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Was this Challenger offered as a kit or assembled as a one off?  Except for the driver style, it appears to be a rendition of a SP&S Z6.  No matching tender was available when bought and no marks of identification can be found.  Any help identifying the behemoth will surely be appreciated.

I have endeavored to tidy up rough surfaces on the rear engine and get it operational. 

A few rough castings and stamped brass domes attached crudely.  Compared to the drivetrain, the boiler assembly appears amateurish.   I may tackle an entirely new assembly.....?

Bruce

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the only clue I see that I can identify (as a non-expert) is that the bolster on the trailing truck looks like bolsters I had on some Lobough trucks.    It also looks installed upside down.    This might mean someone did some custom work to get it to fit.

Lobough did make a kit for a UP challenger that was still available into the late 50s or 60s.     That might imply that some or all of the mech was from a Lobough kit.

Thanks guys.  I would have been concerned if any modifications to be made might ruin an otherwise stock example of a manufacturers kit.  The varying degrees of component quality lead me to believe this wasn't once a complete box of parts offered commercially.

The mechanical construction seems very sound.  Axles ride in sprung bronze journals within nicely machined steel frames.  Quartering appears good with no notable rotational binding.  Driveshafts ride in ball bearings.  The upside down cross frame on the trailing truck was an attempt by someone to gain clearance around the rear frame, I suspect rather than notching the steel.  Note the tops of the truck bolsters are also ground down at the rear for the same purpose...none to successfully.

Where to take this project is a dilemma.  Not too many, if any Challengers had spoked drivers as on this model and earlier simple articulateds had drivers much smaller than the existing 78" .  Perhaps 2 models from one?  No doubt, this ain't no weekend project.

Bruce

 

 

Although the prospect of producing a prototypical Challenger from the existing bones seems unlikely I soldiered on none the less.  The front engine is now mechanically sound after much exercising with the Dremel, well placed shims  and plain old elbow grease.

Prior to today the advise to scrap the boiler/cab shell seemed logical.  Upon disassembling it became obvious that the cab was actually made of stamped sheet...not a home made cut out concoction.   A little resoldering then a good scrub produced this.  The same will happen to the boiler and, fingers crossed, it turns out as satisfactory.

Bruce

 

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