Carl, I'm extremely impressed and inspired by this series. I have three Roundhouse loco kits that I've had sitting on a shelf for many years. Your series has me inspired to get, at least, one of them down and begin my own adventure. I would like to say, once again, that I love your reference to "in my little world". To me that is so very important in this hobby. I have a feeling that there are too many "rivet counters" and "prototype restricted" people around. That's just my feeling. Nothing but respect and admiration for your railroad, and your channel. thanks so much for the info you put out. Please keep up the great work.
Carl I also enjoyed the series. The sequencing you followed is meticulous and thorough. I took notes too so I don't skip important steps on my next build....
You should try it if you ever have some free time... its a really great hobby to do by your self or at clubs/groups with many people. Anyway it helps pass the time when ever theirs a lockdown
Hey Carl! I found your channel yesterday and have binge watched this series. You did a fine job building the engine, and it sounds great too! Not many people are building kits these days so it's always great to see one get built up, and so nicely detailed at that. I'll bet it pulls a lot for it's size. Hope to see more! All the best, Alex
I also have a Challenger kit on the shelf. I started it 15-20 (?) years ago. I got the chassis running, although it was very noisy, perhaps due to the open frame motor. It probably would benefit from a can motor upgrade. Detailing the boiler just barely started. And I have a couple of those old Monogram Big Boy kits from which I can steal a tender body. It's on my back burner now, since it wouldn't run on my logging railroad. But I may get back to it if the mood strikes me.
They are definitely interesting projects that can keep you occupied for a while. Six months in my case. But when you're done you can definitely point at it and say "I built it myself"!
I noticed the front wheel set on the rear tender truck not rolling well. I've built 3 of these 1 with the open frame motor and 2 with the can and gear box. one of the gear box versions has a bit of a hitch when I don't keep the rear loco axle oiled ,I probably should of opened that saddle just a bit more .
Very nice, enjoyed this video. There appears to be excess play on the pin where the main drive rod connects to the crosshead shaft( terminology may be incorrect?) Watch and see the pin wobble about as loco moves down the track. Just an observation, I do not have the dexterity to come close to the performance you have achieved so far. Very nice work! Great videos!
Very nice series. I think your binding may be more than gear lash. Those Bowser kits take some tweaking but they run great once you get all the bugs out.
I can't help but wonder if the Bowser A5 was meant to run at the low speeds that electronics make possible. Just looking at the size of the worm and axle gears makes me think that you'd need either a high quality lower speed can motor or an axle gear with more teeth so that the motor could achieve higher rpms at the very low speeds... Or maybe both modifications? I have a Bowser A5 that I run on straight DC. I love it however I don't expect it to creep along like that. No matter what the electronics, you're still limited by the basic performance characteristics of the mechanism.
Yes, I think you might be on to something. My next move when I have time will be to replace the motor with a new one, and to put in a NWSL gearbox. Hoping that will improve running!
Thanks for the sharp eyes. I will be looking closely at the tender trucks sometime soon because I think the whole tender body is sitting too low and possibly shorting out between the rear steps and the track. Once, so far, I have actually seen a spark there. So a new look at the tender is coming as this long drawn-out saga continues.
Looking really good Carl, I'm in awe with how you got all the electronics in the tender, quite the 'tetris' job! On the running clip at the end the rear truck on the tender seems to have a bit of a drag, maybe that's affecting performance? Looking forward to the next series! Take care!
Ben, thanks. Yes, in fact all the tender axles put some drag on. They are not free-rolling. Probably some inconsistency between the replacement NWSL wheelsets and the Bowser trucks. I think the axles are a little too short, but figured it was no worse than pulling several cars. It does put some load on the gears, though, which seemed to make them prone to skipping teeth. Yes, the electronics were a tight fit. In fact, after laying the CurrentKeeper over on its side, it and the decoder and the speaker became a zero-clearance fit. They didn't need anything to hold them in there. Once in the body, it took a bit of a tug to pull them out again so I figured they weren't going anywhere, and just left them alone. Thank goodness for those little sugar cube speakers (mine came from Tony's Train Exchange).
