Narrow gauge body for the Minitrix 0-4-4-0 mallet

[Geoff Gingell]

I've managed to get hold of a Minitrix Mallet chassis and am now looking to build a 009 loco.  Statfold Barn's Pakis Baru would be an ideal candidate as the Minitrix mechanism seems to be an almost perfect match.
Is anyone aware of a suitable kit (3D or white metal) I could use?

I've found a few potential candidates for 'similar' locos, namely the CWRailways Piccolo loco body as used for the mallet in the Sept 2016 009 News, the Narrow Planets' 40hp O&K contractor loco or their O&K 0-6-0wt Loco.  I would have to check the sizing first to see which would be the best fit (if at all).

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Geoff

[JulienW]

To the best of my knowledge there isn't a kit for this loco.

One of the members of my local group (West Mids) scratch-built a model of that very loco on a Minitrix Mallet chassis.  I think Ben Powell may have done a piece for 009 News on building this loco, or it may have been his building of the other Statfold (Jung) mallet. In both cases I think he used photographs because afaik there are no drawings.

I haven't any photos of Ben's model, but I'd imagine that like a lot of Ben's other earlier scratch-builds he used plastic card sheet for the body with a tube (brass or plastic) for the boiler and the smoke box from another tube that slipped inside the boiler tube and he probably built the 009 body around the Minitrix N-scale one (cutting that away where needed). The boiler fittings are probably a mix of tube (dome & chimney) and bits from the spares box.

As O&K (to my eye) tend to look a bit 'modular' you could try using the EuroNG (Narrow Planet) 0-6-0 60 hp loco body (same power as the Statfold Mallet) as a starting point but I've never got on modifying any 3D printed body - I assume that the plastic is some kind of nylon and it can be a bugger to stick things to.  At a guess you'd need to add a cab bunker and longer side tanks to the 3D print and I suspect that the steam dome is in a different place and moving that would be awkward. The kit also uses the chimney from the donor loco (Roco  HOe industrial 0-6-0T) so that is something else you'd need to source.

I'd discount the Narrow Planet 40 hp loco as a starting point as being too small and needing much more work compared to the 60 hp model.

Another starting point might be the old Meridian O&K plantation loco (0-4-2), a white metal kit that is now sold under the 'Mosskito" brand (also via Narrow Planet), and may need less work as looking at the drawing on the box you may only need to add the bunker to the back of the cab as the tanks may be right.

If it were me I'd look at either the ex-Meridian kit as a start, or break out the plasticard sheet, rule, square and sharp modelling knife.

The key with scratch building is to realise that in essence you are making the kit, then using this kit to make the model, and that if a cut part does not look right it is probably going to be easier to cut a new one than spend time fetelling the 'wrong' one right (as it where).

Hope that helps.

Julien Webb

[Geoff Gingell]

Thanks Julien,

There's a lot of info in your reply to my request. I'll have a look at the Meridian O&K loco but the Euro NG 0-6-0 loco body might be a good choice.  I didn't realise it's the same boiler.  Time to contact Narrow Planet to check out the dimensions!

Thanks
Geoff

[Hugh Norwood]

I used a modified CWR body; see
http://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=2677.msg18373#msg18373

[Geoff Gingell]

Hi,
It was your article in 009 news that gave me the idea for a 009 body to fit the Minitrix Mallet.  I may well go down the same route as yourself and opt for the CWRailways Piccolo body.
Thanks Geoff