Cab insulation

As with every other part of 622, the cab needs to be electrically split down the middle. So, the front and back of the cab are made of two layers – the inner phosphor bronze and the outer styrene. Before I could add the styrene, I had to correct the cab sides, however. The etching […]

Tender tank details

I’m way out of practice, but even so, the evening and morning spent assembling the tool boxes and other details that adorn the tender tank was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I actually do have what normal people call “a life,” but normal people don’t understand how forgiving and quick it is […]

Where are all the rivets?

Over three years ago, I started work on the tender shell for 622. I went through a lot of pain and sandpaper trying to preserve the rivets, while making the shortening scar invisible. After all, conventional wisdom says that tenders are full of rivets, and the ones on Bachmann’s casting were too nice to just […]

Tender frame for 622

I seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern as I wait for some electronics parts. They’re going to need a place to sit anyway, and so, I’ve returned to work on the tender. #10’s tender frame is fully represented, but it’s very difficult to see, and forced me to cram weight into […]

Really tiny connectors!

I was feeling pretty smug about having thought to include a wiring channel along the top of the boiler to make room for marker and headlight wires. Then I started to think about how to get the electricity from the decoder to those wires, and how to make it so that everything can come apart, […]

Yoke for 622

Once all six parts of each cylinder were soldered together, I really wondered if I would be able to add the yoke too. I wanted it soldered for strength, but feared turning the cylinder assemblies back into their constituent smithereens. I needn’t have worried. The hard part turned out to be holding the chassis in […]

Cylinder assembly

Getting the first cylinder right could have been luck. By the time I’d completed the second one, I think I knew what I was doing. So here, for future Rene, are the fixtures I came up with to get the cylinders together straight, with a minimum of fuss!

Cylinder parts and jig

When I tested the dry fit of the first cylinder parts, I still needed to get the guides straight. Little did I realize at the time how difficult that would be. I was even more surprised by how difficult it would be to hold the guides straight for soldering. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Indeed, […]

Once more unto the breach: oil cups

Thanks to comments from Rob and Richard, I re-examined my approach to the crosshead guide oil cups. Rob encouraged me to look again at the prototype while Richard suggested I think like a jeweller. So, despite my earlier capitulation, I launched back into battle with the oil cups. It took a few attempts. One was […]

Capitulating to oil cups

I don’t believe I’ve ever had so much difficulty drilling holes. Five #80 drill bits lined up like casualties of war (where are their flags?), and not one successful hole achieved. #622 had oil cups mounted mid-way down the crosshead guides. They are quite prominent in the photos, and I would love to model them. […]