Thanks Calzephyr, There were no modifications to the chassis at all. The shell as I remember is designed to be a direct fit and maybe only needed a little touch up but nothing big. I ordered the shell from Shapeways in FUD and wish I had ordered it in FXD instead. I basically sanded off all the details to get the surface suitably smooth then reapplied everything. I used many Archer surface details such as louvers, panel lines, rivets and tread plate. All the rails are .008” phosphor bronze wire. Jim
Right now I only have one switch engine assigned to my N Scale home layout. This Atlas MP15 was from one of the first releases and I put a small Lenz DCC decoder in it as the board decoders were not yet available. It's been a good performer and actually fits in to at least part of each of the 3 eras I have on the layout. I would like at some point to get another one.
In the 1920s the Santa Fe had a number of useless old switchers, a number of obsolete middle-aged Consolidations, and a number of free-steaming Atlantics that were too light for the new heavyweight passenger cars. So they did what E.D. Worley called 'cross-kit construction' and perched the 4-4-2 boilers and wide fireboxes high above the little driving wheels of the 2-8-0 drivelines. The result was a group of 0-8-0 switchers that got the job done. Most were gone by 1952, so I keep resisting temptation. But I do love those mongrels.
Always liked switchers, but I'm really lovin' the FMs !!! My Penn Central needs one, and MAYBE my Union Station. Thomas, I have both the "J" VO1000s. They will work with my SD9s, SD38-2s, and DT 6-6-2000s. Recently found out there may be C415s from Shapeways in the future !!! (Boxcab, please cue the dancing banana !!!)
The FM doesn't really fit Los Angeles county in the 1950's, but I am finding it hard to ignore them, especially when the Minitrix version matches the last order of Southern Pacific FM H-12-4-4's... I really could use a pair of tigger stripe VO-1000's and a Bachmann 44 tonner. LA was really ruled by EMD's and Baldwin's
The dancing banana can be found on this page along with all kinds of other emoji. https://www.trainboard.com/tbsmiles/ You have to copy the link to the one you want and insert it as an image.
Love the tigers! Black widows aren't bad either. Just wish I could get either of them on an AS-S616 a and b unit...
Well, now that we have gone down that rabbit hole, I really want to model something like this some day. A real attention getting locomotive at train shows. Just add water.
Especially if its function is to run over the unwary. Was that song Driving While Blind written about that? So, the electricity goes into an electric heater coil, which boils the water?
Going back a couple posts. Bremner, We all know that "tiggers " are bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, and fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, but you can't have a pair. There's only one !!!
My favorite is the Kato NW2 in Santa Fe colors. I am just beginning to detail it and some others so I really appreciate some of the nice examples in this post.
