How to Build a Basic HO Scale Steam Engine Kit: Part 1 - The Chassis

Ever wanted to build a metal steam engine kit in HO scale but aren't sure if you can do it well or not? Then check out this video series where I build a Bowser 2-8-0 "Old Lady" Consolidation! Following many of the methods shown here, you'll be able to put together a nice running model to be proud of for years to come!
This was one of the most basic kits from Bowser, with a typical mechanism and very few details to add on. Kits from others such as Mantua/Tyco, Penn Line, Varney and MDC/Roundhouse are very similar in how they're put together, so the advice in these videos can be applied to many different models.

[@HaddaClu]

I would love to find one of these kits. While its nice to just plunk down a loco on the tracks and see it run; I find it equally fun to build things and then appreciate the effort it took to get it running.

[@DarthSantaFe]

This is the search I use to find Bowser kits: www.ebay.com/sch/262303/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=kit&Gauge=HO&Brand=Bowser&_dcat=262303&_sop=15 There are usually a few up at a time, mostly going in the $125 to $250 range depending on which one you want.

[@bartholomewsorrentino9013]

Hi Darth! Thank you for this series. I probably will look at each video two or three times!

[@DarthSantaFe]

You’re welcome! I hope the videos are helpful!

[@rajatdas6895]

Loved the details covered. Waiting for the next video...thanks for sharing.

[@Uptownloki47]

Excellent video. I'm getting a Bowser 2-10-2 for Christmas and this will be a great help!

[@DarthSantaFe]

Nice! Those 2-10-2 kits are getting hard to find!

[@freakazoid5907]

awesome video, looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@hydrospeedex]

Good job....love these kits put 9 together myself way back when the eyes were good....

[@WHJeffB]

I've watched several of your videos in the last few days... Great presentation and techniques! Kudos for sticking with some of these kits (the Arbor Models kit was especially bad). Watching this video, it's very surprising to me, how much play there is between the holes in the side rods and the crankpins. I scratchbuild mechanisms for steam and side rod driven diesel mechanicals for HOn2, HOn30 and Sn2 (7mm, 9mm and 10.5mm gauge). I typically use only around 0.0015" of clearance between the holes in the rods and the crankpins, 0.002" is acceptable if necessary to smooth out a bind, but anything above that is excessive IMO. Anyway... Great job with these old kits (or new old stock, or new but old tech). It's great to see people still doing this kind of work.

[@DarthSantaFe]

Thanks! I think the reasons for the additional play were that it makes it easier to manufacture, and it needs a bit less tuning from the builder.

[@WHJeffB]

@@DarthSantaFe Agreed! Lots of play equals lots less tweaking...

[@raymondo162]

@@DarthSantaFe looked to me like spacers were missing.............

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@raymondo162 There was nothing missing. The screws for the side rods were partially threaded to double as the bushings for the rods, and the holes in the rods aren't large enough to fit extra spacers without drilling them larger. This is common practice for most kits and many ready to run models. Here's Bowser's official diagram for the model: www.bowser-trains.com/docs/instructions/OldLadyRef.pdf

[@lisalewis9237]

Hi Darth, Another great video series on building a steam locomotive kit. Now I know who bought the Southern Ry Old Lady I was watching on Ebay. She was going to become my rendition of Morris County Central #385. A bit of New Jersey history almost forgotten. Lisa

[@DarthSantaFe]

Thanks! Sorry to buy it out from under you, but I’m sure another one will come up. Varney of course made quite a few of these too, and the quality of those is similar to Bowser’s.

[@lisalewis9237]

@@DarthSantaFe No worries. I'm currently trying to find the detail kits for my PRR M1, M1A and USRA Mountain. Lisa

[@dynamicloco2186]

Your videos deserve more likes and views!! Great work!

[@Samstrainsofficially]

Looking at these from the perspective of someone from the UK, man theres a narket waiting to be tapped into for some higher quality kits of US stuff.

