I had plans for these back when I was modeling modern BN, but I have never seen a model completed. Makes me wish I had done them now as those look incredible! Fantastic work! Sent from my Xperia Z using Tapatalk 2
Old old rebuild This is an old prairie that I picked up about 20 years ago while visiting an out of state modeler. It was in his junk box, without a tender, missing a pilot, headlight and a few other items. I brought it home and it ended up in my junk box for a few months until I found a tender that would look tight with it. It was remotored with a can motor, detail parts were added, along with constant lighting. After many years it is still an exceptionally smooth running little locomotive. I am sot sure who made it, but I have had some suggestions that it could be an old Mantua.
I love finding old trains that I had put away and forgotten about. Or finding a train car at the train show that I had as a kid. Makes it feel like a kid again, seeing those trains for the first time. Happy. Happy.
I really like those tenders, they look much better than the more typical square ones Sent from my Xperia Z using Tapatalk 2
At a small train show today. I bought this Athearn GP35. I was given this Tyco engine for free with the purchase of the GP35. The tag read parts engine - does not run. I brought it home, cleaned off the wheels and this engine runs great. The plastic wheels on the motor are not any good. The bottom plate that holds the wheels on are riveted so I don't know how to replace them. Also looking for the two wheel sets with the gear on the axle for the motor section. I was also given this switcher that said parts only but got home and it does run. I don't know how this one goes together. Any help would be appreciated.
Here is another Athearn BB Locomotive I did a number of years ago. BN called it a GP38X. Here it is all painted and detailed up including the FRA safety stripes, weathered. Put operating ditch lights front and rear all the steps are lit too. Used micro slide switches under the exhaust stacks to turn the front or rear headlights on and off, but the step lights are on all the time (when it's operating). Thanks for looking
EMD GP/DD35 demonstrators operated over the Frisco, don't know where but I would assume over some mainline trackage and heavy traffic locations. I would be interesting to hear on what other RR's tested these things as well. One can certainly see where Frisco got its O/W paint scheme from huh? A lot of Red though, it would have been better with a Black fuel tank IMHO This has been one the more challenging kitbash/scratch building projects I have done for a long time. Had to modify about every single aspect of the original frame, trucks to work with scale width hoods. Used 2 motors with ball bearing motor bearings and machined flywheels so I could use Hex drive lines on the trucks that work so much better than the original drive lines. 2 Athearn RTR shells and a lot of styrene went into this DD35. Managed to re-gear the trucks so it will run with all my other stuff too. That was a head scratcher for a bit in itself. There are almost $30.00 worth of Brass stantions on this thing. DA air tanks, and Cannon parts went into this as well as many other parts. Used the ends from SD40-2 side frames to graft to the metal side frames on this DD35. The GP35 that mates with it is an RTR Athearn. Micro-scale decals, MM Sunburst Orange paint. Now a dull coat and some weathering is next and a few more pictures. Thanks for looking.
My oldest by a long shot would be a Tyco-Hobbytown hybrid from around 1967. Hasn't been run in years, but if the hoses are OK, I know she'll do just fine !
A while back I was digging through boxes that had been stored away looking for some railroad supplies and came across these locomotives that I had painted over 25 years ago for a friend. His freelance rail connected to my Logan Valley. He unfortunately passed away, so in my freelance world, the Logan Valley bought out the GC&W. These are Atheran units that started out undecorated. They were remotored with NWSL can motors and constant/reverse lighting was installed. Even after sitting in their boxes for who knows how long, when they were lubricated and put on the track ran as smooth as any new locomotive on the market today. Must have done something right.
Love the SD7/9! Ok, my turn! When I was 12(1987) this was the first model I ever painted and decalled myself. I started off modelling Seaboard System... then, they merged into CSX(with Chessie).You all know how long it took companies to make and release a product back then, so, I got an undecorated GP38-2, found the decals(Microscale) and matched the paint as best as I could. This model shows its age(almost 29 yrs) and only within the last year did I add the yellow ends and side stripe and the white cab roof. The original number was wrecked... so, while updating the ends... I patched it with a new number! Think this baby is going in the grave with me! LOL! JMS
Looks great. The weathering is well done. The two GC&W locomotives were my first attenpt at custom painting in HO scale. I had custom painted and weathered a number of O scale locomotives for the Milwaukee Road (Which are on display at the railroad museum in Livingston, MT) but not HO. In out frelance world, the GC&W was partially owned by the Northern Pacific and he wanted to come up with something that would resemble an NP paint job, but have its own personality. It was an experiment, but it worked.
Got some weathering done over the last few days. Every photo I have seen of these in service shows them pretty grimy, the colors dont help either LOL.
Tom, those look great! Just curious, how well do the dual motors run together? Thanks for posting the pictures. Dale
Thanks Dale, I matched the motors from a pile I had on hand LOL. And I wired them together as well. They actually do very well. I am going to take it out and run it for a few hours, break it in, and things should get even better.
