Soeobo Pacific Model Railroad

The LMB boiler required extensive modifications to make it fit over the Walthers mechanism. The boiler is designed to fit over a motor mounted in the cab. The Walthers motor and weight sits further forward, as typical for more modern mechanisms. I used a Dremel cutting wheel to enlarge the cutout just ahead of the firebox, taking a little off at a time and test fitting the Walthers mechanism until everything fit together without interference. I also removed some of the boiler-mounted details to make access to the area easier. These will be replaced later. Photos show the cylinders of the M-4a are centered on the smokestack, and that’s how I positioned the mechanism along the boiler. This left a space between the rear end of the Walthers frame and the rear endplate under the LMB cab. I used heavy styrene strip to build a frame extension, shaping it to approximate the side bearers of the trailing truck. This assembly also serves as the mounting point for the drawbar. I attached it to the...

  I’ve had an LMB CB&Q 2-10-4 in my project backlog for several years.  It’s a brass model from the 1960s and is pretty crude even by 1960s standards.  But it and a nearly identical version imported by Nickel Plate Products are the only options to affordably model one of these signature Burlington engines.  I planned to use it as a base to make a much better looking and running model.   The most serious deficiency of the LMB 2-10-4 is the running gear.  It looks nothing like the prototype.  The M-4a’s had a very distinctive look with a disc center on the main driver and a very heavy counterweight on the 4th axle.  LMB’s model appears to use generic drivers, capturing none of this.  LMB also used Walschaerts valve gear instead of the correct Baker type.  To remedy this, I decided to repower the model using a modern chassis from a Walthers Proto USRA Heavy 2-10-2.  The driver diameter, driver spacing, and cylinder size of the USRA...

I recently built a few of my favorite models, the heavyweight passenger car kits formerly made by Branchline.  They are exquisitely detailed and are very impressive once assembled.  It’s amazing that you can regularly find them at train shows for as little as $15 a kit.  In fact, you can make the case that these are among the best values in rolling stock available today. Atlas, after its purchase of Branchline, now produces these cars in ready-to-run form and sells them for upwards of $60 each.  This means that people willing to spend time assembling the kit versions can build practically an entire train for the price of one RTR car. The kit looks a bit intimidating out of the box, but it only requires a few basic skills. If you can build a Proto2000, Branchline, or Intermountain boxcar, you can build this kit.  The essential tools are a screwdriver, sharp hobby knife, liquid plastic cement (the kind that is thin as water), tweezers, and CA (super) glue. I ...