1911 Christie fire engine WIP

[Danno]

Barry Goldwater!

Bingo!

{The internet is our friend. LOL.}

When Barry Goldwater died, his family donated his Christie model and the case he had built for it to the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting here in Phoenix, his hometown. He was a fan of the Museum and his model is prominently displayed.

...But it can only make right turns.

LOL.

[Harry P.]

Actually if you click on the image you posted, the answer becomes obvious!

PS: "Hall of Flame" is a great name.

[Danno]

Actually if you click on the image you posted, the answer becomes obvious!

PS: "Hall of Flame" is a great name.

Well, there's that. However, it's funny how many people never even see the obvious.

[Nacho Z]

Very impressive work so far Harry. I am a huge fan of detailed WIPs. Great pictures with great explanations of what was done. This is the number one way I pick up tips and techniques. Looking forward to more!

[Harry P.]

Very impressive work so far Harry. I am a huge fan of detailed WIPs. Great pictures with great explanations of what was done. This is the number one way I pick up tips and techniques. Looking forward to more!

I've made a lot of progress since the last photos I posted. New photos coming tomorrow.

[Tony T]

Another fantastic build with a history lesson as well...love it, Harry!

[Harry P.]

This is the cylinder head assembly (the cylinders are driven by the pressurized steam from the boiler, and transfer their motion to the pump). All of these parts were chrome plated, but in my attempt to "de-bling" this thing and make it look less like a museum restoration and more like a workaday vehicle, I lost all the chrome and went with what I think is a more "1890s" look. I like the contrast between the semigloss black and the brass. All of the "brass" parts were blackwashed with my custom mix of Future/acrylic black after being painted Rustoleum Metallic Brass. The nuts on the side plates were brush painted Testors Silver, then a black wash applied to highlight them.The upside-down "U" shaped pipe is the steam intake from the boiler, the other pipe is the exhaust (which in this case would be nothing more than water vapor).

BTW... all of the chrome-plated parts in this kit are actually molded in red plastic, as you can see by the area on the intake pipe where I scraped the paint away to be able to glue it to the boiler.

[Harry P.]

And here is where I'm at as of today. As you can see, the main frame has been assembled, along with the pump mechanism. The various components that make up the moving parts of the pump are very spindly and thin, with very little surface area between glue joints. Also, all of the various levers and arms and supports have to be kept parallel to each other while assembling. The best way I could figure to build this mechanism and keep all the components lined up correctly was to start on one side by cementing the outer support arms in place. Once these were parallel and plumb and the cement dry, I added the inner structure, then the crankshaft and flywheel, then the other side inner structure, and finally the other side outer support arms... always letting the previous assembly dry before adding the next one:

[Harry P.]

In this photo you can see the cylinders installed at the top of the pump drive mechanism. Still to be installed are the drive arms that connect from the cylinders and rotate the crankshaft (you can see the end of the crankshaft where these drive arms will attach, sticking out in the middle of the crosspiece of the red vertical support arms:

Those red vertical supports were also chrome plated; I went with red instead. The nuts where the verical supports are connected to the frame rails were brush painted Testors Silver, and the small "brass" nameplate between the vertical supports was brush painted a mix of Testors Silver and Brass, then blackwashed to bring out the engraved detail.

[Harry P.]

Here's a better view of the rear axle and leaf springs. That big "tray" in back held the coal that fired the boiler. There is a small door on the back of the boiler where the coal was shoveled in; it's hidden in this photo by the righthand side frame rail and leaf springs.

[Nacho Z]

I think it is gorgeous. One does not need hundreds of dollars worth of gee-gaws and doo-dads to make a beautiful build. You are proving my point .

[Harry P.]

I think it is gorgeous. One does not need hundreds of dollars worth of gee-gaws and doo-dads to make a beautiful build. You are proving my point .

Right! There isn't anything in the photos that didn't come in the kit box. I changed up the appearance of a lot of it... but nothing here is aftermarket. It's a nice kit, very well detailed right out of the box.

The pinstriping decals you see on the frame rails were a huge PITA to apply, and I mean HUGE. The problem is first, the decals are incredibly thin and "floppy," and second, the clear carrier layer extends only a little bit past the stripes themselves. For example, that set of stripes that goes up and around the arch on the frame rail is all one decal, which would be fine... but the problem is that there is no clear film between the inner and outer stripes! There is no clear film in the area "inside" the stripes–the decal is sort of a "loop" of stripes. Trying to slide that decal off the backing sheet in one piece and into place, and then trying to get the stripes straight and to follow the curve of the arch, was nearly impossible. I still don't know how I managed to do it, not once but twice (the other side, too!). Somehow I managed to get everything lined up correctly without tearing the decal. So far the decals are by far the most difficult part of this model.

[farmer1]

Looks good, really seems more interesting and authentic without all the chrome,your finishes look great

[Harry P.]

Looks good, really seems more interesting and authentic without all the chrome,your finishes look great

Yeah, that "all chrome" look just didn't do it for me. I have no idea if these units were actually available with all the components chrome plated, but even if they were, I like a more toned-down look.

[Harry P.]

Remember, this rig began life as a horse-drawn pumper, so the "brakes" were the horses themselves (as in "Whoa!"). Once the pumper was converted to Christie power, my guess is that some sort of braking system had to be retrofitted to make up for the loss of the original "brakes." The model has a simple rod-actuated rear brake system (remember, this was long before hydraulic brakes were invented). The kit-supplied brake actuator rods were a mess... too much flash, mold seams all along the length... so instead of trying to make the kit parts presentable, in this case I scratchbuilt new actuator rods of brass with styrene rod connector ends, to replace the sub-par kit pieces. Brake rods installed (but not the actual brakes...yet):

[Danno]

Spectacular job, Harry!

Working steamers and other early apparatus were generally adorned with nickel plated components. The model kit attempted to capture the feel with chrome, which was 'do-able' for scale plastic. And, as might be expected, the temptation to over-chrome was difficult to resist.

Even back in the day, some well-off departments had 'parade units' that were over-the-top in décor . . . with chrome or even gold plating replacing the work-a-day nickel.

Ever since time began, firemen have always tried to out-do one another in the fancy and flashy world of showy apparatus. A matter of pride.

[Harry P.]

The plated parts of the tractor look to be "nickel plated"... the plating is somewhere between chrome and brass plated... I'll be keeping those plated parts as is. Just don't like all that chrome (or nickel) on the pumper unit.

[peekay]

Fantastic work Harry, totally realistic. Top notch photography too.

[Ramfins59]

Harry, your work on this model is just GREAT..!! I'm sure that once this is finished it will be a Museum Quality piece.

[doctor phillips]

WOW!!!! VERY impressive!!!! I'm enjoying watching this come together! Harry, I wish I had your skills!

Edited December 18, 2013 by doctor phillips

[the goon]

Wow, this build is very cool. Harry, you do fantastic work.

Mark

[Tom Geiger]

Harry, your work on this model is just GREAT..!! I'm sure that once this is finished it will be a Museum Quality piece.

Let's hope Harry builds as well as Barry Goldwater!

[PappyD340]

This build ROCKS Harry!!

[Danno]

Let's hope Harry builds as well as Barry Goldwater!

Harry's build is head-and-shoulders above Barry's build.

Barry's model is in a museum because of who he was. Harry's model would merit a museum appearance on its quality alone.

[sjordan2]

Harry's build is head-and-shoulders above Barry's build.

Barry's model is in a museum because of who he was. Harry's model would merit a museum appearance on its quality alone.

x2