03-31-2009, 06:41 AM
post 8
***Thinking of Bowser, most of their locomotive line of which all the steam is now gone. Their past steam kit line was not the old Penn Line, Varney but a remade, more detailed locomotive line. It just seams very few people wanted to build kits anymore. Bowser kits would not fit in this thread because they weren't of the older style. A properly built Bowser M1 mountain would compaire not exactly, but nicely to what is made today. Not many would put the necessary time into properly building a Bowser kit. Most people now seam to want instant gratification. Put the money down and have it. I'm drifting. Getting away from the thread.
** We forget that Bowser had it own past. This is no new company. It was a pioneer in the HO model train field. Bowsers Pacific, USRA Mountain, and Challenger are well remembered. The one I like the most is the Mountain. It was special because of it's Bronze construction. This loco's main parts were built to last a very long time. The boiler, drive frame, tender body, and tender frame will last a number of life times. The only weakness in it's design was it's actual drive parts. Age, wear, and tear items like the motor, insulators, linkage, gears and driver wheel rims will fail. The axels were good but the did rust. The drivers were cast and like castings of it's day corroded. At the time the mountain was made, this leaves the drivers and axels the only place Bowser could have improved this locomotive. That makes this a pretty darn good locomotive.
**Here is a photo of one that I had owned.
***Thinking of Bowser, most of their locomotive line of which all the steam is now gone. Their past steam kit line was not the old Penn Line, Varney but a remade, more detailed locomotive line. It just seams very few people wanted to build kits anymore. Bowser kits would not fit in this thread because they weren't of the older style. A properly built Bowser M1 mountain would compaire not exactly, but nicely to what is made today. Not many would put the necessary time into properly building a Bowser kit. Most people now seam to want instant gratification. Put the money down and have it. I'm drifting. Getting away from the thread.
** We forget that Bowser had it own past. This is no new company. It was a pioneer in the HO model train field. Bowsers Pacific, USRA Mountain, and Challenger are well remembered. The one I like the most is the Mountain. It was special because of it's Bronze construction. This loco's main parts were built to last a very long time. The boiler, drive frame, tender body, and tender frame will last a number of life times. The only weakness in it's design was it's actual drive parts. Age, wear, and tear items like the motor, insulators, linkage, gears and driver wheel rims will fail. The axels were good but the did rust. The drivers were cast and like castings of it's day corroded. At the time the mountain was made, this leaves the drivers and axels the only place Bowser could have improved this locomotive. That makes this a pretty darn good locomotive.
**Here is a photo of one that I had owned.
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!!