Light Rail Products: model trolley projects: sparky

Hartland “Sparky” Locomotive

Kit-Bash Project -- Part One --

This is Part One, of a Two Part series to kit-bash a small electric locomotive. It involves the use of drills, paints, small metal, wood and plastic parts; knives and pliers. Best of all, you will bring your own imagination and creativity to the table.

Background

Hartland Locomotive Works produces (what appears to us to be) a nice, easy model to kit bash. In the reviews, (mainly Garden Railways) they state that the locomotive is of no particular prototype and measures out to 1: 24th (1/2") scale. Once ours was obtained and run around some, it is what could be called a “good runner.” So modifying the motor and gear train is one big item you’ll not need to worry about.

In measuring this model out, this might work out to be 1:24th scale, but there is lots of room for making this into a more realistic looking electric locomotive, again with no particular prototype in mind. In past experiences of looking at many pictures of single truck engines that have been either produced by a large manufacturer (GE, Westinghouse, etc.); home-built in the shops by the railroad itself or created from some other piece of equipment, there is not a lot of commonality to these creations.

Baldwin-Westinghouse produced a number of small 45–60-ton engines, even though they are double truck engines. They have clean lines, large hoods that cover the compressors and blowers. This is a single truck model. But the Baldwin-Westinghouse is the basis for this particular kit-bash.

Procedure

The first item that is noticeable on the Hartland car, is the roof, or ceiling height. On the model as produced, it is about 6 feet from floor to ceiling. Again, we are not saying that this height is incorrect, It is just that the model would “look” better with an “improved” higher ceiling. Maybe your railway or railroad has some clearance issues, and the model ceiling height could be an issue. Take some time to check these facts out to assure your new creation fits into your existing clearances. Nothing is worse than a nice model, venturing out on it’s first run, crossing paths with some obstacle that would ruin some or all of your work.

So, assuming you have your Hartland “Sparky” (as shown at left) or South Shore Line engine, lets start to work.

The engine: The first process is to take the engine apart. You should have a simple Philips screwdriver, a slotted screwdriver and a receptacle for the parts storage. Remove the trolley pole or pantograph. The Hartland model that is being used, was equipped with a trolley pole and required the Philips screwdriver to remove the screw attaching it to the car. Set the pole and screw into the storage receptacle.

Turn the engine over; there is a clamp affair that holds one end of the motor truck onto the body. The other end has a solid bar. Take the slotted screwdriver and pry the clamp with a twist motion (between the engine block and clamp) to ease the engine (motor) block out beyond the end of the tab. Once this end is free, the other “solid” end should come loose automaticaly. The motor block should come out and the “light pole” with it. Twisting the clamp might take you a moment to get it worked over the tab. Set the motor block aside.

There are two Phillips screws under the floor area, remove these and the cab should come of the base or frame. Set the cab aside and also the two weights. Remove the hoods from each end (lift up by the cab end and they should come off easily). Turn the frame over; remove the handrails and the 1/2 round air tanks on each end by squeezing the tabs. Set these parts aside. The frame should be clear of all items.

The cab: Remove the windows, headlight lenses, roof. Set the headlight lens and the windows aside.

At this point, at left, the car shell, frame roof should be stripped of all the parts and stored.

Now the challenge is about to begin!

1. Some materials you need to have to complete this project are; Styrene sheets (Evergreen sheet styrene, .010 thickness), various small wood strips, small size plastic and brass angle pieces, thin flat plastic strips, glue, etc.

2. One decision already made was to add to the ceiling/roof height by 1scale foot, and to add rivet detail to this model. Some considerations you might want to think about; headlights? Do you keep the ones on the model, or add new ones? Same with window glazing, etc… We chose to add rivets, add new headlights, and will add window details.

3. Beginning with the cab, being very careful: cut off the headlight barrels from the cab ends and sand the areas smooth. Cut off the small detail piece under the side cab windows to make this smooth. You want the sides of the cab to be fairly smooth so when you glue on the styrene sheets, they attach with out too many big bumps that will show later on. If you wamt the engine to look like it just arrived from the factory, a “show room” piece, you’ll want to sand these areas very smooth.

By not sanding so smooth, there will be more texture. It will look more like a version of a working engine. Simulating an engine during it’s life on your “railway” which would have taken some beating over the years and would not be quite so perfect.

4. At this point, it was decided to make the front, lower window heights all the same. Measure the size of the area, cut some small wood pieces, fill in the lower portions of the front drivers window and the door window and glue into place. You can see how this will eventually look in the photo at left.

5. To add to the floor height, take one of the styrene sheets. This will be used to create a new side skin or side sheets for the entire cab. Taking your styrene sheet, measure 1/2" (= 1 scale foot) from the lower edge. Draw a new line paralleling that lower edge 1/2" in height. Now take the cab, and out line each side and each end on the styrene. Use a sharp pencil while doing this. Also, be sure to outline the windows. This will take more than one sheet of styrene for this model.

6. If you want to add rivet detail, this is also now the time. Draw straight parallel lines about a scale 3 and 6 scale inches up from the lower edge of the styrene. A few equally spaced lines vertically, about 3 scale inches from the side edge one down the middle, and one across under the window.

7. Using your ruler, mark off spacing, about every 6-scale inches where the rivet will be. Again be careful when doing this, as this is what people (including you) will later see.

8. There are many ways to create rivet details. In this case a small center punch and a very small brass hammer were used. Underneath the styrene, lay a small piece of soft plywood. Placing

the center punch on the line and space marked off, and a very slight blow of the hammer, you are knocking in the rivet detail.

Note: You may want to practice a bit of scrap styrene materials to perfect your technique!

Click the forward icon below to continue with the Sparky model.