Back in Feb I purchased a used Akane Light Mike from Brasstrains.com to join with my 4003 in freight service. Ironically the model was painted Pennsylvania RR, which is where some of the 4000s came from. Photos show basically the process of making a Frisco mike which I finished in May.
What a terrific piece of work! I had one of those Akane engines (later sold) and was always disappointed how non Frisco-ish the engine was and how helpless I was to do anything about it. I hope everyone appreciates how much work and modeling savvy it took Don to make such a conversion, let alone steam engine and Frisco historical knowledge!!!! I wish Don was a consulting expert for some of the model manufacturers (Lake Kato, Walthers, etc, etc, etc), so we could get some Frisco believable models at our local hobby shops and on line stores! Tom G.
Well, without saying, the transformation is absolutely fantastic. Congrats, Don, on more over the top work. Terry
I didn''t take pictures of building the cab, but it is scratchbuilt from flat stock, rivet embossed and "rolled" over the new front and back walls.
Don - I think you have one or more other 4000's. If so, what is their heritage? It would be interesting to see them side-by-side. I'd wager your 4026 is the best. Ken
What an amazing set of brass working skills you possess Mr. Wirth! As are all of your conversions, the end result is yet another genuine piece of art work in brass. Andre
Any modeler's who models in Don's era (1940's) should look at the neat period freight cars in the background of his pictures! Tom G.
Don - I would think the PFM USRA light Mike is also pretty well done. What changes did you make to it to totally "Friscoize" it? Let me give you the details about where I was in my early years as a Frisco fan ...... kind of out in the wilderness! Quite a contrast to Don! I bought a PFM USRA light Mikado way back in 1965, I think, from Tom's Trains. Maybe it was 1966, I don't know. $49.50. It was the second piece of brass HO steam I bought, following the PFM 2-10-0 Russian Decapod, first release, which I bought and had painted for SLSF 1621 (pre-Eagle Pitcher), also $49.50 as I recall. My main reference to Frisco data back the was "Frisco Folks" (can you believe that!), and I saw in "Frisco Folks" somewhere that Frisco 2-8-2 Mikado's were numbered in the 1350 class. Yep! So, I had my PFM USRA Mike painted as SLSF 1352 (that last number, "2", indicated it was my second piece of brass). SLSF 1352 looked good, and ran well, but the only thing I had done to it besides the incorrect paint job, was to put a coonskin headlight bracket on it - I missed the SLSF 4000 class entirely. Fortunately, I have learned a few things since then. Ken
Don, it is readily obvious to anyone looking at the work that you are truly a brass master craftsman.
Don, very impressive. I look at all those parts in the bucket and taste puke in the back of my mouth. I would be scared to death to do that.
Well put. It makes me nauseous looking at my pieces of Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-0 disassembled as I try to deal with a bad gear. Exceptional as always, Don. Happy to see more step-by-step pictorials brought to us by your Pacific Shops. It looks infinitely better as SL-SF power than PRR power. Best Regards,
I read that the Frisco used Alco and Lima built USRA Light 2-8-2s... what does one need to do to "convert" the PFM United Light Mikados built as a Baldwin unit to match an Alco or a Lima?
I’m happy enough with my Bachmann Frisco decs and 2-8-2 4027, which if I can find a coonskin number plate I might be brave enough to try to install. If I really had the nerve I’d install Pyle headlights which would improve it 100%. And I’m happy with my Walthers Ship It On The Frisco 3 window caboose. Although I did break down and buy a nice Hallmark brass Frisco caboose, prepainted of course. Now I’m about to buy an Athearn ATSF one in Frisco paint. I’m basically chicken to do much of anything. Why? I remember the torture and horrible deaths I sentenced my teenage stuff to! Thinking I was a master craftsman! Could I do any better now? I doubt it! Used to be if you wanted something good you had to be able to do what Don does. Nowadays you can get great running RTR engines that are 75% prototypical and that’s good enough for me! I look at Don Wirth’s stuff and marvel, and hope the collection stays together forever.
Wow, Don's procedure is sort of like an assembly line. Don is the Henry Ford of HO steam locomotive model creation ..... we are blessed with him being a Frisco fan! K
Patrick, I was where you are back in the late 60s. I had known Joe Collias since about 1960 and admired his work and he convinced me that if I want to model what I want, start cutting, chopping and soldering. Between seeing what he was doing and a series in articles in MR by Robert Darwin I plunged in and haven't looked back since. I certainly have no attributes that make me unique. My boss once asked me "How the hell do you do that with those big ham hands"? My answer to you out there is "just do it". Practice on junk. It ain't rocket surgery.
