Sorry Folks, I'm at it again.
I never liked the long haul tender that came with the Mantua engines. Almost tossed it away. But I recently saw some pics of auxiliary water tenders, and decided to give it a try.
I cut away the coal portion of the tender and replaced it with a piece of flat styrene. Drilled out the plastic light lens, so I could actually put a bulb in that spot (I like it when tenders light up). :)
Finally, I added a few details and a coat of paint. Here are some before and after shots:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/003.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/001.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/002.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/004.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/005.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/006.jpg)
Sorry for the poor quality photos. My main PC crashed, and I'm forced to do this on a laptop.
OK, here's the question:
The trucks seem to be permanently welded together, so I can't replace the wheels. What can I do to get these old wheels spinning better? I've take some 600 grit sandpaper to the axles I could reach, just to knock the rust off. I also spread a little graphite, a la pencil, to the axles I could reach. Anything else I could try?
The shell just needs some decals and dullcote to complete.
I will probably have to do the 9V battery and microswitch trick to get the tender to light. My first time trying that.
Hope I didn't bore you.
Regards,
Jonathan
looks great so far , you have talent
The trucks are stamped together with 2 pins. You should be able to pry them apart. I have done some and replaced the center plastic wheel with metal.
Bob
Bob,
Thanks, I'll try a little gentle persuasion on the trucks, once the shell is complete. Would be great to get the trucks really free rolling.
FM,
You are kind. I don't consider my tinkering nature a talent. I would say I have a vivid imagination--it makes me try to create the things I see in my head. THEN I go looking for a prototype to match what I'm trying to create. In this case, I stretched reality just a little bit.
I would much prefer your talent of sharing the hobby with your little engineer. Now that's worthy of praise.
Regards,
Jonathan
First may I say your conversion looks great,as for the older Mantua trucks and wheels..... I'd just completely replace them with a pair of the better looking and detailed one's on the market today.
You're right of course. If the tender shell turns out really nice, then I may deem it worthy of splurging on some quality trucks. Perhaps that will allow me to do the all wheel pick up trick for the tender light. Saves me a couple of bucks in batteries and a microswitch.
Thanks,
Jonathan
p.s. Decaling went well... now for some clear coats:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/DSCN2244.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/DSCN2242.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/DSCN2241.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Projects/DSCN2243.jpg)
J
Hello, Jonathan,
I got to talk to Jerry Cain (owner of Cain's Trains, in Bunker Hill, W.Va.) the other day, and his comment about Mantua trucks like these is that they are, as noted by Bob Wrgt, press-fitted at the factory--and that pressing them apart can make them hard to get together again, or at least hard to keep together. If they won't stay, some ACC will hold, but you may have electrical pick up problems. If this is the course you take, or if you need to adapt other trucks, including plastic ones, you may find this link of use.
http://www.55n3.org/cars/tender_wipers/
This is from this site, which may have other tips you can use.
http://pacificcoastairlinerr.com/
Finally, Jerry at Cain's has some Mantua and other parts available; contact informatin is available through this link.
http://bunkerhilltrainclub.org/
Keep having fun!
J3a-614,
That is exactly the all-wheel pick-up trick I use on my tenders and cabeese. Learned it from a different article about making OldTyme engines run better. Not sure of the neolube benefit. I find the backs of the wheels pick up current very well from the centering springs. Perhaps it helps lower the drag of the spring on the wheel. I usually adjust the tension to reduce drag.
I've started hunting for 6 wheel trucks that are plastic, in order to light up the water tender.
I did get the Mantua trucks to roll better, through cleaning and graphite. Don't really want to dismantle the trucks at this point. Since they are metal, it wouldn't help my cause anyway.
Will post a pic of the completed project (sans light) as soon as I can. The Mantua pulled it around this morning with no problems.
Regards,
Jonathan
OK, all done for now...
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2280.jpg)
Aft section: You can see the bulb in the taillight. I'll get around to that later. the MU hoses are piano wire with a little rubber tubing slipped over the top. Kadee coupler box fit right into the original slot--I even used the original screw to attach the box.
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2281.jpg)
The front: I was able to file down the drawbar post and attach a coupler box--original screw, also. Pay no attention to the fact that I put the MU hoses on the wrong side :D.
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2282.jpg)
Left: To line up the decals, I actually counted the rivets... the irony made me laugh.
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2283.jpg)
Right
And some gratuitous photography:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2284.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2285.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2286.jpg)
Thanks for looking.
Regards,
Jonathan
It lights up now... thanks to Jim Banner for the idea.
