I have a finished PFM Crown O-5, and I must admit that I have never
noticed the absence of the ash pan, but unfortunately, I will now-
and it will bother me. BTW, this model has to be one of the all-time
grand champions of noble fine brass locomotive models. It just reeks
of simple unvarnished precision and meticulous construction. The
Japanese fabricators of these locomotives were feeling good the days
they built them!
There is no doubt that the addition of ashpans to coal=burning brass
models (or others as well, actually) can really make a big visual
difference. They are commonly not modeled because of the interference
with the trailing truck on sharper curves. I have corrected this on
a number of brass locomotives (notably at the moment a Wabash P-1
Hudson, and a Milwaukee F-7 Baltic) by fabricating simple wood ashpan
"outlines" (fine grained basswood, or old-growth heart redwood) that
are fitted into the frame aft, but are narrow enough to drop down
between the trailing truck wheels and not interfere with operation on
my statutory minimim radius (31"). I make the elevation outline of
the ashpan accurate (as determined from locomotive plans), but make
no effort to make any significant detail. I then paint it flat black
to fade into the usual clutter. It can be a *very* effective
addition.
Denny
Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, California
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