Yardbird Trains Show & Tell

YARDBIRD CLASSIC TRAINS
Customer Projects Page

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Richard Okrosy took on the challenge of re-motoring a Bowser Challenger. He started with a Sagami can motor, mounted it on top of new pillow blocks for the first worm gear, and attached it to the drive train with Delrin chain. This modification makes the entire drive shaft assembly a straight shot, reducing the binding and strain of the original setup.
This is the powerhouse of Richard's Challenger customization. The Sagami can motor was fastened with wire and contact cement.

Tom Knowles has custom-built several locomotives. Here, Tom shows his remotoring of a Mantua frame with a can motor and A-Line flywheel setup.
One of Tom's finished locos is #672, a customized Mike on the Nashville, Chattenoga, & St Louis RR.
One of Tom's projects was #535 NC&StL City of Memphis. It is basically a customized Mantua Pacific mechanism with a scratchbuilt brass jacket and tender. VERY NICE!!

Jim Vaughan recently rebuilt and weathered this Mantua 4-6-2 Pacific. He used farmers tractor spray enamel for the cab. For the boiler, drivers, rods and tender trucks he used a combination of brushing on Testors black then silver enamel. He then brushed on some thinner and let it run a bit. Next he sponged up excess thinner and paint, and dabbed the foam with the combination of silver and black here and there. It really gives the appearance of a hard working machine!!
Another one of Jim's locomotives is a Bowser Casey Jones 2-8-0 locomotive.. This one was recently serviced and touched up by Yardbird Trains. It's an excellent runner.

David Maihle custom-built this Chessie Steam Special from a Mantua Mike. It was a two-time !st Place winner in local shows! Look at the additional pics...
Look at David's beauty up close
David's custom-painted tender

Comes complete with auxiliary tender
Another view of the aux. tender
A shot of the 4 wheel trailing truck.

Galen Gallimore is working on a vintage Mantua Shifter project. The project began by filing down the molded-in details on the boiler. Then, using a hobby saw the headlight was removed from its mount, the pop-valve and whistle off of the steam dome, and also the generator was taken off. A Dremel tool was used to do some major grinding, followed up with needle files. A wet towel was kept handy to wipe up filings, as well as a file comb to clean out the files frequently. A bit of machine oil helps with the major sawing too.
Boiler with cast-in detailing stripped off. The compressor and section of the running board have been removed. The air tank on this side has also been shortened to make room for the larger compressor, etc.
"The other side of the boiler is shown here with details stripped. Note how the molded-in power reverse unit has been removed.

A hole was drilled for the new headlight wires.

After removing the old headlight , a hole was drilled from the top down to meet the larger hole in the boiler for the wires.
Galen plans on scanning in a drawing of an 0-6-0 firebox from the MR Steam Cycl. and shrink it to size to make templates of the firebox. He will then lay those over back side of the styrene to press detailing in to the new overlays.
We'll keep you posted on Galen's progress with this project.

Lloyd Rosevear - is building this Bowser USRA light Pacific kit. Lloyd gave us some thoughts with his pics... "A diecast Loco kit; what a great way to spend Christmas."
"Filing is fun, actually. Remember the cartoon in Model Railroader with the Egyptologists reading "File flash from castings." All the old kits started that way."
"Make sure it is well oiled before running it very much. Use safe for plastics oil anywhere near any plastic, like the wheel insulators. I used regular instrument oil here because it is all metal. Isn't metal wonderful!"

Jeff Nahkaha restored this Varney Northern back to the brass and cast finish. What a beautiful display piece!
Jeff also restored this 2nd generation Mantua Mikado back to the metal finish.
A second look at Jeff's Mike.

Mitch Roberts sent in this beauty of a Mantua Mike. It has been custom weathered. Nice job!

Here is a Mogul built by Mitch Kennedy. It has been kit-bashed from a Tyco Prairie, based on the GB&W job built by Alco in the 20's

Mike McCumber Customized these flats to add realism to his layout. Locomotives are only one of the models that will benefit from custom detailing and kit bashing.

