CB&Q M-4a Project Part 1: Planning
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...