John. That is a very nice collection. I too prefer the earlier paint, but still model both. I have seen your models on the society website. Great stuff. I like what you did to the EB E7. After painting the old Atlas FAs in the hour glass scheme, I swore never to attempt that again. I will have to revisit that. I have done the experimental blue goose RS3 with good results. I want to try the others too. More postings please! Look me up at the show. The table with lots of SP&S n scale. Rick
Hi Dave, Jim Vaughn did the FA2 and FB2. He's in Montana - 406-962-3127; mp683.com. He also did the RS3 and NW2. I have a couple of undec Geeps I want to do in the tiger stripe scheme. Not sure if I will do them or send them to Jim. John
Hi Rick, I regret getting rid of the EB E7. The nose cracked down past the headlights but was able to cover it up. If I was rich, I would try to have a collection of SP&S E7s, one in each scheme she was painted in! I think there were six. John
This is the ebay site for TB member Marty Coil. No SPS on there now but you can see his work, always amazed at his WP wood bay windows. http://www.ebay.com/sch/martyscustomn/m.html?item=201027200341&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l4064
Hello Swissboy. I've done quite a few SP&S projects from cabooses, locomotives and woodchip cars......
I'm curious on how you guys do the hourglass? I think I may have an idea but I'm not sure how well it would work.
. 750, Last time I tried it, I first painted the yellow nose then masked it off for the green. On my next attempt I will make a masking template from tape to get the curved symmetry correct. I have waited because I still think Microscale decals colors are incorrect. Too bright yellow. They need to be more of the toned down NPish tan yellow. Give it a go. Good luck. Rick
I think Rick is correct for the color. APPLE BARREL has a color 'KING GOLD' That seems to be perfect for thaqt SP&S gold. Just a thought.
Ok, I've been using PS reading yellow for my units. but that stuff is way too goopy and weak even in layers, once I get a compressor for my airbrush and attempt a trick my cousin recommended to me I may eventually finish #869 and 213. Thank you for the tip NBR. I should probably price decal printers as they'd come in handy for making SP&S decals.
Marty, I love your cabeese! Well done. I still want to do a bay window. They were originally rebuilds from NP boxcars. That was why they were so tall with wheel sets tucked under the side steps. 750, While I think an airbrush is essential, do not think you have to wait. Give the Life Like FA2 and FB2 a chance. Detailed out they look pretty good as a faded hour glass scheme. They do have the older mechanism. I solved that by using Kato RS2 mechanisms. The trucks and fuel tank work with out alteration. The thinner RS2 left room for additional weight meaning more traction and they require drop in decoders. I pulled the motor from the older FA2, leaving the pickups for a Tsunami sound install in the B unit. That ALCO sound is very unique and worth it. This left the B unit a bit light, but with the newer smaller speakers, you can leave in more weight. I added grabs above the windshields and replaced the side steps with thinner metal ones. New horns went on top with the only painting was the maroon roof. MT coupler conversions filled in that ugly large coupler opening. As you can see I hard wired them together for sound quality. Some mild weathering on the roof and trucks finished it off. This has been one of my favorite projects and runs great with the Kato units. I wish Walthers would do their FA1s in an hour glass scheme. The SP&S had quite a few more these than the two FA2s. Their split frame mech is a great one. Good luck with your project. Rick
I love my Alco FA/FB pair, I have two sets an SP&S one WIP, broadstripe to represent units #869 and 213. The other set are GN ones 297 A & B, the great thing is that this set was common in eastern washington so they work out perfectly for an OT train.
Rick, Those Alcos look very nice. I have a FA2/B set and used the Atlas chassis. I'm thinking of doing another set so I can have an ABBA consist. John
Jims work is EXCELLENT I might add; clean crisp lines and decals you can't even see. He shoots with acrylics so sometime the color might be just a slight off compared to a loco painted with enamel, but unless they are side by side you never know the difference. Ryan
so here are atlas' new SP&S cabeese that I received today. #860 and #867, I like them so much I'm gonna get a couple more to renumber.
I ordered #860 and should be getting it any day. I should order #867 and as you are doing, a couple for renumbering. Nice looking cabeese. John
I agree Jim Vaughn does great work. Since he moved to Montana I see very little of him at swaps. Here is a trio of Kato RS3s he did for me. The center one with the solid colored sill is in as delivered scheme while the other two are in the following version. I have yet to weather them. Those caboose steps on the new Atlas model have nice detailing. Nice stripes. I failed to order any.
Its unfortunate that none of these cars actually match SP&S cars but it is possible to model accurate cars, if one were to be willing to do the work. I have listed, at the N-scale Varnish User's Guide, what cars can be built from available models and sides. Also, worth mentioning, the SP&S 305 was like the others, it was SP&S 306 that was the Budd dome - sleeper. The Lowell Smith business car looks nothing like ANY business car used by any road. Here is the link to the SP&S page... http://n-scalevarnish.info/index/varnish/UsersGuide/SP&S.htm In addition to the cars listed it is possible to kitbash the MicroTrains 50' mail car into a reasonably accurate baggage - mail (SP&S 42, 43) and further rebuilt like the prototypes) into mail storage cars (SP&S 58, 59, 1951) which were originally built for the Great Northern as the mail cars represented by MT. The GN rebuilt the cars to baggage - mail in 1927 and sold them to the SP&S in 1928. I have included the diagrams for both sets of cars below. These cars can be modeled by filling windows and widening doors as would be appropriate. Here are a couple links to the cars after they were rebuilt to mail storage... http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?july10/07-08-10/SPS58_Baggage_Car.jpg http://rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=220022 http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?december11/12-09-11/SPS59_Eugene_OR_1976_Baggage_Car.jpg I actually intend to kitbash some similar cars myself for my freelanced lines. I will try to work up a few drawings detailing the changes that need to be made for modeling both types of cars and post them when I am finished here.
Let me apologize in advance for the quality of these drawings... as some of you may know I can actually do quite better in doing drawings of locomotives and cars but this was simply a quickie project that I wanted to get done and post it. I am actually going to see about writing an article about doing this sort of conversion, to be posted to the N-scale Varnish website but for the moment, at least, I hope that these drawings will serve their purpose by showing what modifications need to be made to do these unique GN and SP&S cars. Below are the drawings that outline the modifications necessary to kitbash the GN/SP&S baggage - mail cars that were kitbashed by the Great Northern from 60 mail cars which are represented by the MicroTrains mail car model. In discussions with some folks who are far more experienced with things such as filling windows it has been recommended to me to use JB Weld ClearWeld to fill-in windows so as to represent plated over windows. By taping the back side of the window opening shut it should be possible to apply the Clearweld to represent a sealed up or covered over window and since these cars are representative of cars that were rebuilt by prototype roads I believe that the use of this method should serve modelers well. As for the type of doors that should be used it may be possible to obtain doors from Wheels of Time that match the desired door type or types, with the stock MT doors being cut out and the WoT doors trimmed to fit, with styrene strips being used to reinforce the door, carefully applied to the inside of the shell. I am hoping to soon begin to build one or more of the baggage - mail cars myself since my freelanced lines will be using them on some of the passenger trains. I hope that if anyone else decides to do one of these kitbash that you will share your work here on the forum. Once I get the article finished I will post the link to the forum in a new thread. And now for an off-topic (but closely related) shameful plug...
