Rolling stock arrives on the Marmion Valley

Ah, the trains are here!

This is the Minitrains "Fiddletown and Copperopolis" HOn30 set, a freelanced-American style offering from the German-based company which takes a nod to Carl Fallburg's toungue-in-cheek comic book history of the fictional railroad of the same name.

The body kit I am building, previously shown, will be a retrofit to this locomotive mechanism; the stock body is a bit cartoony and far-fetched to really be a plausible prototype, though it's cute.

That aside, it is a really well constructed locomotive, made in China. The body is finely tooled and painted with a durable-feeling matte paint. Runs like the proverbial Swiss watch, with barely a whisper from the motor. I do like watching the outside-frame counterweights flash behind the side rods. 

And here's a detail I'm not used to seeing, coming from the world of N scale steamers: An actual footplate between the tender and cab! No more losing firemen to the treacherous "gap of danger" as they stoke the fire.

Now, I am at a bit of an impasse, as the new shell I have built for the loco requires me to cannibalize the headlight, bell, and smokebox front from this little gem. Smokebox is no problem, just clips right off; I assume the bell is press-fitted, but it might be glued. However, from what I can tell from a cursory inspection, I'd have to hacksaw the headlight off of the molded-on bracket; For whatever reason, I don't want to chop up the original shell. 

Sooo, it's off to eBay for some brass detail parts. I'm thinking of getting both a box-style oil lamp and a more modern electric headlight, maybe fit a steam generator onto the boiler in that case; I'll try both and see which one fits the "look" better. While I'm at it, I'll probably grab another bell as well.

So there you have it! With the arrival of the first rolling stock, I'm really excited to get the ball rolling on trackwork. Looks like an order of code 55 rail and some PCB ties are in my future...