The Mikado uses a Walschaerts valve gear.  The Bachmann 10 Wheeler does as well, but most of the pieces are too small to use, so I decided to build my own.

I started with the pistons.  I used brass strips and rods, as well as some nuts and tiny hex head bolts.

These fit into the cylinders I made earlier and are held in place using some 1/8” square brass rod.  They finally slide smoothly.

On the left at the top, is the original Union Link (Anchor Link) from the Bachmann Anniversary. It's a tad short, as the EBT one is about 2 feet long. Below that, is the piece I made. I had some 1/8" square brass tube.   I cut this into 6 inch sections (scale).  Next I ground away about 4" to leave some "fingers".   A piece of 1/8" x 1/32" brass bar was used for the main part of the link.  I ground some slots in each of the fingers and soldered it in place.  Above right, you can see it hooked in place. The brass pieces are the ones I made;  the silver ones came from Bachmann.

I tried to use the Bachmann parts whenever I could, as they include some nice detail.  Above left, you can see that I replace some of the existing gear with a brass strip that is pinned and glued in place.

Rather than paint the valve gear, I coated it with Neolube.  This is a solution of graphite in alcohol.   It not only blackens everything, but it also acts as a lubricant.