[@DarthSantaFe]

I'm starting to wonder if I should do that myself actually. Having built so many, I have a pretty good idea of how to make something up.

[@Samstrainsofficially]

@@DarthSantaFe you can work absolute wonders in etched brass, take a quick look at just how silly good it can all get by looking up 2mm fine scale modelling. Look up MOK kits, london road models, brass masters. Etc etc Yet no such luck in the states. Plenty brass rtr, but the kits and the detail, skills, hours of enjoyment that come with it seem missing

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@Samstrainsofficially I actually work in product design and know of some metal etching sources, so with some careful design work, making a kit like what you can get from London Road Models is completely possible! I just need to take the time to do it.

[@Samstrainsofficially]

@@DarthSantaFe likewise, I have done etched design work for my projects and small runs of bits to sell, have done investment casting in brass in my garage, have done 3D printing as well. Just never applied any of it to a full kit ready for retail. Maybe if I were less lazy/prone to depressive "why bother with anything" moments I'd have a range of kits to offer you today. One other thing you have on side is geography, never underestimate the pain in the butt that is not being near the thing you wish to model, I can confirm this having moved from the UK to Australia. 🤣 Would love to see what you come up with though, some highly accurate small steam switchers would be really neat as a starting point and find a home with those that like a small shunting layout.

[@anthonymiller8979]

Do any of the viewers know when Bowser started remaking these old Varney kits? I know the Old Lady and Casey jones were originally Varney products but Bowser redesigned them a bit. I remember selling kits like this in the 70s when I worked in a small hobby shop. Really have the urge to build one of these now to bring back old memories.

[@DarthSantaFe]

The tooling was sold sometime in the late 60’s or early 70’s. Life-Like tried making some of the metal models early on, but decided to keep only the plastic tooling from Varney and Penn Line and sold off the rest.

[@richardlevy7674]

I have a Tycho Pony and I don't where the wire from the electric motor connects. In the video it is loose. Any help would be most appreciated.

[@DarthSantaFe]

The motors in Tyco kits have one brush grounded to the frame, so the wire needs to connect to the tender. I usually connect it with the same screw as the drawbar, so then the wire will be below the drawbar.

[@swagmanexplores7472]

Excellent video !

[@oceanlbi]

I have an elementary question for you, I am new to this and don't know who to ask and I have a feeling you would know, can the Inox lubricant that is recommended for track also be used to lubricate the wheels on an old set of standard gauge trains - thanks for any help

[@DarthSantaFe]

It can be used for the bearings, but you’ll want grease for the gears. I’ve been using white lithium grease for all my gears lately, and it does very well for this.

[@oceanlbi]

@@DarthSantaFe thank you for your expertise - I appreciate it!

[@thatchannelwhereipostrando1804]

How do you hook up the alligator clips to a power source?

[@DarthSantaFe]

The alligator clips have their own wires. Mine use banana plugs that go into sockets on the power source, but you can also use screw-on terminals like what you'll find on most railroad controllers.

[@scottb8175]

I miss the concept and quality of the Bowser heavy metal kits. Most of Bowser's offering came from them buying out other kit manufacturers like Penn Line and Varney. I have a "Semi-Vanderbuilt" tender kit, and a number of the re-power kits Bowser / English offered for plastic RTR steam engines like the Lionel GS-4, and they are great. I just never wanted any of the Pennsy or generic RR offerings. I had always hoped they would offer updated specific Southern Pacific and Northern Pacific prototypes (Varney had made a kit for an NP Z-5 that would have been a must have for me if it had been carried into the Bowser line), including re-working the many discontinued SP prototype Varney kits (The Old Lady and Casey Jones are original Varney kits loosely based on an SP prototype), but sadly, before that could happen, the age of steam kits died.

[@OwenConcorde]

Nice! So have you thought of modifying a static locomotive kit (e.g. a German locomtive from Revell Germany) and modifying it to run?