Hi Carl, Love what you are doing. Don't be afraid of boring anyone. I love the detail and how you talk through what you are thinking. I ran into a similar problem with gear mesh issues with a Penn-line kit. I had to shim the motor to get the gear mesh pressure just right. I think it only took a .0100 shim to ensure the gears meshed regardless of load. Please talk more about the layout construction - was that a system you used? What decoder tester do you use? Did you make all those trees? Love to hear your thoughts on everything do and use. Mike
Hi, Mike. I still have a gearbox project in the queue but other life stuff is making it hard to get to it. When I get around to it there may be another video. On the layout construction, no it wasn't any kind of "system". Traditional "from scratch" benchwork with L-girders, etc. There's a construction video slideshow on my channel if you haven't seen it yet. My decoder tester is one that Loy's Toys was selling years ago. It has places to hook up all the colored wires (or plug in if the decoder has an 8-pin plug). I added a can motor permanently to the motor output so there is a load on that circuit, and also included a speaker with alligator clips for easy hookup. So I pretty much have decoders programmed before installation, other than the chuff sync CV. Yes, I made the trees, about 200 of them. I used a material kit from Coastman's Scenic Products for the evergreen trees. I also used (and liked) Woodland Scenics foam roadbed, as seen in my construction video. Very easy to work with (cuts easily with a knife) and good sound deadening. I use Blue Point turnout controls linked directly to a knob on the fascia with a dowel rod (I have another short video on this topic). It works great! Thanks for your interest... Carl
@@CarlBrainerd It's a great looking engine. The paint and decals look perfect. Not sure if I'm seeing something, but watch the tender wheels as it moves. It looks like they are dragging. Looking forward to your next video.
Carl, by the look of the deck plate at 25:15 being slanted like that has me wondering if the tender shell is sitting level on the frame...Shell looks too low over rear truck possibly causing shell to lift in front, lifting deck plate..You can see rear truck wheels not turning 23:42 on out.. I think shell is hitting wheels and could be/have been problem all along...25:21 can see coupler too low to boot... Of course this posting is a year late..So, I hope you have since been able to correct the various bugaboos which were hindering #9's performance...
Mark, thanks for your thoughtful comments. I will take a closer look at this stuff when I get back to the project. One factor is that the tender does not actually have a frame, since the trucks screw directly onto posts cast into tender body. So it isn't actually sitting too low on a frame since there isn't a frame at all. I agree the tender body seems low. I notice it when putting it on the track and it is hard to get a finger on the trucks to align them with the rails. Some shims between the posts and the trucks might be helpful. I'm chalking up the slanted deck plate to my own lack of planning on its installation. Since it was an aftermarket part (Cal-Scale, I think) there was no pre-defined position for it. The "fun factor" of an old steam loco kit......
Could you just use the tender for pickups? We’re the trucks all metal? How did you connect the wires to the tender wheels. Working on a bowser I1 and not sure we’re to put the pickups.
I figure you can't have too many electrical pickups, thus the effort to use both the drivers and the tender for pickup. Yes, the tender trucks are all-metal. See episode #5 for a description of installing wipers on the tender trucks and running the wires from the trucks to the decoder in the tender. The wipers were used on the insulated wheel side of the trucks, while the "hot" side could use a wire directly from the truck frame to the decoder. Good luck with your I1. It should be a beauty.
@@centeroftheearthmining4095 I think it came from Clover House. Their web site currently lists cross-ties made from printed circuit board material. That would probably be a pretty convenient size. This material is probably available from numerous vendors that a Google search might reveal.
I'm guessing you're asking about wire routing. The headlight wires go from the 6-wire tender disconnect up through a hole in the rear of the chassis onto the top of the chassis, then forward to the front and up to the top of the boiler, where they go up through the top of the boiler and into the rear of the headlight casting.
