A Tail of Two Bashed Bachmann Combines

The man in the middle of the photo below is my late father.  At the time it was taken (1947) he was the head brakeman on this train in the siding at Lang, California and he stayed with the Southern Pacific for 30 years retiring as a Conductor.

This Richard Steinheimer photo was given to me by my grandparents as a birthday present many years ago. This story doesn’t end there though.

The SP 6145, minus its beautiful Black Widow paint scheme, showed up in my life much later. It was the lead unit on the first main line job I ever worked as an SP Engineer in 1972. Working for this railroad in engine service, it would stand to reason I’d run into an old SP engine operating around Los Angeles, even 20 plus years down the road. The SP was a typical big time railroad; they ran the wheels off their equipment.

The young man portrayed in that picture was, among other things, a tool and die maker, model builder and a person who chose to work where he did because he loved it. We spent several family vacations in the Owens Valley of California chasing the SP narrow gauge.  He worked on the Narrow Gauge during one of those times when business had slowed in Los Angeles and he had been “loaned out” to Sparks, Nevada in order to continue working. “Loaning out” was a common practice on the LA Division during the normally slow winter months in those days. A place like Sparks needed people for one reason or another (I assume snow service) and was short of people. One of his favorite railroad stories revolved around a rattlesnake in the middle of a trestle he had crossed previously while “flagging” to protect the rear end of a narrow gauge train. The snake didn’t want to let him get back to the caboose after the engineer had whistled him in. It was a brake club moment.  Yes, even at that time of year!

Although as a modeler, he claimed no special interest in the Narrow Gauge, we did spend a lot of time on vacations taking photos of SP’s own. True to his word he never built anything less than 4’ 8 1/2” between the rails that I know of but it fascinated me. I went through standard gauge model building in smaller scales. That meant I bought a lot of ready to run equipment which mimicked what I knew best from working with the big stuff, but I eventually came back to narrow gauge with a Grandt Line O scale gondola kit. I realized that this is what I really wanted to do, and it was the size I wanted to work with.

Colorado narrow gauge is wonderful to behold. I’ve made trips to Durango and Antonito, and a number of other venues.  But the siren call of the SP narrow gauge was beginning to work its spell on me. All those memories of family times past and the unique look of the SP equipment, plus generations of dedication to that company, made the decision easy. Although my layout is not the Carson and Colorado, I determined that the equipment would reflect SP practices as nearly as possible. Since I model present time, it is not practical to model particular C&C equipment, but it is fun trying to make what I do run, look like what the SP might have done. This includes everything down to the paint schemes.  The trick is not to copy anything verbatim but to “simulate” the original closely enough to make a knowledgeable observer believe it might have had more than just a passing acquaintance with the SP. It’s not too difficult for me to know what looks right to fit into an SP theme. It has not been lost on me that people who can do that, for a number of railroads,  have become very rare indeed.

Bachmann’s Combine

At some point, I determined that the Tonopah Southern needed passenger equipment to support a tourist operation.  Admittedly, something the SP would probably never do, but I really need traffic volume on the layout. I don’t want to scratch build the whole consist. Bachmann to the rescue!  I have always admired the SP’s combine cabooses and the model combine provided by Bachmann in On30 seemed like a natural for the basis of a bash. Again, this isn’t an accurate model of either SP 401 or SP 2.  This is TS 2, probably a Tonopah Southern “bash” of their own done in their shops. This was a “drover” type caboose used in freight and mixed train service for years and then set aside when the car had outlived its usefulness.  It was rescued from the back shop and mechanically rebuilt to act as the rear car for the tourist train.

The stock combine model is very nice, typical of Bachmann’s On30 equipment. I wouldn’t hesitate to run it, as is, on my layout. There are things that can be done to make it “better” though. Some grabs are molded on and can be shaved off and replaced by wire grabs.  The roof can be improved and maybe the molded plastic “glass” could be replaced with something better. Also, the underframe needs some attention in regards to brake equipment and truss rodding and the baggage doors have no “board” detail cast into them. I’m going to “hack” into the roof to provide a place for the cupola in addition to those above mentioned “fixes”.

The original “potato chip” mess that turned out badly and proved to be a faulty design from a lazy engineer.  It also stuck up too high for my taste.

I wanted this to be a fairly simple and quick project. I seem incapable of quick projects but this one is fairly simple. The cupola is the biggest of all the sub sets of things to do. I started out just hand building the four walls and laminating the siding on along with the trim pieces. The first end wall turned into a potato chip! It warped. Too thin material and too much solvent adhesive. Going to thicker styrene was going to make the cupola look like a toy so I went to plan “B”. In my case plan “B” is almost always making a master and casting the parts.  Basically I’m lazy and I like casting things because it relieves the necessity of building duplicate parts by hand. In this case, if I was going to stick with styrene, I was going to have to cast because of the thickness problem. The other obvious solution is etching brass. Costly and time consuming. By gluing the styrene to a thick base plate (1/8” styrene) I can use very thin sheet material and not worry about it warping. The first layer is .020 and the rest is .010 styrene sheet and strip.

The master at an early stage of construction.