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2287.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2288.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2289.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2290.jpg)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Yardbird/DSCN2291.jpg)
Yes, I painted the silver scew.
addendum: I was waiting for my car to be serviced; there was a Radio Shack across the street... It's amazing what you can do with $3 and a couple hours of time on your hands. Plus, I needed to try out a new soldering iron. ;D
Regards,
Jonathan
I am envious of your abilities, your auxiliary tender looks great!
Thanks, ABC.
Believe me when I say, my abilities aren't all that great. I select certain angles, for my pictures, to hide my foibles.
Really, any wherewithall I have is from learning what members on this forum have taught. The wealth of knowledge is astounding.
Regards,
Jonathan
Jon - you are too modest. I have seen guys trying to sell so called "custom painted" engines at the Timonium show - your models are just as nice or better. Next December, when Santa Claus brings you that airbrush you want, your models will be really outstanding.
Don't forget that the models you have done - the Varney Little Joe, Bowser g-5 and Mantua mikes weren't all that great in the detail department and two of them would have been written off by most sane people. Just getting them to run to 2010 standards is an accomplishment.
The auxilary tender is really nice. Seems I recall that B&O had some aux. tenders that looked like tank cars.
Don't let those club guys eat you out of house and home when they visit!
This is model railroading's suppository of knowledge ;D
jonathan,
don't sell yourself short. Excellent job! I am just learning to do the same thing myself and I do appreciate what you have accomplished. Besides, they say really good carpenters just know how to hide their mistakes. Stephen
Again, thanks very much.
Just for fun, I was going to make a video of the tender in action. However, I got so excited about it, I forgot to actually connect the tender to the Mantua.
Anyway, here is a video (warning: 98MB). The Mantua is double headed with a Spectrum Connie. They are pulling 40 cars. It's a cheap camera and I am no photographer (film is jerky, not the trains). Funny, I had a hard time finding 40 steam era cars in my collection. I gotta go shopping...
Enjoy,
Jonathan
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/th_DSCN2292.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/?action=view¤t=DSCN2292.flv)
Jon,
Great to see the Mike in action; even with the jerky camera footage, I can tell you have a nice-running engine. And it was interesting to note the vintage cars in the train, including at least one Varney hopper, MDC "moonshine" hoppers from the 1970s and 1980s (the cars with the "XXX" on the sides, named "Moonshine" by railfans who thought of the caricatures of hillbillies with their jugs of homemade whiskey with similar markings, and used to designate cars with frames over 40 years old that were restricted to home road service, which actually makes them a diesel-era car), and what I think is a Bowser/Varney Roller-Bearing demonstrator car, which was originally issued in the 1950s, although the car itself, if it is a Bowser job using Varney dies, may not be that old.
Brings back memories, yes indeed. . .thanks for sharing. . .and have fun building up a steam-era fleet. . .
J3a-614,
Thanks for looking.
I have a number of Varney cars from my grandfather's collection (he started in 1947). I'm gradually retrucking and recoupling all the cars that aren't too damaged, from years of tossing around in old moving boxes. Wish I knew what I had when he passed this stuff to me. I was somewhere between 10 and 12 at the time.
So, if you suspected you saw more than one Varney, you did (and some ancient Athearns as well).
Regards,
Jonathan
Jon - pardon my lack of Photobucket sophistication, but I cannot seem to find the video among your many pictures. Please enlighten me.
As for old cars - you should shop around for some of the older all metal cars by MDC, Athearn or Ulrich. Mantua made some interesting cars. I had a gondola that had a stamped tin body, and die cast parts. To the sides you glued on embossed paper sides. These were the true old timers.
With a few MDC and Ulrich die cast cars in a consist you really would have to double head!
Woody,
You should be able to click on the picture, in my post, and a new window should open and run the video. If it doesn't work, my videos are located in my "Rolling Stock" album. Again, if you click on them, a new window should open up, etc...
http://s642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/
I actually have some of the old metal cars (from grampa, again). My prize is a "Land o' Lakes" box car, made almost entirely of brass. It has the old Mantua couplers (loops and hooks). The metal is a little dinged, but the paint job is in fairly good shape. Doubt if I'll ever upgrade that and put it on my layout. I suspect my grandfather got it around the same time he bought the Varney Li'l Joe.
Regards,
Jonathan
Hi Jon - I found the videos. That Mantua mike sure does look nice. Nice to see that Penn LIne tender being used.
I wish I had held onto all the old metal cars I had. I belonged to a club and when one of the real old timers moved away he gaave me about 20 cars of assorted heritage. The Ulrich and MDC cars weighed a ton by my Hobbytorn RS-2 had no problem pulling them. I still have the Ambroid snow plow that he built.
The old varney lithographed cars, done on tinplate, were actually really nice for their day. Bowser later brought them out undecorated in brass.
Today the detailing on those cars wouldn't pass muster.