[@DarthSantaFe]

Sure have! I actually have a Hobbyline 0-4-0T that I managed to power a few years back as well as a Dapol Deltic, and I'm also thinking of how to do an Evening Star 2-10-0 from Dapol.

[@OwenConcorde]

@@DarthSantaFe I forgot about your British loco kits and it's been while since I watched my last video from you. I'm just thinking more about the German Revell kits.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@OwenConcorde Maybe I'll take one of those on eventually, but I have a ton of projects to finish already, so it could be a while! That class 01 4-6-2 looks pretty nice.

[@OwenConcorde]

@@DarthSantaFe Ok! The steamer kits are usually the most difficult, but the East German BR 132 'Ludmilla' diesels could make some slight adjustments. I had thoughts of doing one of those or even the BR 50 2-10-0, but I just have better things to worry about at the moment.

[@dastumer]

Is the gear noise typical for one of these? Sounds pretty loud compared to my old Mantua steamers.

[@DarthSantaFe]

It’s actually the motor. The gears are just about silent, and the motor noise has gone down with run time and a little more oil.

[@STho205]

Every Bowser open motor sounds just like this.

[@Juizwa_647]

19:27side rods

[@basilschwegmann7395]

Where would one purchase such a kit?

[@DarthSantaFe]

New in box kits like these from Bowser, Mantua/Tyco and MDC/Roundhouse show up frequently on eBay and sometimes at train shows where old collections are being sold. Europe still has some manufacturers like DJH and AMF87 making kits with a combination of cast and etched metals, but American steam engine kits have been out of production for a while.

[@basilschwegmann7395]

@@DarthSantaFe Thank you will need to keep eyes open.

[@DarthSantaFe]

@@basilschwegmann7395 Just did a quick check on eBay, and filtering for Bowser, Mantua, Tyco and Roundhouse, it looks like there are around 60 unbuilt kits up for sale right now. Some of them are at reasonable prices and others are too expensive, but the selection is pretty good overall: www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=kit&_sacat=262303&Gauge=HO&_sop=15&_blrs=recall_filtering&_oaa=1&rt=nc&Brand=Bowser%7CTYCO%7CMantua%7CRoundhouse&_dcat=262303

[@71jvf]

Where did you get a Bowser steam kit?

[@DarthSantaFe]

They come up now and then at train shows or on eBay.

[@garyaslakson4912]

What oil do you use? It looks red, like ATF.

[@DarthSantaFe]

It is ATF. The stuff lasts for a long time and keeps things working smooth!

[@garyaslakson4912]

@@DarthSantaFe Thanks! I'll start using it!

[@hashemetminan6433]

how much is it? how to order?

[@DarthSantaFe]

These Bowser kits have been out of production for a while. When they come up in new condition, the kits of this level tend to be in the $100 to $200 range depending on the model. I usually search eBay, but sometimes they show up at model train shows.

[@Juizwa_647]

7:54 chassey

[@christophercolt1361]

You Assumed The Drivers Were Properly Track Gauged For Width!

[@DarthSantaFe]

I have yet to get a kit like this one that had out of gauge wheels. Even my worst ones have been in gauge or at least close enough that someone building for the first time shouldn’t have to worry about it. I’m planning to do more videos in the future for intermediate and advanced level kits, and I’ll be going into the finer details like this for those kits.

[@christophercolt1361]

Stone Delicate Parts! Do Not File!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@DarthSantaFe]

In the 15 or 16 years I've been online, you might actually be the first person I've come across who's said that a diecast metal kit is too delicate for a file. Sand paper isn't enough to take off some of these large seams, so what do you suggest?

[@STho205]

The die cast pewter style metal is intended for fine filing. That is the way to go, then finish with emery cloth. If the flash is small emery cloth on a piece of balsa is ideal. There is a lot of flash on all these kits. Bowser isn't bad. Mantua is messy as is Roundhouse.