@Carl Brainerd did you have to drill the hole, or was it already there? My model doesn't have the hole and ny drill bit don't seem to work on this metal very well
@@zzrguy1200 Yes, I had to drill a new hole. The motor wires went through an existing hole but I think the headlight wire hole was a new one. I would have used a drill press for that.
Headlight wires come out the back of the headlight casting and then immediately down through a hole in the top of the boiler right behind the headlight. Then they run back along the top of the chassis to the rear of the loco, where they go down through a hole in the chassis to the bottom side. There they go to the 6-pin disconnect between the loco and the tender.
By all accounts, the Tsunami line of decoders are fine decoders. I used the 1-amp TSU-1100 decoder, as it was as big as my space would allow. For a 2-10-0 I would suggest going with the larger 2- amp TSU-2200 decoder, especially if you're using the original Bowser open frame motor. That big 2-10-0 tender should be able to hold any decoder.
Carl, I'm extremely impressed and inspired by this series. I have three Roundhouse loco kits that I've had sitting on a shelf for many years. Your series has me inspired to get, at least, one of them down and begin my own adventure. I would like to say, once again, that I love your reference to "in my little world". To me that is so very important in this hobby. I have a feeling that there are too many "rivet counters" and "prototype restricted" people around. That's just my feeling. Nothing but respect and admiration for your railroad, and your channel. thanks so much for the info you put out. Please keep up the great work.
Thank you for sharing. Very nice, fantastic build. Enjoyed.
Carl I also enjoyed the series. The sequencing you followed is meticulous and thorough. I took notes too so I don't skip important steps on my next build....
Thanks for sharing. Nice work
I am not into trains or models. But what you have done is awesome. I am impressed. Very!
You should try it if you ever have some free time... its a really great hobby to do by your self or at clubs/groups with many people. Anyway it helps pass the time when ever theirs a lockdown
That is a tough kit to get these days. Fabulous job!
Hey Carl! I found your channel yesterday and have binge watched this series. You did a fine job building the engine, and it sounds great too! Not many people are building kits these days so it's always great to see one get built up, and so nicely detailed at that. I'll bet it pulls a lot for it's size. Hope to see more!
All the best, Alex
Fancy seeing you here
@@varrunningtrains4112 kid named K-11
You have inspired me to build my bowser challenger kit I have had for years. Thank You your work is just cool.
I also have a Challenger kit on the shelf. I started it 15-20 (?) years ago. I got the chassis running, although it was very noisy, perhaps due to the open frame motor. It probably would benefit from a can motor upgrade. Detailing the boiler just barely started. And I have a couple of those old Monogram Big Boy kits from which I can steal a tender body. It's on my back burner now, since it wouldn't run on my logging railroad. But I may get back to it if the mood strikes me.
Hello Mr. Brainerd Great railroading you do. Thank you so much.
Is anyone else worried about this guy
Yeah. I am. Hope he’s okay. I really like his channel too.
He’s returned!!!
Beautiful little unit u made there
Nice project. You certainly put the time in and the results are clearly evident. Alan
The rear Tender wheels are dragging maybe that’s the hesitation, Great Job, Thanks for posting the entire project.
Great job!!!!
A great series Carl, thanks so much for sharing. I have a similar project loco that I haven't been brave enough to jump into yet!!
Really enjoyed the video. At some point I want to try my hand at building a locomotive from a kit and your video series shows the way to do so 👍🏼
They are definitely interesting projects that can keep you occupied for a while. Six months in my case. But when you're done you can definitely point at it and say "I built it myself"!
With your skills Bill, it would be a breeze for you.
I noticed the front wheel set on the rear tender truck not rolling well. I've built 3 of these 1 with the open frame motor and 2 with the can and gear box. one of the gear box versions has a bit of a hitch when I don't keep the rear loco axle oiled ,I probably should of opened that saddle just a bit more .