Back to -Yardbird Classic Trains Home

Richard Okrosy took on the challenge of re-motoring a Bowser Challenger. He started with a Sagami can motor, mounted it on top of new pillow blocks for the first worm gear, and attached it to the drive train with Delrin chain. This modification makes the entire drive shaft assembly a straight shot, reducing the binding and strain of the original setup.		This is the powerhouse of Richard's Challenger customization. The Sagami can motor was fastened with wire and contact cement.
Tom Knowles has custom-built several locomotives. Here, Tom shows his remotoring of a Mantua frame with a can motor and A-Line flywheel setup.	One of Tom's finished locos is #672, a customized Mike on the Nashville, Chattenoga, & St Louis RR.	One of Tom's projects was #535 NC&StL City of Memphis. It is basically a customized Mantua Pacific mechanism with a scratchbuilt brass jacket and tender. VERY NICE!!
Jim Vaughan recently rebuilt and weathered this Mantua 4-6-2 Pacific. He used farmers tractor spray enamel for the cab. For the boiler, drivers, rods and tender trucks he used a combination of brushing on Testors black then silver enamel. He then brushed on some thinner and let it run a bit. Next he sponged up excess thinner and paint, and dabbed the foam with the combination of silver and black here and there. It really gives the appearance of a hard working machine!!		Another one of Jim's locomotives is a Bowser Casey Jones 2-8-0 locomotive.. This one was recently serviced and touched up by Yardbird Trains. It's an excellent runner.
David Maihle custom-built this Chessie Steam Special from a Mantua Mike. It was a two-time !st Place winner in local shows! Look at the additional pics...	Look at David's beauty up close	David's custom-painted tender
Comes complete with auxiliary tender	Another view of the aux. tender	A shot of the 4 wheel trailing truck.
Galen Gallimore is working on a vintage Mantua Shifter project. The project began by filing down the molded-in details on the boiler. Then, using a hobby saw the headlight was removed from its mount, the pop-valve and whistle off of the steam dome, and also the generator was taken off. A Dremel tool was used to do some major grinding, followed up with needle files. A wet towel was kept handy to wipe up filings, as well as a file comb to clean out the files frequently. A bit of machine oil helps with the major sawing too.	Boiler with cast-in detailing stripped off. The compressor and section of the running board have been removed. The air tank on this side has also been shortened to make room for the larger compressor, etc.	"The other side of the boiler is shown here with details stripped. Note how the molded-in power reverse unit has been removed.
A hole was drilled for the new headlight wires.	After removing the old headlight , a hole was drilled from the top down to meet the larger hole in the boiler for the wires.	Galen plans on scanning in a drawing of an 0-6-0 firebox from the MR Steam Cycl. and shrink it to size to make templates of the firebox. He will then lay those over back side of the styrene to press detailing in to the new overlays. We'll keep you posted on Galen's progress with this project.
Lloyd Rosevear - is building this Bowser USRA light Pacific kit. Lloyd gave us some thoughts with his pics... "A diecast Loco kit; what a great way to spend Christmas."	"Filing is fun, actually. Remember the cartoon in Model Railroader with the Egyptologists reading "File flash from castings." All the old kits started that way."	"Make sure it is well oiled before running it very much. Use safe for plastics oil anywhere near any plastic, like the wheel insulators. I used regular instrument oil here because it is all metal. Isn't metal wonderful!"
Jeff Nahkaha restored this Varney Northern back to the brass and cast finish. What a beautiful display piece!	Jeff also restored this 2nd generation Mantua Mikado back to the metal finish.	A second look at Jeff's Mike.
Mitch Roberts sent in this beauty of a Mantua Mike. It has been custom weathered. Nice job!
Here is a Mogul built by Mitch Kennedy. It has been kit-bashed from a Tyco Prairie, based on the GB&W job built by Alco in the 20's
Mike McCumber Customized these flats to add realism	to his layout. Locomotives are only one of the models that will	benefit from custom detailing and kit bashing.