Mike,

Please do post your in progress photos. You have incomparable skills that provide so much inspiration to us! I tried to build some SSL&S kits when I first entered the scale side of the hobby and failed. My Pacific was cosmetically completed but I could not get it to run worth a darn, so I gave it to a friend more experienced in building steam, but he had no luck either.

Thanks, Roger Nulton

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Mike Swederska
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2024 8:37 AM
To: S Scale Groups IO Post To Group Email <[email protected]>
Subject: [S-Scale] Today’s S Scale project

Over the many 20 to 30 years of modeling an S Scale I have always been on the lookout to buy SSL&S Parts. I like to buy kits that some guys have started and failed on are from the estates that somebody is selling. Back around 2011 or 12 I bought, a parts box of all kinds of detail parts. Once I opened it up, I found that a lot of it was for a consolidation with 56 inch drivers so I just kind of put it all back in the box and the other day I decided to go through this box itemize the detail parts and put them in my inventory for future used.

Upon doing so I decided to start building the consolidation since I had a set of drivers and side rods and the frame to start from. So scrounging through my inventory. I started to build it and you can see by the picture I have an assortment of parts laid out. I’m at the valve gear step and I just happen to be a Walsherts valve guy and not so much a baker valve Gear guy.

After talking to a buddy of mine about the different valve gears, and then he brings up the needle bearing issue and the maintenance that the prototype didn’t have to deal with on Baker valve gear using needle bearings. He really pushed me in the Baker direction.

Although the Walsherts valve gear was designed to be on the outside of the locomotive compared to the Stevenson and other valve gear systems allowing the engineer to lubricate everything consistently during operation. The. Walsherts valve gear actually performed very well with low maintenance . But after talking with him and reading his dissertation on Baker and needle bearings I’ve decided maybe to try my hand at a baker valve system on this consolidation.

I’m building it for the Meramec Valley lines so I’m referring to this model as a mutt because it’s going to be made up of all the parts that I’ve collected over the years.?
Upon going through some of my parts that I got from Rusty‘s estate I found a full set of Baker valve gear that looks to me like it came off of an 0-8-0 Overland or consolidation. I am likely to use that , if not, I’m gonna go with the Walsherts valve gear. I can darn put one of those together in my sleep.
I should say that all the parts in this picture are out of my inventory of parts including those cylinders.

So with all this said, let me know if you want me to post progress pictures.

Mike Swederska

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Mike Swederska
Meramec Valley Lines
Modeling Mopac equipment in 3/16

Don't let perfection get in the way of good enough! Keep model railroading fun!