Transforming A Generic Kato Mikado Into A CB&Q 0-4 Mikado Using A GHQ Pewter Detail Kit

  Transforming A Generic Kato Mikado Into A CB&Q 0-4 Mikado Using A GHQ Pewter Detail Kit

This pewter detail kit was recently re-released by GHQ and is one of the easiest of the detail kits to work with. The Kit comes in a bag of unlabeled bag of pewter detail pieces with no instructions ( See photo  # 1 ). Also included in the kit are various sizes of brass wire. The instructions can be downloaded at the GHQ website or at the link below.

http://www.ghqmodels.com/forum/

Photo  #  1  Pewter Detail Parts In CB&Q  O4 Mikado Conversion Kit

This text was taken from the CB&Q instructions. It's a brief history of this steam locomotive.

The 0-4 class is quite interesting. It is a USRA Heavy Mike, of course. That’s why Kato had a Burlington paint scheme in their original release. The “Q” bought 15 of them in 1919 numbered 5500 – 5514. But, as is the usual case with USRA’s, by the time they lasted into the transition era (our favorite period) they looked quite different. By the 1930’s they were all oil burners with bunkers in the tenders and all had feedwater heaters.

Numbers 5503, 5505, 5506, 5510, 5511 5512, and 5514 had Elesco feedwater heaters. The rest had Worthingtons.

The Fort Worth and Denver, a Burlington subsidiary, class E4A2 #451 through $455, also USRA Mikes, wee quite similar, with oil bunkers, but without feedwater heaters. Toward the end of the steam era, FW&D leased #5502 and #5514 from the Burlington.

The 0-4 Mikes were some of the last steam active anywhere in the United States. The Burlington sold six to the Colorado & Southern, their subsidiary, in June of 1957. They served there until 1960 under power and were then scraped. They were numbered 804 through 809.

While on the Burlington, all 15 spent most of their lives on the Casper, Sterling and Alliance divisions. 


Now for the detailing of this interesting CB&Q 0-4 Mikado. This GHQ kit is one of the easier GHQ pewter kits to detail when you follow the limited instructions which can be downloaded from the GHQ website.

Photo  # 2 Generic Kato Mikado before adding GHQ pewter detail parts

Photo  # 3 Overhead view of CG&Q 0-4 locomotives with pewter detail parts added.

Photo  # 4  CB&Q 0-4 Mikado's on engineers side of the locomotive with pewter detail parts added

Photo  # 5 CB&Q 0-4 Mikado's on fireman's side of the locomotive with pewter detail parts added

Photo  # 6  Closeup overhead view of the CB&Q 0-4's boiler with GHQ pewter detail parts added

Photo  # 7  Closeup overhead view of the CB&Q 0-4 tenders showing all the GHQ detail parts added

All the pewter GHQ detail parts and associated brass piping added to both CB&Q 0-4 Mikado's See Photo's # 2 through # 7 ).

Photo  #  8  A view of the front of the boiler of the CB&Q  0-4 Mikado showing the detail pewter parts added on the mainline track in the Monterrey Mountains east of San Marino.

Photo # 9  A lateral view of the engineers side of the CB&Q 0-4 Mikado showing all the GHQ pewter detail parts added

Photo  # 10  A lateral view of the CB&Q 0-4 Mikado locomotive and tender showing all the GHQ pewter detail parts and brass piping added

Photo  # 11  A lateral view of the CB&Q 0-4 on the fireman's side showing all the GHQ pewter detail parts and brass piping added.

Photo  # 12  A side view of the CB&Q 0-4 Mikado on the fireman's side showing all the GHQ pewter detail parts added. The town of San Marino can be seen in the distance.

Photo  # 13  A lateral view of the CB&Q 0-4 Mikado's on the fireman's side showing all the pewter detail parts and piping added to the locomotive and tender.

Photo  # 14  A panoramic view of CB&Q  #5502 & #5504 0-4 Mikado's on the mainline track with the town of San Marino in the background.

Photo  # 15  A closeup view of CB&Q 0-4 Mikado # 5502 on the fireman's side of the locomotive with the town of San Marino in the background.

Photo  # 16  A closeup view of CB&Q 0-4 Mikado # 5506 on the engineers side of the locomotive with the town of San Marino in the background.

Photo  # 17   A closeup view of CB&Q 0-4 Mikado # 5506 on the fireman's side of the locomotive with the town of San Marino in the background.

Photo  # 18 A closeup view of the CB&Q 0-4 Mikado's intricate Feed Water Heater and associated piping on the engineer's side of the locomotive.

Photo  # 19 A closeup view of a CB&Q #5504 0-4 Mikado on the engineers side of the locomotive showing all the GHQ pewter detail parts and piping. The locomotive is on a siding west of San Marino.

Photo  # 20 An old time classic photo showing a panoramic view of CB&Q # 5502 & # 5504 0-4 Mikado's on the mainline in the center of San Marino.