Beautiful job, looks awesome. Thanks for sharing. Dave
Very nice, enjoyed this video. There appears to be excess play on the pin where the main drive rod connects to the crosshead shaft( terminology may be incorrect?) Watch and see the pin wobble about as loco moves down the track. Just an observation, I do not have the dexterity to come close to the performance you have achieved so far. Very nice work! Great videos!
That is a rivet that is tough to get just perfect.
Very nice series. I think your binding may be more than gear lash. Those Bowser kits take some tweaking but they run great once you get all the bugs out.
Thanks for going into such detail Carl. Great series of videos.
I can't help but wonder if the Bowser A5 was meant to run at the low speeds that electronics make possible. Just looking at the size of the worm and axle gears makes me think that you'd need either a high quality lower speed can motor or an axle gear with more teeth so that the motor could achieve higher rpms at the very low speeds... Or maybe both modifications? I have a Bowser A5 that I run on straight DC. I love it however I don't expect it to creep along like that. No matter what the electronics, you're still limited by the basic performance characteristics of the mechanism.
Yes, I think you might be on to something. My next move when I have time will be to replace the motor with a new one, and to put in a NWSL gearbox. Hoping that will improve running!
Carl, I noticed that the rear tender truck wheels were dragging as if one of the brake shoes were rubbing.
Thanks for the sharp eyes. I will be looking closely at the tender trucks sometime soon because I think the whole tender body is sitting too low and possibly shorting out between the rear steps and the track. Once, so far, I have actually seen a spark there. So a new look at the tender is coming as this long drawn-out saga continues.
Looking really good Carl, I'm in awe with how you got all the electronics in the tender, quite the 'tetris' job! On the running clip at the end the rear truck on the tender seems to have a bit of a drag, maybe that's affecting performance?
Looking forward to the next series! Take care!
Ben, thanks. Yes, in fact all the tender axles put some drag on. They are not free-rolling. Probably some inconsistency between the replacement NWSL wheelsets and the Bowser trucks. I think the axles are a little too short, but figured it was no worse than pulling several cars. It does put some load on the gears, though, which seemed to make them prone to skipping teeth. Yes, the electronics were a tight fit. In fact, after laying the CurrentKeeper over on its side, it and the decoder and the speaker became a zero-clearance fit. They didn't need anything to hold them in there. Once in the body, it took a bit of a tug to pull them out again so I figured they weren't going anywhere, and just left them alone. Thank goodness for those little sugar cube speakers (mine came from Tony's Train Exchange).
Hi Carl, Love what you are doing. Don't be afraid of boring anyone. I love the detail and how you talk through what you are thinking. I ran into a similar problem with gear mesh issues with a Penn-line kit. I had to shim the motor to get the gear mesh pressure just right. I think it only took a .0100 shim to ensure the gears meshed regardless of load. Please talk more about the layout construction - was that a system you used? What decoder tester do you use? Did you make all those trees? Love to hear your thoughts on everything do and use. Mike
Hi, Mike. I still have a gearbox project in the queue but other life stuff is making it hard to get to it. When I get around to it there may be another video. On the layout construction, no it wasn't any kind of "system". Traditional "from scratch" benchwork with L-girders, etc. There's a construction video slideshow on my channel if you haven't seen it yet. My decoder tester is one that Loy's Toys was selling years ago. It has places to hook up all the colored wires (or plug in if the decoder has an 8-pin plug). I added a can motor permanently to the motor output so there is a load on that circuit, and also included a speaker with alligator clips for easy hookup. So I pretty much have decoders programmed before installation, other than the chuff sync CV. Yes, I made the trees, about 200 of them. I used a material kit from Coastman's Scenic Products for the evergreen trees. I also used (and liked) Woodland Scenics foam roadbed, as seen in my construction video. Very easy to work with (cuts easily with a knife) and good sound deadening. I use Blue Point turnout controls linked directly to a knob on the fascia with a dowel rod (I have another short video on this topic). It works great! Thanks for your interest... Carl
@@CarlBrainerd It's a great looking engine. The paint and decals look perfect. Not sure if I'm seeing something, but watch the tender wheels as it moves. It looks like they are dragging. Looking forward to your next video.
