SP Narrow Gauge #18

[Dave Fischer]

This is a project that keeps moving ahead despite my misgivings about its complexity-- I'm hoping that life will be long enough to see it finished! The word "loco" keeps coming to mind. Scale is 1/20 and it is mostly plastic and all scratch-- wheels, coupler(s), nuts and bolts, the works. Engine and tender will come to about 30" when finished. Lead truck, pilot and cylinders are done with the exception of a few details, and the smokebox and headlight are almost there-- I'm actually projecting about ten years to get it all done, but finishing one piece at a time seems to be keeping it interesting! By the way, the bent boiler tubes that make up the pilot might be the most difficult pieces I have tackled for a model. More to come!  DF

[Dave Fischer]

Here is the pilot.

[Dave Fischer]

AND a rear view of the cylinders. I guess I'll eventually figure out maximizing the number of photos I can post! 

[finescalerr]

One of my favorite steam locos. You seem to be doing it justice. -- Russ

[darrylhuffman]

Unbelievable.

I am awestruck.

Can't wait to see the progress photos and hope I live long enough to see it completed.

#18 is one of my favorite engines as well.

Interesting page about it here:

http://carsoncolorado.com/history-of-18/

[Dave Fischer]

Darryl-- The Carson Colorado website is what makes this project even remotely possible! I had actually started research in 1992 after seeing #18 in Independence and taking many pictures... not enough, however, to show everything that needed to be seen. With the restoration came photos of detail after detail that was hidden or unclear, and watching it all get put back together is the rarest of opportunities for any modeler! The restoration is of the highest quality and my hat is off to the crew in Independence-- the engine is supposed to be running next year.

Thanks, Russ, I'll try not to disappoint! And everyone else... don't miss that website-- there are photos on a gallery page as well as high-res stuff on each page of the restoration progress reports.

[lab-dad]

Everything worth while takes time!
Looking forward to seeing this evolve.
Great job so far!
-Marty

[Bill Gill]

Oh my goodness!

[Hydrostat]

Dave,

phew, that looks so damn realistic. I especially like the coarse texture on the buffer beam beside the ball shaped immersion (for pushing beams?). Looks like old welding seams. And you're really sure you made this from plastic? Another nice detail is the missing rivet at one of the pilot's boiler tubes.

Volker

[Allan G]

Dave; looks incredible! No rush to build something as special as this. Keep us posted.....Allan

[Ray Dunakin]

Astounding! Looking at the photos, it's really hard to believe it's only 1/20th scale. It all looks much, much larger.

BTW, how did you do the lettering on the wheels?

[Chuck Doan]

Just beautiful Dave! At his rate, you will finish before I finish mine.

[Dave Fischer]

Well thanks, all, for the encouragement! Now let me pass on some information...

When this engine was N.C.O. #11 it had a wooden pilot, and the one you see here was cobbled together in the SP shops when the engine was rebuilt. The pilot beam looks like it had lived a couple of lives before as there are holes drilled in many odd places and those weld scars on the front. The plan was to rivet the boiler tubes to the beam, but four of them conflicted with the bolts for the frame and they were simply welded at the top-- looks a bit messy, but couldn't be more interesting! The texture on the model beam is Squadron green filler putty thinned with liquid styrene cement and stippled into the surface of the styrene beam with a stiff brush. Many of the rough parts looked very green before they were painted.

The lettering on the wheels involved several steps-- I traced the type from a good, flat side-view photo of the wheel, inked it and cleaned it up. This is where my old-school graphic design experience has come through! The art went to a photoengraver (another near-extinct profession) who etched a zinc plate with the letters cut .015" into the surface. Heated plastic sprue was pressed into the depressed letters one-at-a-time and the resulting raised version carefully shaved off and glued to the styrene wheel. This became the master for a mold, and four wheels were cast in epoxy. I'll get a diagram together that shows the whole process-- it's not as bad as it sounds, and the crossed eyes go back in a few days...

Chuck-- Last one across the line takes the prize. Ready? GO!

[1-32]

i really like the paint finish-tar and oil most realistic.
kind regards kim

[Bill Gill]

Dave, The fact that the very first images of your build show components complete, painted and weathered create an irrepressible indelible mental impression that they are truly real. Even if you subsequently post in-progress photos of bright white styrene, pockmarked with Squadron Green, my brain will always see steel, assuming perhaps it is covered with white and green paint, but steel.  Magnificent!