Kitbashing a SP 70-C-9 Tender Part 1

 

Hello, and welcome to the first blog kitbash. Today I am making a tender for a set of Southern Pacific C class 2-8-0's I'm working on. The engines will be built using OwlMtModels C class conversion kits. I started this kit-bash with a Roundhouse Vanderbilt tender kit and ended up with what you see below.

Engine and Tender Choices

I happen to be an operator for Bruce Chubb's layout, the Sunset Valley Operating System (SVOS for short). Whenever I run there, there seems to be a distinct lack of steam locomotives. The layout is set in pacific northwest circa 1954. To correct this lack of steam, my goal is to build 3 locomotives that could have been or were in the area. Photos from Eugene Oregon indicate that C8 class 2745 and C9 class 2527 were active in the right time frame. These locomotives have good modelling references available, and should be fairly easy to kit-bash. The third engine, C9 class 2547 was chosen at random based on what modelling info was available and other nearby assignments. A glance at the NightOwlModeler's Overview of C-8/9/10 with OMM Conversion Parts revealed:

C9 2547 would use 4010* cylinders and a 70-C-9 tender (Roundhouse Conversion)
C9 2527 would use 4010* cylinders and a 100-C-1/2 tender (Bachmann)
C8 2745 would use 4013* cylinders and a 100-C-1/2 tender (Bachmann)

*Owl Mountain Models 4010 and 4013 replacement cylinders do not have cylinder covers, and part number 4013 includes Sheedy By-Pass valve cylinder details*

Creating the 70-C-9 Tender

My first stop in my hunt for an appropriate tender for 2547 was www.brasstrains.com. This was quickly followed by sticker shock for the appropriate Sunset Models tender. Per advice from Jason Hill of Owl Mt Models, I decided to narrow an MDC / Roundhouse Vanderbilt tender. In stock form, these tenders model the Southern Pacific 70-C-1/2 tank.

Step 1: The Saw.....

I have a habit of jumping headfirst into various builds. This lead to the gentle removal of the tender sides from the old tank. The tank will also need trimmed to width. The tender mold lines on both the front and back provide good guides for this.

Step 2: Careful Sanding

The following 20 or so minutes involved carefully filing the edges of the coal bunker flat to the water tank cylinder. This step is really worth taking your time, as rivets can quickly disappear with rough sanding.

Step 3: Side Fitment

The front of the tank sides must be shortened to fit the tender. A small fillet also needs filled on the top of the tank (seen in the white triangle). The rivet detail was removed on the sides of the tank along with a small lip. I'll re-decal these with resin rivet sheets later.

Step 4: Installing the sides

At this point the tender sides can be re-installed, checking fit to the sides of the tank. Once fitted I recommend removing the interior of the old coal bin. This will allow more room to fit electronics, and allow for easier installation of the tank top.

Step 5: Installing the Tank Top

Firstly, the top of the oil tank (former coal bunker) needs flattened. I used a piece of sandpaper on glass, and flattened the top once assembled. I then measured and cut 0.020in styrene sheet to fit in the top of the tank. I used 0.020in x 0.020in styrene (not pictured) to brace the underside edges.

Step 6: Beginning to detail

At this point, I began to test fit the tender frame. I wanted to see what details will be added and what I need to make.

These tenders have a walkway from the old bunker to the current walkway mounted to the water tank. There are also grab irons for this walkway that will need to be added on the oil tank. I'll use cal-scale part 190-604 for these. I'll probably have to order more parts, but that will be seen to in part 2. For now, I've added styrene to the bottom of the tank to represent angle iron holding the tank to the frame. I'll continue detailing from here.

Possible Errors?

My one regret is I was never able to measure the width of the new tank from the real engine. After making the tank I realised Precision Scale part 31708 (oil tank front) would have probably told me this, and I have one on order now.

Conclusion:

So far I'm happy with this little kit-bash. It will be fun to see how this moves forward, and I have more parts on order. I'll post part 2 once these parts show up and are mounted to the tender. This has turned out to be quite a nice alternative to buying the Sunset Models brass tenders though. It's also not been as difficult as first anticipated.