I made a template from .020 styrene that matched the curvature of the roof.  I used it to cut all the pieces that required that curve including the window trim pieces. When you make a master like this you need to be sure that all the edges and I mean all, even the ones on the interior of the piece, are sealed with adhesive.  If they are not, the rubber mold compound will seep underneath the joints and wreak havoc on your master.  If the seepage is not too bad you can trim it off with a very sharp razor or scalpel. Don’t worry about scarring the surface with glue; you need to go over it with 600 grit or better sandpaper to clean it up before you pour the rubber mold material.

The potato chip, rubber mold, master pattern and resultant resin parts.

Once you have checked the master and are sure it is what you want, build the mold walls and pour the mold after coating it with a release agent of some sort. I use Howards furniture wax but there are plenty other useful products out there.

I wanted a reasonably weathered wood surface on the cupola and as it turns out I did a good job. The problem is, the rest of the car appears as if it just came out of the factory. What to do? Sandpaper works really well. It not only tones down the board definition but scratches nice wood grain effect into the surface. I used 220 grit paper and elbow grease. It took a while but was worth the time. I also rounded off areas that would have worn, like the baggage door thresholds and casings as well as the trim strips under the windows etc. I tried to nick and ding those places in a random fashion and to not over do it. I didn’t want to make it look like a wreck, just a piece of well used equipment.

Eating Humble Pie or
Why I’m Always Learning the Hard Way

The castings came out very nicely and I proceeded to assemble them into a cupola in the previously cut opening in the roof that I had removed from the car body. I finished it off with a well done .010 styrene roof. Everything looked good, square and cleanly done. I popped the completed assembly back on the car body and snapped it in place. The cupola took on a slight but noticeable warp. Drats!!  What happened? I think the roof piece got twisted while I was assembling the cupola in place. It is made of very soft plastic and is quite flexible. I should have left it in place on the car body while doing this work. Hindsight is always better than a warped cupola and I had a built in fixture that I failed to take advantage of.

Did all that work go to waste? Not on your life. Next Bachmann combine I come across gets the cupola treatment that comes close to looking like SP 2. What to do with the pieces I have left? SP 401!! Or actually, Tonopah Southern 104. Thankfully, SP replaced the roof on 401 with something totally different in 1952 and I had the perfect leavings for that to happen now. Soooo…..

I began doing the same thing by cutting the end pieces off the car body that represent the ends of the roof undersides and the trim pieces with my handy Zona saw. I’m now pretty much out of options if I goof this one!!  However, this is a snap. The cut is nearly self-guiding and the rest is straight forward fabrication and assembly. .040 roof rafters and letter boards and .030 roof panels.  What could be simpler? The roof walk supports are another matter. They are 2x4’s and have a beveled underside, each one hand cut and fit in place after marking their location with a combination square. I had to cut the 2x4’s from sheet stock and also the roof walk boards, scribing wood grain into them as I went. Boring but important work. I discovered later that Foothill Model Works makes injection molded roof walk supports in all sorts of sizes for reasonable prices.  I won’t bother cutting any more of them by hand! GrandtLine also makes them. The running boards are 2x6’s stripped from .030 sheet stock.

Don’t let the photo fool you, it’s twisted!! The actual SP 2 had no clerestory aft of the cupola. A really big “bash” for later. 

The sawed off roof end pieces.

I made end fascias from .040 sheet and then trimmed up the upper sign boards. I sawed off the Bachmann hand rails and substituted GrandtLine items.

GrandtLine gets a little more business before I’m done including a set of “K” brake equipment, 12” queen posts and turnbuckles. A pair of SP narrow gauge trucks came from Mcloud Western via Foothill Model Works and their incredible On30 Celcon wheel sets. The full size SP 401 re-build had Thiesen arch bar trucks. Can’t find them anywhere in model form. I thought these would be a good substitute. The underframe detail is necessary because this car sits high on the trucks exposing most of it and my layout is at eye level for tall people making it even more apparent. The truss rods and queen posts were bent out of shape when I received the model and there seems no way to straighten them out. New pieces are an easy and inexpensive fix. This underframe detail took an inordinate amount of time to assemble and required that I add styrene “wood” beams to build up appropriate thicknesses so that the brake cylinders and levers would be located at the correct heights. The cast plastic underframe detail is flush with the side sill and the actual car shows the bolster ends as a stand out detail. In the long run this extra work was worth it. If you are modeling some other prototype it might not be necessary to do this (or the circumstance of your layout design may dictate otherwise) or maybe the cost benefit ratio may just not work in your favor. These are all variables to be considered.

The white pieces are styrene additions. Bolsters and queen post beams plus additional structure to place everything at the appropriate height. I know the brake system is not complete, but enough is enough.

The weathered underframe. No, not a ‘60’s radical group, but a combination of Floquil, acrylics and texture painting with chalk dust. It does look nasty under there.

