(moc) 4-6-2 NYC Mercury

[bogieman]

I think what you've created here and with the Century is terrific. I'm firmly in the camp of modifying, drilling, etc. if that's what it takes to get the look you want, so I say go for it.

Dave

[zephyr1934]

This is looking great and you've tackled some seriously challenging angles/curves with the modifications. I was looking at the pilot truck (and probably the cylinders) as being a massive challenge. If you work really really hard you can make most articulation cracks to be less than 1 plate (e.g., using snotted cheese bricks at the point where the truck swivels into/out of the skirting) but integrating that with a smooth flowing curve is nigh impossible. One thought for the Mercury (if you wind up shelving it) is to make it a non-powered static model for straight track. You could slowly collect the parts over time too. As for the gap between the two quarter... what are those, wedges? Anyway, maybe making a sequence of flat parts could fill the gap, either surfaces of tiles at different angles or a sequence of hinge bricks come to mind.

[SteamSewnEmpire]

8 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

This is looking great and you've tackled some seriously challenging angles/curves with the modifications. I was looking at the pilot truck (and probably the cylinders) as being a massive challenge. If you work really really hard you can make most articulation cracks to be less than 1 plate (e.g., using snotted cheese bricks at the point where the truck swivels into/out of the skirting) but integrating that with a smooth flowing curve is nigh impossible. One thought for the Mercury (if you wind up shelving it) is to make it a non-powered static model for straight track. You could slowly collect the parts over time too. As for the gap between the two quarter... what are those, wedges? Anyway, maybe making a sequence of flat parts could fill the gap, either surfaces of tiles at different angles or a sequence of hinge bricks come to mind.

The problem with the mercury comes down to the rear truck - and has always been the rear truck. Not that the front truck has amazing play, but I regard the six degrees that it is capable of to be a minor miracle, given the shrouding. The rear truck can manage just one degree of turn.

Even if I were to incorporate the lower rear shrouding into the truck, it would become this massive, chunky thing that would require the cab to rest directly on top of it in order for the clean symmetry of the shrouding to be maintained (in straight track). And, even then, I'd have to stop using the rear set of bow tiles (because they would, themselves, interfere with any such bloated truck swinging).

I don't think it's a problem that has a clean solution. I would either have to massively sacrifice on appearances, or performance (or do something wild, like make the rear truck completely non-functional [I don't like this]), or make the locomotive the James Whitcomb Riley, and then move the truck unprototypically close to the drivers (this would likely work, but would look stupid). Another option might be to try to assemble ultra-fine wheels for the rear truck utilizing something material like modeler's styrene. This would probably give the rear truck the same play as the front, albeit with unforeseen tracking issues (and durability).

I need to build the thing first, then figure out of there's any hope of running it on (massive) curves.

9 hours ago, bogieman said:

I think what you've created here and with the Century is terrific. I'm firmly in the camp of modifying, drilling, etc. if that's what it takes to get the look you want, so I say go for it.

Dave

Thanks. My perspective: the wheels are already going to be Schupp's - I'm "cheating" with custom parts no matter what. I don't see a problem with going a bit further. 

*Edit* Actually, I lied. I forgot that I bought Schupp's medium thin wheels. So the rear truck has about 4 degrees of play. Lol. Still wretched, but whatever.

Edited January 21, 2020 by SteamSewnEmpire

[SteamSewnEmpire]

After 10 hours of work, here is the new 9w version. The trucks now have a full 10 degrees (20 total) of swing left and right; I was able to reincorporate the lost headlight; the cab interior is completely new; the tender is completely new.

It's about 200 pieces larger than the original - likely due to the necessity of utilizing jumper plates down the entire length, not once, but twice (the internals of boiler essentially go from 6w, to 9w, to 4w, if you can picture that). I think it's probably even a little more solid than the original (which was no slouch in this department). I just hope the stupid powered-up large motors have long enough cables to reach the tender.

Tomorrow I will attack the Century, which (I hope) will be slightly less complex (the boiler, at least, should be able to remain the same shape and size, and I won't have to completely new-build a tender - just modify this one). But I'm betting that there are tons of unforeseen pitfalls, and I'll be at it for a whole day again.

Edited January 25, 2020 by SteamSewnEmpire

[SteamSewnEmpire]

*Edit* Actually, after playing with the Century for a couple of hours, I believe it needs to stay 8w. If I go 9w, it starts to throw the boiler out of proportion; if I make the boiler larger, it winds up making the wheels look small. I don't like not being able to make it 9w, but I think - given the limitations of the specialized parts involved - that's the only option. 

[Jeffinslaw]

Bravo! Well done!

[zephyr1934]

On 1/24/2020 at 10:12 PM, SteamSewnEmpire said:

Nice!!