HO Scale Virginia & Truckee JW Bowker 2-4-0 Steam Locomotive

Description: HO Scale Virginia & Truckee JW Bowker 2-4-0 Steam Locomotive - Refurbished #4 Two years ago, my father passed and I received the remnants of his HO Scale train collection, consisting of a diesel locomotive, several switchers, a beat-up steam locomotive and a collection of track and some freight cars. From that collection I found one locomotive, a Virginia & Truckee Railroad Genoa 4-4-0 which required repairs and restoration, and it showed me that these trains can be repaired, refurbished, and restored to operational condition for many more years of enjoyment by model railroad enthusiasts...without having to pay hundreds of dollars for the newer models. Since then, I have searched for damaged, non-functional steam locomotives of the 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 configurations to repair and restore. In this way, I honor my father and attempt to pass on his love for model railroading to others who search for these vintage locomotives. While I have successfully restored dozens of previously forgotten and discarded 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 steam locomotives, sometimes...I just run out of parts to complete the work. Sadly, there are few places where parts for vintage steam locomotives from the 1970's and 1980's can be found. Some places, like Precision Scale Company (PSC) can supply me with SOME of the parts, but others I have to acquire from other, more damaged, locomotives that are too badly damaged to restore. However, even then, I just run out of access to parts, so I've done what I can to complete as many as possible, and I'm offering up the rest in the best condition I can get them to. So what are you getting? The Virginia & Truckee Railroad JW Bowker is a 2-4-0 design released by Rivarossi. This version is a popular design for its simplicity. Normally, I try to mate each locomotive with a working tender car, but unfortunately, I didn't have any so...this auction is for the JW Bowker locomotive portion only. However, rather than putting it up 'As-Is', I made every effort to repair and refurbish the locomotive as best as possible. When I received this piece, it was in rough shape. As with many other versions of the Bowker, the front boiler plate was missing, as were the metal pieces attaching from the side of the boiler down to the top of the pilot (cow-catcher). One of the plastic air-brake canisters was missing so I replace it. The domes atop the boiler were missing, so I replaced the front and rear ones, but I didn't have a compressor piece so that remains in need of replacing. The bell atop the front dome is not the original but a brass one pulled from another salvaged wreck. The metal railings running along the boiler were dull and dirty so I buffed them out to restore their shine. I also buffed the axles to remove corrosion from past usage to help electrical current pass through while in use. I cleaned up the body of the locomotive with water and Q-tips to remove dirt and dust and buffed off any corrosion on the rest of the metal pieces. One of the biggest issues with the JW Bowker is the pilot (cow-catcher) because it is made out of plastic and vintage plastic doesn't age well, tending to break and disintegrate over time. The pilot IS intact, although a couple of the veins have cracked, as shown in the pictures. This one isn't so bad as to require intervention, so I left it as-is. (just don't drop it!). In addition, like many Bowkers, the bottom steps on either side of the Engineering cabin tend to break off, but this one...both are there and fully intact! From testing, I found that everything appears to work, but of course, I didn't have a spare functioning motorized tender to include with this, so I'm offering it either as a parts piece OR if you have access to the parts you need (and a working tender car), you can put this locomotive back on the tracks again! The only issues that still need resolving are listed below:This version requires a tender car with the motor inside. You'll also need a drive shaft between the tender car and locomotive.Whether you want to use this locomotive as a rebuild for your own collection, use it as a source of parts OR use it as a display piece in your railyard while functional trains pass it by, the choice is up to you. I've done everything I can to restore it as far as I can with the parts I have. Shipping will be via US Ground Advantage to keep costs down. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I have other similar locomotives which I will release, so if you have a 2-4-0 or 4-4-0 design you're looking for, stay tuned...you might see it listed soon!

Price: 20 USD

Location: Toledo, Ohio

End Time: 2024-12-28T05:15:25.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD