Updating a 50 year old tender - A PRR 90f82 tender from an I1

These photos are from my recent work to bring a US Hobbies tender into the current age with additional details. They are a bit out of order, but I hope to give you an adequate overview so you can understand as you look at them all. This is a rear view of the almost completed tender. It has many new details including the electrical conduits on the rear, upgraded marker lights, headlight, tender hatch, drains and lift rings.

A down view showing the hatch, and tender drains. You can also see the plugs that I made to fill the holes in the deck from the old details which were in the wrong locations. 

Here you can see the applique that I added to the rear coal sheet to allow me to add rivets and braces that ran up the back of the coal space. I also added two cast grabs from Precision. The hole in the deck is for the dog-house that will be added separately. Also added is an L brace along the top of the coal sheet. It covers the seam between the applique and the original coal sheet. 

The front of the tender did not have any details, so the water valves and the brake shaft have been added. 

This is a comparison between the almost competed tender and another one that just has the electrical conduit and the marker lights added. I have also begun the blending process of the hole fillers on the deck. It also has the applique added. 

another view

A close up of the lesser detailed tender to show the plugs in the deck. There are 4 holes that have to be filled. The hatch is a casting that goes right on that last rivet line before the back of the tender. 

This is a comparison of the as built tender on the right with the upgraded one on the left. You can see the water valves clearly. 

This is how the conduit is added. I had some custom cast clamps made and this is what holds the conduit to the rear of the tender. I have also now added the PRR tender class plate on the rear, underneath the ladder. Many of the castings, like that one holding the junction box, come from a project that was going to produce an H10 by Sunnyside Models but it was never completed. I was fortunate to be able to obtain them. 

We have now added lift loops to each side of the tender deck, close behind the deck drains. 

Final check and a trip through the dishwasher have prepared the tender to be primed.

I am using Tamiya surface primer in fine grey. The details really begin to pop. 

Tender body is done!

Dog house and its interior are also done. These are Overland parts from when they imported the M1a and M1b series. In O scale, you are always on the look out for parts!

Here is a look of the primed tender. I subsequently removed that blob of solder on the lower right of the coal sheet. The primer really showed that one up.

Viewed from the other side. I also noticed that the headlight casting has a crack on the top so will fill that before painting the final color.