With the latest announcement of Atlas releasing a BRC MP15 (and my order), I finally got the urge to finish my other Chicago terminal unit. It started as a Milwaukee Road LifeLike SW900/1200, and it has been sitting around my workbench for at least 5 years. While I have no use for it on my current layout, eventually I will have a small fleet of these units. I love the colors of the Indiana Harbor Belt. If anyone else has done one of these, what did you use for the numbers? I think the microscale decals for the numbers on the cabs are not the right size, I bet they were made for te SW1500's, but they look small. Next time I am at the hobby shop, I guess I'll have to look and buy some correct numbers and just do it myself. I'll attach a link to compare. Because I will change the numbers, it doesn't bother me that, after I took the picture, I noticed that the numbers on the cab on my unit are slanted a bit. Thanks to J.D. McKibben for the prototype photo. Because I used a Milwaukee Road unit to start, the white handrails were already painted for me! A coat of black and the decals, and it was ready to go. I have not weathered my unit yet, but I will as the IHB runs in and out of steel mills and their units get quite dirty, but I still think they look great. I also havent sprayed a finish coat, so the finish isn't that great. That will come after the numbers and weathering. GoSteelers ATSF Corwith Subdivision
Good job, and I like that scheme too. Looks like a little rust may be in order after a while. I lived in Chicago for a few years around 1970, so I have yet to see the "new" scheme, but it looks good. PS - Now that the Bears are out of it, I'm saying "Go Steelers" too.
Thanks David- I will add a lot of rust on the hood and fade the cab roof. I like the "new" orange scheme, although as you know its kind of a "heritage" scheme as I believe the units in the 1960's and '70's were orange. However, I like the black with orange lettering better than all the others. GoSteelers (...all the way to Detriot via Denver) ATSF Corwith Subdivision
Your comment about the older scheme got me thinking, and I did a little research at Fallen Flags. With black and white photos it's hard to tell, but it appears to me that the 1950's era scheme was black with an orange lightning stripe (as homage to NYC ownership, I suppose.) I lived in Chicago from 1963-71, and I seem to recall a couple of faded units in this scheme, and if I remember correctly, the stripe had orange in it. At any rate in 1967, the then new SW1500's were black with white lettering. A mostly orange scheme may be older that the fifties then. Somebody must know. But the new scheme is attractive--good choice.
Chris, considering where you live, that dead line must be at LTE. Looks like everything has gone from when I was last there (2001) and now there's a lot of "new" old stuff.
Yeah it's LTE, I haven't been back since these photos. There were about 17 IHB switchers there, plus 100's of other locomotives: http://www.railimages.com/albums/album281/aag.jpg http://www.railimages.com/albums/album281/aam.jpg This was on the west side of the building, who knows what goodies are up around back and the other side. http://www.trainweb.org/lfnwfan/html/Larry's.htm http://64.246.11.82/images/l/lte.jpg.75716.jpg
Just before I moved from Yougstown, I was given the phone number of Larry's son George (who ran the business then) with the understanding that he did allow railfans on the property, when it could be arranged. I never got around to inquiring further, much to my regret. For those who don't know, the LTE facility is the old Youngstown and Northern shops, as noted in the text in the article linked above. Somewhere I have a slide that shows the Y&N lettering on the building.