The coupler boxes have to be shaved off and replaced with Kadee On3 units. A task I accomplished with a cutting disc in my Dremel tool. The Bachmann cars come with HO couplers mounted at HO standard height. Won’t work on the Tonopah Southern... If you use the HO standard the obvious applies. I also removed the end beams and replaced them with Grandt units. I did so because they are drilled for Grandt grab irons which I installed and the end beams came with them as a set. The Grandt grabs have a much finer cross section. If the stock Bachmann stuff doesn’t upset your sensibilities you don’t have to fool with this part.  On the other hand Grandt’s beautiful little kit only cost $3.00 and saved me from bending a lot of brass wire which would have required a fixture.. and solder and redrilling the stock end beam. For three bucks it’s hardly worth the effort.

The basic roof sub structure.

I boarded up the window where the bathroom was because the 1952 rebuild eliminated the on board facilities! The model comes with a beveled glass window there and it seemed unlikely to me that it would have survived all those years. I cannot get the plastic window inserts removed from the model. They must have used monster glue as nothing I’ve tried will loosen the bond. The “glass” finally came loose after careful bending back and forth but took several attempts to accomplish. Be persistent.

I planked the underside of the end overhangs with individual .010x.060 styrene boards. And used .010 sheet cut to 4 ½” wide for the bottom trim board along the sides of the car.

I am using a facial tissue to cover the roof in an attempt to simulate a canvas covering. The first such attempt was a failure as I learned that acrylic paint will not bond tissue to styrene. On the second attempt I used thinned white glue. It was a tip I ran across in O Scale Modeler Magazine some time ago. Fortunate circumstance because the tissue I discovered has a texture that looks uncannily like canvas.  It will require painting but I don’t mind as long as it bonds.  This process works very well. I was surprised; just make sure you sand the slick styrene surface first. I used 220 grit paper to give the glue slurry a roughened texture to grab.

Bottom trim board in place, running boards installed and overhangs trimmed to fit. Note boarded up “Bathroom” window.

The roof walk and completed roofing painted and weathered with acrylics and chalk sealed with Testors Dull Coat.

I have not attempted to modify the interior of the model. It can be done easily because Bachmann obviously intended for it to be. The interior is mounted on a separate molded piece and can be worked on “off” the model. Many manufacturer’s make components that would work here including wonderfully detailed seats and coal stoves, sinks, lanterns and more. Feel free, but none of it is. I ran out of patience and money about the same time. I may go back later, unless it really begins to bug me. As any of you who know me  very well are well aware, I don’t hold much truck with contests for anything artistic or hobby related and this model will certainly never be subjected to the critical eye of a formal judge. I already know what’s wrong with it.

And you can do better. The nearly finished model. Some minor paint touch ups and lettering chores left to do. You’ll also note that I left the bearing box covers off the front truck, something I didn’t notice until I took the picture!

These were fairly simple modifications to a common model. Never give up if you make an error. Through errors come experience and wisdom. Don’t be afraid to dive into a project for fear of making mistakes. You will. Roll with the punches and move ahead. It should also be a cautionary tale about where to draw the line. I am guilty of overindulging in the detail area and I had a really difficult time restraining myself with this model. I started out to do a simple, fairly quick conversion and considering the major goof, I managed to keep to the program. There are many more things you could do including a full interior and lighting.  I didn’t even reinstall the factory lighting. Someday I’ll consider an after market unit. I really hate passenger car lights that flicker from poor contact with the rail.

Darned if it doesn’t at least resemble the SP 401. The end ladders were left off because the TS is a current era railroad. No one gets on the roof in spite of the fact that the running boards are still there. I reinserted the factory “glass” after trying a liquid product that makes a film over the openings. I’ll keep trying to make it work before I condemn it but for now I didn’t much care for the results.

My Dad gave me a leg up in the hobby and I have 38 years of experience running freight trains to draw on when I sit down to work a project. It all helps but isn’t really required to enjoy the hobby. You must be willing to continue learning though, as I do with each new project. Wearing your hat at the jaunty angle of those three in the opening picture couldn’t hurt either. And there is more history and connections in that photograph than I at first alluded to in the opening remarks.

I happened to be the engineer on duty when we picked up the ATSF 3751 at West Colton from the Santa Fe and spent the next 8 hours hauling it the short distance to the Kaiser steel mill in Fontana for its restoration. The famous steam locomotive had spent many years sitting in a park in San Bernardino, California and had suffered at the mercy of Mother Nature and untold vandals. Walking speed was the order of the day as the crew oiled the bearings and we nursed her up the hill with our pair of old SD9’s. The man on the right in the lead picture, the fireman on the 6145 that day, was one of my dad’s life long friends, Vince Cipola, who is now the engineer on the 3751 as it tours the country.  Railroading is a small world and the connections are many.

The car was airbrushed with Floquil Caboose Red thinned about 20%. The silver stripes are homemade decals and the lettering is dry transfer decals. The weathering is primarily artist’s chalks and everything is sealed with Testers Dull Coat. The roof and grab irons are painted with craft and artist’s acrylics. I used a card stock mask to protect the roof while painting the car and did minor touch ups with paint brush and felt pen. I think it needs to be over sprayed with “dust” to bring it all together but the windows complicate things now. I’m still considering that for a future “quickie” project.

The car turned out more derelict looking than I originally intended but I’m still quite happy with it.  A fun project.