Help identify loco UPDATE

[steamblower]

I have taken the liberty to fabricate what my concept of the boiler, cab and bunker design MIGHT have looked like. All I had to go on was the cab and functional chassis. I have not yet found a prototype after hours of sleuthing. It has a jackshaft design much like a climax with a 2:1 reduction via a central bull gear to drive the 3 axle much like a Heisler. I believe this was intended to be a side tank loco. Am I on the ‘right track’ with my concept? Thoughts? Thanks

[LVRR2095]

Just my personal thoughts…but I’m not sure it would have side tanks. You already have a water supply in the rear tank. And with the elevated position of the cylinder assembly…the side tanks are very truncated. Also your side tanks extend out past the width of the cab and cylinders which exceed the loading gauge. If you narrow the tanks you would reduce the theoretical capacity even more, making them not very useful.
Again….just my very personal thoughts and you should do whatever YOU like…it is your locomotive.
Keith

[steamblower]

Thanks… just to comment on your comments… 1) the chassis had been fitted with support arms that likely were intended to support side tanks…, 2) I made the ‘oil bunker’ for oil only as water would be in the side tanks…,3) the side tanks are flush with the sides of the cab and do not extend past the cylinders (bad camera angle)

[LVRR2095]

Thanks for commenting, as I said just my personal observations. The side tanks still look small to me and are tall enough that they would block the engineer’s view ahead. I think a “woods engine” would look good with running boards covered with things like a Worthington feed water pump. buckets of grease, block and tackle and other logging items. The support brackets could just as easily be to hold running boards. But as I said….it is your engine, do what you like!
Keith

[Pontiacguy1]

I think that I would just make running boards, forget the side tanks, and keep the rear bunker, similar to the above suggestions. What diameter boiler do you think it will have? A taller stack would look a lot better in the future, something along the lines of the Allen Mogul stack. Those fit an 8" boiler, but if it was a 7" boiler, a Mercer 0-4-0 stack will work.

Very interesting locomotive. I like it!

[steamblower]

The design is already dimensioned for a 4” diameter boiler. Was cut into the cab front!

[Pontiacguy1]

Oh! For some reason I was thinking this was bigger, maybe a 7 or 8 inch boiler. For some reason I was thinking this was a 7 1/2" gauge locomotive. I looked back where you first posted and see that it is a 1" scale narrow gauge running on 3" gauge tracks, or something close to that. I don't know what I was thinking!

I still think that it would look much better with running boards only down the side of the boiler out to where the 'engine' is located. The bunker in the back would give you enough water storage.

[gwrdriver]

As Keith has said, it's YOUR loco and you do what makes you happy, (you MUST do that!), but if'n it was mine I'd keep the tanks. I kind of like them, they add interest and balance, and I'd do something like what I've drawn over your photo.

I would lower the bottoms and shift the sides to align with the cab sides and bottom, and lower the tops proportionately. I would extend the tank fronts as far as possible without obscuring the crank disc, which is a center of mechanical interest. (Think old millwright's saying "A miss good as a mile.")
There's plenty of depth to put a recess under and behind the angled bottom to clear the reversing gear.
I can't tell much from the photo angle but it appears the smoke box front might benefit from being extended a bit, so that the stack, which aligns with the center of the steam chests, is also centered in the smoke box tube.

BTW, cardboard modeling has been a very useful tool for me. I did exactly the same thing on my current loco to see if the tanks I drew up were as well-proportioned in 3D as on paper. They weren't (but not by much) and adjustments were made.

[steamblower]

I’ve attached a pic of the left side of loco. Would like to do same on right side. But reverse mech is in the way. Previous owner/ builder had bent the arms inward in order to clear the ‘tank’ butwere binding full travel. Don’t want to do much bending. I can easily add a ‘ riveted’ skirt to match the cab sides. Thanks for the suggestions!