Author Topic: C57 Japanese 4-6-2 Locomotive and Tender  (Read 16351 times)

Offline J.L.

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C57 Japanese 4-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« on: April 26, 2020, 07:57:04 PM »
On page two of this forum's Vehicles & Models category, I wrote a 17 page thread of the iconic Japanese 2-8-2 locomotive and tender.

It was a significant build with brass, steel and cast metal parts.  DeAgostini Model Space company is based in London, England. Although the parts were made in China, they were machined and cast to the British company's specifications.

The product was of the highest quality.  Even the instruction booklets were offset printed on quality glossy paper.

Things have changed. The quality is still there with the C57 parts that I am going to assemble here, but like most companies, the instrucitons are to be downloaded by the consumer. A sign of the times.

Here is a sample D51 booklet that came with the kit and the title page of the first downloaded set of instructions for the C57, printed off my computer.

The engines are similar, so this thread will be significantly shorter.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2020, 12:54:07 PM by J.L. »

Offline J.L.

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Re: C57 Japanese 4-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2020, 08:25:30 PM »
Unlike the D51, which was shipped in brass with the option of being painted, the C57 is factory painted black.

I'll just bet you the company realized that a black engine would be preferred over presentation brass.

I must say the painted C57 parts are beautifully done. They look very professional. They may have even been heated with a black powder coating.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2020, 12:54:21 PM by J.L. »

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2020, 09:13:37 PM »
Great to see that you grant us the privilege of a glimpse of your journey on this one too  :praise2:

I believe that this one will have a lot of followers too - like all your previous builds here  :cheers:

Best wishes           -  more  :popcorn:

Per

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2020, 09:39:02 PM »
 :cartwheel: Looking forward to this!

I had completely missed that thread on the 2-8-2 (back when I wasn't on the forum for a while).
Wonderful thread.
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

Offline J.L.

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Re: C57 Japanese 4-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2020, 10:36:55 PM »
Thank you fellows.  You have given me a lift in these hard times. I am still dealing with health issues that may have consequences.

Your kind words lift my spirits.

Admiral_dk, may I call you Per?  Sorry, that name is unfamiliar to me. You have been very positive and kind in your posted comments.

John
 
« Last Edit: May 04, 2020, 12:54:48 PM by J.L. »

Offline Kim

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2020, 05:21:46 AM »
John,
Looking forward to following you on this build too!  :popcorn: :popcorn:

Sorry to hear about the health issues :(

Kim

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2020, 12:11:09 PM »
You are very welcome John and yes, my given name is Per - this i a Scandinavian short version of the French Pierre - though there are also differences.
In Norway they have the Danish Per and the slightly longer Peer almost pronouced the same way and also the Swedish Par and Pär and if memory serves the Finnish version is Paar. I have encountered a few North Germans named Per or Peer and that is as far as I know the geographical area where my given name and it's derivatives are used.

All the versions shows how language morphs over distance and time :old:

Best wishes

Per

Offline J.L.

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Re: C57 Japanese 4-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2020, 01:55:33 PM »
Thank you Per for the explanation. Very interesting. I have leaned something new this morning.

Thanks Kim. Yes, health is a concern at this time. But considering what the world is facing, my worries are minor.

It is so refreshing to be working on parts that are cast with great precision. This smokebox front plate is perfectly round. I do not have to use a wood rasp to file away white metal to make a hole concentric!  :disappointed:

Notice also that the lugs for the upper and lower hinges are cast with the ring. The part came with steel hinge pins already set into the hinge straps as well. On the D51, you had to cement the hinges into holes in the smokebox ring yourself.

I think the D51 was designed first and then improvements were built into this follow-up C57 model.

Most impressed. :ThumbsUp:
« Last Edit: May 04, 2020, 12:55:00 PM by J.L. »

Offline J.L.

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The Smokebox
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2020, 05:42:41 PM »
The smokebox...

Offline kvom

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2020, 07:46:16 PM »
Did you buy the whole kit or are getting it in installments?

Offline J.L.

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Re: C57 Japanese 4-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2020, 08:09:14 PM »
Good question.

All 12 packs were bought at the same time. Many have found that once a month just ties them up. Some packs can be made in days.

John
« Last Edit: May 04, 2020, 12:55:15 PM by J.L. »

Offline J.L.

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2020, 09:21:14 PM »
Here is Stage 3 of the build. It seems rather peculiar to be assembling the first driving wheels and coupling rods this early in the build, but I am following the instruction sheets step by step.

Again, the quality of the. parts is evident. Look at that nice little machined brass bush and the black shoulder bolt. You will also note the texture of the paint on the wheels.  :)

« Last Edit: April 27, 2020, 09:26:58 PM by J.L. »

Offline J.L.

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The Chimney, Spark Arrester and Blast Pipe
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2020, 09:24:59 PM »
A question was asked about how the kit was ordered. I've finished Pack One in two days!


Offline J.L.

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Packaging
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2020, 01:46:24 PM »
I have mentioned before about how fastidious DeAgostini is about their packaging. Fortunately in this country we have plastic recycling.

Every part is placed in a special well molded to its shape. These five photos show just how careful they are with the parts. Even the plastic cover is molded to the shape of the wells (photo 1)

All bolts come in a little baggy and have their own well. (photo 2)

In this pack, front deck parts overlap, so tissue paper is used to separate them to prevent scratches in the finish. (photos 3& 4).

A far cry from throwing parts in a bag.

P.S. The company anticipates the possibility of loosing a bolt here or there. One extra bolt is always
 added to number of bolts required. This is true for every bag of bolts provided.

« Last Edit: April 29, 2020, 08:58:50 PM by J.L. »

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: C57 Japanese 2-6-2 Locomotive and Tender
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2020, 09:51:52 PM »
I was extremely impressed with the quality of the D51 parts, but this is even better - if not for any other reasons, then the paint job certainly ups the ante  :ThumbsUp:  :praise2:

I think you are enjoying it even more John - but you also pays the bill, so that's only fair  ;)   :cheers:

Per

 

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