Williams mikado re-detailed as a Southern Ms-4

What did you use to remove the paint?

Thanks

Zip Strip.  Made short work of the factory paint.

Great to see someone doing this type of work,

Enjoy, and keep us posted on progress please.

So - you got started on this project.  Good to see. The bare brass does look good. Looking forward to seeing the Worthington BL FWH application, since most of these Ms-4's were Elesco like mine.

Those Wms Samhongsas were - and are - real values. Smooth.

i will be watching this transformation.

Looks like a great project. Looking forward to keep up with your progress

I decided to start with the tender, as it will be a quicker job than the locomotive.  The Ms-4 tender was basically a stock USRA 10,000 gallon tender, as is the Williams model, to which they added a dog house flanked by walk boards, and over time an extended coal bunker.  I ended up cutting brass tube to get the curved shape of the raised bunker (after failing in my attempt to make them out of brass bar stock).  The dog house is a PSC D&RG K-27 kit (plastic!), modified to closer match my prototype.  The walk boards need to be cleaned up and painted, but the tender is more or less ready for the paint shop.

Creative thinking for the coal bunker extension! I've been trying to figure out how to do that for my Southern steam engines.

Couple thoughts for future projects if you can't solder materials.

Depending on the tender type I have used wood quarter round soaked in CA glue and sanded.  Gives a hard slick finish.  Once a load is in the bunker you can't tell it's solid.

There are SR prototype doghouses on shapeways.

Cool idea.  And shapeways is a great source for unsual parts - I've got a few I'll use here.  Don't tell anybody, but those coal boards aren't soldered.  With a good quality CA, I attached a brass gusset strip to the inside of the curved piece (flattened on the bottom), and then glued the piece to the inside of the bunker.  It's strong enough to be handled, and like you said with coal you'll never see inside.

With the tender ready for the paint shop, I decided to turn my attention to the front end.  The smokebox is about 10 scale inches too slim, but the anemic look is worsened by the oversized headlight, smokestack (probably to accommodate the Seuthe smoke unit), and those googly marker lights.  Even the headlight bracket was too big to re-use.  Here's the cleaned up smokebox front with the new parts ready to install:

Removing the stack was no easy task without a resistance soldering iron, but I got it off without dismantling the entire front end!  Here's the new stack in place:

I also removed the air compressor, which will be relocated, and cleared the area in preparation for the Worthington feedwater heater:

No turning back now!  There's a bit more deconstruction to do, and then parts will start to go back on.  All the while I'm consulting photos of Ms-4s, and in particular the one I'm modeling, 4813.  Until next time...

Nice progress!
johnA

The smokebox front is now more or less completed (just propped in place here).  As you'll see I relocated the marker lights, changed the grab rail, added a step, and installed the new, smaller headlight/bracket and stack.  Interesting how it makes the whole thing look larger, and definitely more like a Ms-4.

This looks awesome!

One of the most visible added details will be the Worthington BL-2 feedwater heater.  Here it is in place, with relocated piping and an extended rear running board.  Now I have to figure out how to re-mount the compressor in its new location below the extension.  I've done similar things with diecast engines and let me tell you, this is much easier!

For me, one of the spotting features of higher-end brass is the presence of boiler jacket clamps. This loco didn't have any, so I added them, along with a third safety valve and a Nathan low-water alarm.  The holes are where the steam dome goes.

I'm detailing this loco to represent #4813, which spent most of its life on the Southern's Washington Division.  As most fans of Southern steam power know, each division's shop added their own distinct touches.  Here you can see the completed Worthington feedwater heater with running boards that go up and over, and the handrails with bends characteristic of Alexandria shops.  I still have to add some piping and a few grab rails, but the fireman's side is getting close to done.

Phenomenal work so far! The jacket clamps are a great touch!

Thanks, Will.  It's amazing how much little details change the look of the whole thing.