So as much as I love putting rivets 2 at a time on a smokebox front I decided I didn't want to use the USRA smoke box front and made my own. It starts with putting the boiler face down and making a circle on thin styrene, I used .010, then cut it out. Then I cut out a circle in .040 about 1/8" smaller (the size depends on the look you want) then a second .010 layer the size of the smoke box door as the outer normally flat part, then an other .040 smallest circle for the door bulge shape. Once I had all that I sanded the edges of the .040 as a slope around the whole shape for both pieces leaving a flat spot for the door circles on the bigger piece and the small piece of .040 as dome shaped as I could. Be prepared to sand some of the thickness off your finger nails, it won't hurt but you'll have sandpaper marks.



I made the base layer a little larger then it needed to be and after glued sanded flush it with the boiler. Heres what it looks like stacked up, I did a little fine tuning as well all put together. The base of the smoke stack is on too, a piece of tube with the bottom rounded to fit the boiler.




Details were then flushed out with .020x.010 strip pieces as the door latches and longer pieces for the door hinge. The bigger face hinges were more complicated. I started with .010 strips in the basic angles on the smoke box front, then small bricks of .040 were cut and places in the smokebox sides in line with the pieces on the face. 3 small squares were then cut to make the interlocking part of the hinge. I hope that makes sense, it feels hard to explain.

I also fleshed out the original proto headlight with a bigger number board.





Next was the tender, its made with .040 walls and the rear top is .010 wrapped up. I was on the fence for a little if I wanted to do the extended coal bunker but went for it because I could shape the inside the bunker as I normally do because of the circuit board taking up a bunch of space inside, with the extended coal bunker I can shape the coal load better when finished.





To finish out the day of work I did the fireman's side running boards and places the air compressor in the process.

Casey, you have GOT to present this stuff at a clinic somewhere - it is AMAZING what you are doing!!!

Ditto TJ's suggestion. Your techniques have turned out a remarkable roster of locomotives. Easily would be a show stopper at a prototype modeler's meet.

I do intend to make the Reading Modeler meet this year, keep forgetting to send the form in. I will make a point to get it in the mail on Monday and of course the fleet will come with me.

Got more work done Sunday starting with some tender detail making steps and a headlight perch. Made from a bunch of .010 styrene pieces, basically a good excuse to use scrap plastic.



Then I did the domes, also starting from scrap pieces. I loop .010 to be around the size of an I-10s domes glue the top down and sand flush, then shape the bottom to fit the boiler. These were a little taller then they needed to be at this stage but I always oversize and sand down.



After sanding down:




Then I cut 2 crude circles of .040 basically the same size and capped the ovals made, again over sized to sand and shape.



After lots of shaping I get the final basic shape.



After that I got the engineers side running boards done. I do all running boards in .040 if I never mentioned that. the steps added on or little connections are .010.



Decided I was done working for the day so I set the putty to dry over night, or when I get bask to it to shape the bottom of the stack and 2 domes. I also put the bell in place which is one of those single parts that really makes it start looking like that I'm going for, it looked rather Lehigh Valley with out it.

I try to shape the putty a little when I apply it, it saves a little sanding time. I glob it on let it sit a minute so its not so wet and use my finger to press it in.

Heres more work from this week. You might have noticed progress really picked up recently, I figured I'd get it done for this little Meet coming up soon.

After the putty was left to sit, it was shaped and sanded to roll into the boiler, and .010 circles were cut and placed for the sand dome filler hatches. The dome throttle was placed and as well as the power reverse which is the original proto power reverse, though plastic its still is molded with good detail.




Next I did air tanks made from styrene tube pieces and .010x.030 as the straps. I also placed the generator, safety valves, washer plugs and steam turret. (my camera doesn't like to focus on all that white, please excuse the blurry pictures, I tried to put things in the foreground to help but it didn't)





Next I finished up the cab to get ready for the roof. I made the windows from .010 strips and the arm rest is also .010.



The cab interior was painted, I just did it a simple black and the main roof piece was cut from .010 with roof vent holes.



I painted the underside black before glueing it onto the cab.



Then the vent hatches and gutters were put on.



Lastly for now, I put the check valve on. Note that it is not centered, this is not a mistake. The Reading E-5 had 2 injectors or at least check valves in its life. Earlier pictures of the class has no visible check valve while later dates show the off center top check valves. My theory is that the earlier version was an experimental injector like the ones you can see on the PRR H-6 at the railroad museum of PA. What made the injector experimental is that the check valves were on the back head and the pipe ran through the firebox and boiler towards the front of the engine where the water was deposited, because you don't want to add water right to the crown sheet. (if rapidly cooled it causes dangerous stress to the metal) This makes a sudo feed water heater, heating the water as it runs through the boiler. This was then converted to a normal style injector but something remained in the boiler that wasn't necessary to remove and they just put the check valve off center saving time.



and some overview pictures