Can a RH Bertie be made more Austrian/German looking?

[artfull dodger]

Bertie is obviously UK looking by nature from Roundhouse. I have a buyer for my Sammie, but if nobody wants Bertie or my Ruby #5, I wont be able to afford anything else that is more European looking like a Billy or a William if one could be found second hand. So, could with a few simple mods, Bertie look more the part pulling my LGB rolling stock? Of the top of my head would be removal of the lamp irons and a single lantern from Regner(Similar to the one on a LGB Stainz) installed on a bracket in front of the stack. Removal of the brass chimney top or a different chimney all together. Body modifications are beyond my skills so the saddle tank and round windows would have to stay. Maybe do the Walscheart valve gear and loose the running plate above the cylinders(this would do away with the lamp irons). I would also put one of those lanterns on the back of the cab as well. With 3 or 4 LGB meter gauge wagons, I find the speed is controlable and he isnt trying to bounce off the track when he goes thru a turnout at one side. Running with lighter load he wanted to pick the points and derail if speed was to fast. Not so with a heavier load hooked up, even when the speed got a bit more than I liked. Ideas and suggestions welcome. I will have spending $$ with the sale of Sammie, so I can get all the upgrades to Bertie and more if I should choose to. Mike

Silly NT's.....I have Asperger's Syndrome!

[vjoneslong]

I suppose anything is possible - it just depends on your skills and how far you are willing to go. Perhaps you could ask roundhouse whether an alternative chimney (e.g. the one on the bunderberg fowler) could be made to fit the Bertie smokebox?

 

I know what you mean about Williams. I know one chap had about 3 of them at one stage, talk about hogging models.   SWMBO quite fancies a read one with straight chimney, but they seem just as rare. I wonder if Roundhouse will ever bring them back?

[artfull dodger]

I wonder if the Billy body work can be fitted to the Lady Anne Chassis, along with the Billy Boiler.  If starting from kits, it looks like this could be done.  Roundhouse did something similar called Deko for a French hobby shop years ago.  Looks like they also use the bigger outside fly cranks from William as well.   If I dont get any bites on the Accucraft, its a moot point of trying to buy the kit engines.  I think just the Euro style lanterns and valve gear will help.   Biggesst issue is that Saddle tank engines were not popular in mainland Europe.   Mike

[Nearholmer]

Could you get a Millie, maybe by doing a swap?

 

I think that a side-tank would be far easier to Germanise than a saddletank, the latter being rare, to say the least, from German loco builders. I've got a few repro O&K catalogues, and I don't think there is an ST in any of them.

 

See below for an O&K side tank. You could fit all that gubbins to a Millie, and get something pretty convincing, although Millie has a rather antique-style smokebox.

 

William and Deko are two locos that I seriously regret not securing at the time. I like roundhouse best of what I've seen (they are so robust), and German industrial-style locos greatly appeal. "BIlly" is a superb 'utility' engine, and could do with some siblings.

 

Kevin

Edited May 23, 2017 by Nearholmer

[artfull dodger]

if I could get Bertie and my Ruby off to new homes, I would have the funds to get a Billy kit.  I would go the kit route so I could paint the frames red in color instead of standard Roundhouse black.  I would also go with a lighter shade of green than Roundhouse does.  Something closer to the bog standard LGB starter set engine cab green.     Mike