Some modifications appear to bestraight forward. On the left is a picture of the Bachmann tender against a background plan that is printed out 1:20. 

Notice that the tender needs to be widened about 1/4 inch on either side.  (It also had to be lengthened about 1 1/4”).  

However, you can also see that the step on the back is just about dead on for width. The supports are a bit narrow, and the step itself has an extra notch or two, but it’s proabably worth leaving as is!

After all, this is not about making an exact replica - I’m just trying to create a heftier looking locomotive.

To the right is a view of the tender floor after it’s been lengthened and widened. I used Evergreen styrene strips.  There’s also a couple of pieces on the bottom, which don’t look as nice, but I really don’t plan on turning it over!

I built a new boiler by wrapping thin styrene sheets around a couple of paint cans, but it did not turn out round enough for me. It wasn’t really noticeable until I put the smokebox front on. 

This shows how it will look with a new laser cut cab kit that I bought from FH&PB Railroad Supply Co. I’ll try to get it to look like metal!

I bought some K-27 domes from Accucraft - and they fit almost perfectly.

On the left you can see some size comparisons.

I’ll be using the bell and the light fixture from the original model

I found some screws to attach the Accucraft domes and it doesn’t look like I’ll have to sand anything - the fit is that close with my new tube.

The tender will be covered with a thin plastic sheet - and I’ll be adding some rivets.