ATSF Steam 2023 1/2
Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2023 2:11 pm
Rob was asking about ATSF Pacifics and Mountains - my convertible shots have dropped off the MTJ time limit for sourcing from Shutterfly, so I shall repeat my collection for you.
The better way to do this is to space them out - one a week - but I want them stacked together, so I shall post all four of my Santa Fe locomotives (not counting the PAs, which for sure are honorary steam locomotives).
The deal here is - I started out with Scale Craft boilers. Two of them came my way, and I think if I spot two more castings somewhere I am ready to re-create the Mountain and Pacific at the drop of a hat. My boilers are drilled for interchangeability, so while I only have two, they can be swapped - the Mike can become a Pacific, and the 2-10-2 can become a Mountain - all in the space of 15 minutes with a screwdriver.
At 82, I have a penchant for repeating myself, but this is (at least for me) fascinating. For the longest time I assumed I had the wrong taper for the 2-10-2, since the Scale Craft casting has minimum taper under the second sand dome. I could see photos of 2-10-2s in the Worley book with softer tapers, but assumed that all were done with the same boiler and it was the camera angle.
Not so - I discovered that the later series - roughly 3849 and up - had less taper! In fact, they look a lot like my stretched Scale Craft boiler. And ditto the Mountain - my boiler works! Well, within the tolerances allowed we doorstoppers.
The better way to do this is to space them out - one a week - but I want them stacked together, so I shall post all four of my Santa Fe locomotives (not counting the PAs, which for sure are honorary steam locomotives).
The deal here is - I started out with Scale Craft boilers. Two of them came my way, and I think if I spot two more castings somewhere I am ready to re-create the Mountain and Pacific at the drop of a hat. My boilers are drilled for interchangeability, so while I only have two, they can be swapped - the Mike can become a Pacific, and the 2-10-2 can become a Mountain - all in the space of 15 minutes with a screwdriver.
At 82, I have a penchant for repeating myself, but this is (at least for me) fascinating. For the longest time I assumed I had the wrong taper for the 2-10-2, since the Scale Craft casting has minimum taper under the second sand dome. I could see photos of 2-10-2s in the Worley book with softer tapers, but assumed that all were done with the same boiler and it was the camera angle.
Not so - I discovered that the later series - roughly 3849 and up - had less taper! In fact, they look a lot like my stretched Scale Craft boiler. And ditto the Mountain - my boiler works! Well, within the tolerances allowed we doorstoppers.