My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

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Mike McCotter
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:16 am
Location: Suffolk, VA

My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Mike McCotter »

Hello Everyone,

This is my first real post, so here goes. Having been a member of this board since 2007, I decided to post some photos of my tender that is near completion. There are still a few parts to be made, but after that the real fun begins, painting. The engine is about 75% complete and with the tender painted and numbered, I will be able to concentrate on finishing it.

.
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Mike McCotter
Mike McCotter
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:16 am
Location: Suffolk, VA

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Mike McCotter »

Here are a few more photos.
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Mike McCotter
SilverSanJuan
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 9:28 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by SilverSanJuan »

WOW! That's some beautiful work, Mike. How about some pictures of the engine?

Todd
JKreider
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Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:38 pm
Location: Redlands, CA

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by JKreider »

Mike:

Very nice!

Jim Kreider
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Trainman4602
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Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:26 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Trainman4602 »

Hi Mike

The tender look fabulous! Can't wait to see in behind the locomotive.
ALLWAYS OPERATING MY TRAIN IN A SAFE MANNER USING AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKES
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Harold_V
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Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Harold_V »

Wow!
I've always been detail oriented, so your presentation is very welcome, as you've done an exemplary job.

Thanks for sharing.

Harold
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by GS14403 »

Oh my goodness, that is one sweet piece of work!

Looks like 1-1/2" scale, maybe? Are the re-railing frogs bought or did you make them? Need a couple for my tender and yours look like they would be right at home on it.

Thanks for the photo's and any construction details you could share with us would be greatly appreciated.

Donald
Mike McCotter
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:16 am
Location: Suffolk, VA

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Mike McCotter »

Thanks to all for your kind compliments.
Todd, I have a few old photos of the engine that I will post soon.
Donald, Yes it is 1.6 scale. I machined the rerailing frogs from aluminum bar stock. The real ones were laying around a section house at the railroad I worked for, so I took photos, measurements, and made sketches. They are close but a pattern for both (inside and outside) might be better.
Mike McCotter
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Dave_Johnson
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:13 pm
Location: Winchester, Virginia

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Dave_Johnson »

Nice! Hope to see it run soon.

Dave J.
Jawn
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 12:39 pm
Location: Canton, GA

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Jawn »

That's a work of art!
Rwilliams
Posts: 1048
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:45 pm
Location: Central California

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Rwilliams »

A nice brass tender always looks impressive. Almost a shame to paint it.

Very few of us venture into the rerailing frog area as it involves much tedious work with angles and curves. When done, a frog looks impressive on the tender frame or secreted away in the tool box of a caboose.

The tender trucks appear to the the Railroad Supply or Railroad Warehouse Andrews trucks which in the past were supplied with soft metal or aluminum end block spring retainers. Their life span was never very long if the locomotive was operated on a regular basis. They had a bad habit of being forced out by the spring pressures and replacement was always part of locomotive maintenance.

Since the end block spring retainers were not shaped properly to begin with, I made a master pattern of the correct shape which is much more robust in design that looks like the real deal. Sent the master pattern to Brad Bluth of Model Rail Castings where he made a mold and lost wax bronze castings soon followed. A look at his website will show the castings that will certainly kick up those beautiful trucks on your tender.

I kept the decent original spring retainers on the inside of the spring sets, where they will never be seen, and installed the new castings on the outside ends where they would be seen to the best effect.
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Dan Willey
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Location: North Carolina, USA

Re: My Southern Ms4 Tender Project

Post by Dan Willey »

Mike,

Beautiful!

Rwilliams.... I am pretty sure Mike fabricated the trucks from scratch with weldments. Here is a close up picture of the truck I took while visiting Mike's shop.

Dan
Attachments
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1/8 scale: Mercer Locomotive K4, Saturated Steam E6
Full scale: Woodings CBL speeder/motorcar NARCOA
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