Beautiful job Carl. With such thoroughness I think you must end up with an exceptional model. Sure beats the hell out of my Lima 0-4-0! LOL
Carl, by the look of the deck plate at 25:15 being slanted like that has me wondering if the tender shell is sitting level on the frame...Shell looks too low over rear truck possibly causing shell to lift in front, lifting deck plate..You can see rear truck wheels not turning 23:42 on out.. I think shell is hitting wheels and could be/have been problem all along...25:21 can see coupler too low to boot...
Of course this posting is a year late..So, I hope you have since been able to correct the various bugaboos which were hindering #9's performance...
Mark, thanks for your thoughtful comments. I will take a closer look at this stuff when I get back to the project. One factor is that the tender does not actually have a frame, since the trucks screw directly onto posts cast into tender body. So it isn't actually sitting too low on a frame since there isn't a frame at all. I agree the tender body seems low. I notice it when putting it on the track and it is hard to get a finger on the trucks to align them with the rails. Some shims between the posts and the trucks might be helpful. I'm chalking up the slanted deck plate to my own lack of planning on its installation. Since it was an aftermarket part (Cal-Scale, I think) there was no pre-defined position for it. The "fun factor" of an old steam loco kit......
Could you just use the tender for pickups? We’re the trucks all metal? How did you connect the wires to the tender wheels. Working on a bowser I1 and not sure we’re to put the pickups.
I figure you can't have too many electrical pickups, thus the effort to use both the drivers and the tender for pickup. Yes, the tender trucks are all-metal. See episode #5 for a description of installing wipers on the tender trucks and running the wires from the trucks to the decoder in the tender. The wipers were used on the insulated wheel side of the trucks, while the "hot" side could use a wire directly from the truck frame to the decoder. Good luck with your I1. It should be a beauty.
@@CarlBrainerd where did you get the circuit board with the foil cover?
@@centeroftheearthmining4095 I think it came from Clover House. Their web site currently lists cross-ties made from printed circuit board material. That would probably be a pretty convenient size. This material is probably available from numerous vendors that a Google search might reveal.
How did you run the headlight
I'm guessing you're asking about wire routing. The headlight wires go from the 6-wire tender disconnect up through a hole in the rear of the chassis onto the top of the chassis, then forward to the front and up to the top of the boiler, where they go up through the top of the boiler and into the rear of the headlight casting.
@Carl Brainerd did you have to drill the hole, or was it already there? My model doesn't have the hole and ny drill bit don't seem to work on this metal very well
@@zzrguy1200 Yes, I had to drill a new hole. The motor wires went through an existing hole but I think the headlight wire hole was a new one. I would have used a drill press for that.
How did you run your wires for the headlight?
Headlight wires come out the back of the headlight casting and then immediately down through a hole in the top of the boiler right behind the headlight. Then they run back along the top of the chassis to the rear of the loco, where they go down through a hole in the chassis to the bottom side. There they go to the 6-pin disconnect between the loco and the tender.
Is this a good decoder for the bowser 2-10-0 decapod?
By all accounts, the Tsunami line of decoders are fine decoders. I used the 1-amp TSU-1100 decoder, as it was as big as my space would allow. For a 2-10-0 I would suggest going with the larger 2- amp TSU-2200 decoder, especially if you're using the original Bowser open frame motor. That big 2-10-0 tender should be able to hold any decoder.
@@CarlBrainerd Thank you Carl! I am using the bowser motor. But it is the newer one that can handle dcc upgrades. Your videos have really inspired me!