C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

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RR Ty
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by RR Ty »

I believe that is the one in Willows, Ca.
Berkman
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by Berkman »

How would you deal with easy smokebox access to be able to clean the flues etc with the very cluttered front end of the H8?

Seems it would be difficult to arrange a traditional opening smokebox door or smokebox front panel to be easily removed given the air pumps, walkway and hand rails etc on the front end.
AG class front.JPG
Rwilliams
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by Rwilliams »

The photo taken at Sacramento Valley Live Steamers track must have been in the middle to late 1970 era. The trees are all small at that time. Today the trees are more of a forest.
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NP317
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by NP317 »

"How would you deal with easy smokebox access to be able to clean the flues etc with the very cluttered front end of the H8? "

Burn propane.
RussN
Berkman
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by Berkman »

Well...that'd be cheating... but I really don't see how you'd make the front end open up easily. - even if you mounted dummy air pumps and cooling grill on a swinging door, the platform/running board the headlight mounts too would block it from opening. then there's an Worthington hotwater pump somewhere under the headlight.
RR Ty
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by RR Ty »

Berkman wrote: Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:48 pm Well...that'd be cheating... but I really don't see how you'd make the front end open up easily. - even if you mounted dummy air pumps and cooling grill on a swinging door, the platform/running board the headlight mounts too would block it from opening. then there's an Worthington hotwater pump somewhere under the headlight.
This has actually come up in a few conversations I’ve had with others. The front plate of the smokebox being removable will be key to cleaning. The pumps on the front will most likely be dummy for this reason. If I can find a way to make realistic flexible hoses to connect to the pumps, the pumps could be swung out of the way while cleaning. I could just disconnect the numerous fittings for every cleaning, but then I would never want to run it.

While the original plan was to use propane as the fuel source, I may now go with coal. A locomotive this size will need a dedicated propane car. A scale 40’ boxcar being about 5’ in length along with the locomotive and tender will be too long for the transfer tables on the two railroads closest to me. The added benefit is that coal smells better when it burns.

The headlight may very well end up being removed during cleaning. A few small bolts and a quick connect electrical fitting should make the headlight a breeze to remove. I haven’t figured out what I want to do with the cooling grill yet.
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SPSteam2491
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by SPSteam2491 »

With the size of the tender for that locomotive, you could fit a propane tank within the tender and still have enough room for water. For longer runs or extended run time, you could have a fuel car behind the locomotive that wouldn't need to always be coupled.

At the end of the day, the boiler does not care where the heat comes from. Running coal would be a more exciting challenge and closer to real but if it makes the engine a burden to run and you enjoy running, running propane is acceptable. Perhaps a good alternative is to build the engine with coal as the primary path for fuel but have a backup plan with propane, or oil. Either way, the rest of the build is going to be awesome to watch!
Thanks
John LaFavor
Pacific Design Shops
Berkman
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by Berkman »

I'd think the trailing truck will be a major project, either fabbing it up or making a pattern.
RR Ty
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Re: C&O H8 Allegheny in 1.6” Scale

Post by RR Ty »

A horizontal propane tank may fit in the coal bunker. I would like to keep the water capacity of the tender, if it’s possible. The Pacific I’m currently working on will most likely be built to convert between coal and propane, so it could be run out west.

The trailing truck is a piece that I intend to make a pattern and have cast. Making it using CNC would take a very large chunk of metal, or be made of a few pieces welded together. Either way, it won’t be a weekend project.
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