First of all I would like to say hello to everybody on this forum as a new poster here. I am a fan of the Colorado & Southern ng and I am building my first layout based on it in HOn3. Recently I was wondering what happened to the wonderful line of Hon3 engines Key Imports used to produce. They haven't come up with anything in many years in this scale. Is Key imports even still around? Anyway I just recently got a 2-6-0 C&S #9 engine made by them from caboose hobbies. It was missing a rod and I was wondering where I could get a replacement part. Also, I am in need of some other motive power, does anybody know if there are any of these Key C&S 2-8-0s (#'s 58,60,65,68,69 or 71) that are for sale out there (looked but haven't found any). These engines were produced a while ago but I am very impressed with there quality. Thank You for any help, Alex
Welcome to TrainBoard! Hopefully not in error here- I seem to recall a conversation, a while back, noting that Key is no longer in business. Boxcab E50
Key is gone! Just keep looking at Caboose's site and chances are, you'll find what you're looking for. Also, check in the Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette.
Two other sources of brass are Mitchells and The Caboose in Ct. They tend to get quite a few pieces from time to time. I also think Whistle Stop in Pasadena had some HOn3 stuff, but I don't remember and C&S stuff.
Alex, Welcome. Yep, there are more former brass importers than current ones. It happens. While it does require quite a bit more work, the new Blackstone C-19s would make great donor mechanisms/electronics for all of the C&S 2-8-0s. If I was still in HOn3, I'd be actively considering one for building a South Park 2-8-0. Keep in mind that with many older brass models, they aren't always specific to engine numbers. The key feature that distinguished #71 from #72 was the headlight. #69 was distinct from #68 because of her headlight, steam dome, and some piping. Only #74 was truly distinct. Be wary of HOn3 mason bogies. I don't recall which one, but one of them isn't a "bogie"...the drivers are rigid to the frame and it requires extremely broad (like 42"R) curves. This has been discussed on the South Park yahoo group. If my memory serves me well, most of the locomotives you've described served in the later years, especially on the Clear Creek line and to South Platte after Boreas was abandoned. (#74-76 were on the Climax line), so I'd guess that you are modeling the bitter end. Since I've never heard of anyone modeling south Denver, I'd guess that you are modeling up the Clear Creek. Michael (yes, you do know me...I have an Oahu Railway 0-6-0 avatar elsewhere)
I am doing the town of Como, Central City, Jefferson, and the forks creek area all around 1935 so I could just by the blackstone C-19. (yes I know they weren't allowed on the clear creek division but what ever.) It is a small layout compared to some of yours being only 9 by 5 but it all fits in well. The only thing I don't like is I had to cut the Como roundhouse two stalls short (stone bays) and couldn't fit the coaling trestle. If I ever get the chance to build a large layout I hope to do the C&S dual gauge shops in Denver in the 1930s. The best part about a mountain railroad was I was able to cram 40+ft of mainline track. My biggest problem is the 4 percent grades. One last question, I have looked at the division point 2-8-0 CB&Q 537 they are planning. What type of runners are there engines and can anyone guess a price before I decide to reserve one. Thanks, Alex
Have a look at my post here: Where did Key Imports Go? - Page 2 - TrainBoard.com I've received the following mail: Don't grieve just yet for Key. He has a new website. That is why you can't get anything on the old one. Here is the new URL: http://www.keymodels.net/index.html Gary Schrader The site [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]received Last updated on 29 January 2010 8.21.07[/FONT] Enjoy
Wow, after looking doa, McKey must have unloaded his inventory on Greenway and started over. I don't see any N scale.
The Caboose has a Balboa C&S 2-8-0 for $300 right now. I was gonna buy it but ended up getting a mint PFM 2-6-0 for less money. The smaller mogul's will do better on my micro C&S layout I am planning at the moment. Cheers and good luck. If you end up with any of the tender drive engines, Roundbell hobbies has great repower kits to make those old ones run smooth as silk and quiet as a mouse. Cheers Mike I just looked and they have it relisted as I did have it on hold, It is a C&S engine, but its been decaled for RGS. Thats a fairly simple fix. Mike
When you say a "C&S engine", you wouldn't happen to mean #74? She was a Denver, Boulder, & Western engine that was sold to the C&S whom in turn sold it to the RGS...making it appropriate for any of the above. In trying to find it, I saw that Division Point is coming out with various brass 2-8-0s...and unlike PSC/MMI, they are doing it the right way...offering more prototypes: DIVISIONPOINT.COM: Providing the finest brass and plastic scale model trains and accessories. Michael
At this point I think your best route is to connect with one of the people here who does brass etch work and have them fabricate a replacement for you based off the piece from the opposite side. Asside from that, figure there are no replacement parts out there!!!
I believe it is the C&S #74, it was thier only 2-8-0 with Walscherts valve gear that was added by the C&S to replace the worn out Stephenson motion. I got the first of my two PFM/United C&S 2-6-0 engines. This one was mint in the box, probably has not been run since it was new in the late 50' to mid 60's. Has an old KMT Japanese open frame motor. Doesnt do to bad after a good clean and relube. But its time is short as I plan to put a small can motor in, possible as soon as tonight if these small can motors at the local hobby shop are small enough to fit. If someone is looking for a affordable brass 2-6-0, I have a Far East Distributors 1910 era Mogul that I think i am going to resell. I bought this before finding the 2 C&S Moguls. I have stipped it back to bare brass and cleaned/lubricated it. Its a generic "Porter" narrow gauge mogul for HOn3. Original box is included. $130+shipping. Email me for pics. I am looking for more C&S stuff and I take trades. I will get some pics of the new C&S power and the Porter Mogul soon. Mikie
She was built with Stephenson, but her boiler pressure was too high for it and caused all sorts of trouble. She was rebuilt with Walscherts to rectify this. Her sisters came equiped with piston valves so they never had this problem. I'd recommend thinking twice on that mogul. There are other prototypes on the system which you could build from that. Carefully look over photos of the earlier power before selling it (yes, I am thinking about it...even though it is the wrong scale and beyond what I should be spending right now). Nothing would be worse than selling it now only to decide in a few years that it would have been the perfect starting point for ____. I'd hate to see you find yourself in that position. I'd definitely recommend checking into a coreless motor rather than a can. The performance is better...and you can sometimes get them for the same price as a can at your LHS. I'm going to use one in my Cooke 2-8-0 whenever I get back to working on it. The smaller the locomotive, the more the motor matters. Michael
But they don't give any ideas of the price range. I find it hard to get even interested in such products as the disappointment (due to the high price tag) is kind of pre-programmed.
mmmm...brass....you B******! haha. No, I should not be tempted. If you still have it in a month and you still want to sell it, I'll look in the bank again and see what I would have to do!!!
Here are some pics of the engines, got them painted, baked today, then decaled this evening. Not sure of the future on the FED Porter 2-6-0, open to offers on that one. I did upgrade its power pickups so the tender just does one rail on both trucks, and the locomotive picks up the other rail like any other brass import. As built it depended on just the tender trucks for both rails. I added a spring wire to the drawbar to rub the tender post for power pickup as well. If you know of a source for good motors, by all means let me know along with model/brand. I know motor choice is very important in smaller engines, even a can motor would need to be either very small in diameter or flat sided to fit in the tender on either model. I have $$ in hand right now to remotor the C&S engine, just need to find a motor. I have more interest in finding another PFM mogul to model the #22 and one of thier 2-8-0's to model the #65 than to mess with the FED engine to much. Have to see what happens. Enjoy the pics Mike
