that or where to get parts? I'd even be willing to consider purchasing an oil tender, but all of the pictures I've seen appear to be an actual converted coal tender vs. the Vanderbilt oil tenders you see modeled so often. I especially want to get the tender figured out soon as I want to get a Tsunami decoder for it, and the model seems delicate enough that extra disassembly cycles tempt the fates with my clumsiness.
     
  12. V&AL

    V&AL Member

    I'm still muddling arround trying to get this project out of the box... Looking at pictures, I think I'm gonna get a second bachmann tender and kit-bash both tenders, one to hold the oil/water, and the other to be the water tender. I also need to find where I can get some coonskins for the front headlight. and the air tanks on the top of the boiler. If anyone has seen a source for either of those two parts, or even better might have the measurements for the air tanks so I can do a search myself, It would help this project leave the box.

    Thanks!
     
  13. V&AL

    V&AL Member

    also, I plan to put in a sound decoder, preferably one that will work on dc or dcc layouts, and stick it in one of the tenders.

    any good suggestions as far as what would work good and sound real?

    Thanks again!
     
  14. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 6, 2009
  15. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    Soundtraxx Tsunami Heavy Steam decoder has actual 1522 sounds on it. Whistle, bell, snifters, etc.
    Highly recommend.
     
  16. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

  17. mcalisi

    mcalisi Member

    I, too, would be interested in knowing how you guys have converted the coal tenders to oil bunkers as I need to do it to my Spectrum 4-8-2 as well as the Proto 2k 0-6-0 that is coming soon.

    Speaking of the Spectrum Mountain, I have been having some issues getting everything to work properly on the DCC install I've made using the Tsunami TS-1000. Both times that I have found problems have been after getting it to work at home and then taking it to the club layout where it screws up. I have a Degitrax Zephyr at home and the club uses Digitrax as well (not sure of the main unit, but there are also a couple of 10 amp boosters).

    The big trouble the first time was a factory induced issue where two wires melted together when they soldered them to the "DCC ready" circuit board.
    This last time, I had the speed set to about 15 (128 speed step set up), but the engine kept changing speed and sounding the automatic crossing whistle that usually activates with rapid throttle changes. I was the only person at the club, so there was no one to have the same decoder code as me.

    I have been reading that some people cut resistors off of the circuit board or eliminate the board altogether. If I remove the circuit board, what resistors/capacitors/etc will I need to install and where?
     
  18. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

  19. FRISCO4503

    FRISCO4503 FRISCO4503 Frisco.org Supporter

    Walthers.com has the coonskin front number boards, click on search and then type in FRISCO. They should come up as the last section of items available from Walthers. Alot of times the brass ones are available but as long as I can remember the plastic ones are always on back order. Hope this helps. Also Ebay is a good source for the Auxilliary water tender as well as a pretty darn close match of the tender for the 1522. I see them often when I am browsing what all ebay has up for auction in the way of Brass, FRISCO, etc.... Hope this information helps
     
  20. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    While it's far from complete, I simply cut out the coal load on an IHC tender and started scratchbuilding. I still need to dig my 1500-class bunker drawings from the garage when I get Christmas decorations put away in January.

    These photos were taken long before I realligned the handrail, filed off the excess and filled the gaps with putty:

    http://www.frisco.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10&d=1123779499

    The oil bunker top and new sidewalls are .040 Evergreen Styrene. While they don't show in photo, I cut out .010 styrene to overlay the top, and used a "Micro-Mark" pounce wheel to emboss rivets per the prototype drawings.

    I used a basic hole punch to create both the inspection hatch and oil fill hatch. The former is .005 styrene; I used a filed-down needle stuck in a pin vise to emboss the rivets around the outside edge. The latter is .010 styrene; I filed down the lid of a garbage can for the base and glued the .010 hatch on top.

    The light for the oil fill hatch wasn't done before I took this picture but I constructed the light by using small diameter brass wire with a small bit of sprue from plastic windshield wipers I bought for a diesel unit. I think Don Wirth has written that he's used HO-scale brass pipe tees for this light, and to very good effect.

    For other bunkers (especially with the rounded back side), I think Mike Corley once mentioned making some castings (I think Wally Decker may have been one of the original FMIGers who cast some of these, too, years ago, from what I've read?).

    I'll try to get this tender painted and finished soon, and include updated information.

    Best Regards,
     

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