Building a NC&StL J3


GPwrangler

Active Member
After a bit of searching and only coming up with some very expensive brass models, I decided to try my hand at scratchbuilding a NC&StL J3 4-8-4. I started with a Bachmann Overland northern that served as the donor for mechanism and tender trucks. The boiler is made of sheet aluminum from a drink can that's been formed around a series of styrene discs to get the correct diameter.

Early in the build process. rough shape of the boiler and tender are taking place
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Boiler and cab fabricated. most of the details have been added at this point
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Didn't quite have it done before we started taking the real thing apart, so I'll have to settle for this comparison with it on the left-rear drive rod
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Finally got around to giving it a coat of paint
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Still needs the cap painted red. Still not sure if i'll give it whitewalls.


little bit of the real deal
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Thanks for the kind words. For the most part I used super thin CA glue to hold parts to the aluminum, but some silicon RTV was used as well. This was my first all-out project like this. I sure learned a lot and had to re-make many of the parts, but now I can't wait to start on another build.
 
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Your Aluminum 576 caught my eye, made me wanna join in! Good job. See pix I just posted of a version I did in brass about 25 years ago... Bowser drivers/rods, everything else scrap-box parts or scratch-built, including frame and drive system with large can motor nd flywheel. It's been run enough that last year I had to freshen her up with a light re-build. Improved some of the details, too. A friend and I are building an HO model of the Cowan Pusher district and Tracy City branch, I'll post some pix of that as it develops here. Gives me a place to run some of my extensive NC&StL models besides the Cowan Railroad Museum's layout (also of the Cowan Pusher district but greatly compressed and simplified),
 



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