While Dremeling the weight from an Athearn Superpower F-7 for a project (FL-9A from MR August 1961), I just got to wondering, with all the articles about kit bashing or crosskiting using Athearn (Or other products), how many people do much of this? I have modified an Athearn 200 ton crane to hint at diesel power, am doing something similar to the Athearn Rotary Snow Plow which will also have a motor instead of the Hi-f drive for the rotor, (both freelance) replaced the long hood on an old AHM RS-2 with the long hood from from an Athearn Geep, cut the steam generator from the left over short hood and spliced it onto a 1975 era Atlas SD-24, converted another Geep to a B unit, converted an Athearn F-7A to an F-10, and converted an Athearn F-7A to an FP-7A. For rolling stock, the FL-9A/FP-7A lashup could head up a nice streamline passenger consist starting with an Athearn sl baggage (stock), Athearn 72’ sl Combine (kb), couple stock 72’ coaches, stock diner, Articulated chair car (about 134’, kb) Articulated Diner (about 155’, kb) 72’ roommette/lounge (kb), a couple stock 72’ domes, and an Athearn 72’ sl dome-observation.
Sombody gave me an old Rocco European electric with a bad pancake motor, so I mated it with a slightly modified Athearn SW-7 power chassis.
Also, I converted one of the Athearn 200 ton flats to a well-type flat car witha 30 foot well, and using a photo in an older MR, rough bashed a Nalco weed sprayer car from a 40’ Athearn box car.
These projects were in addition to recently using articles in MR to lower the body on a Bachman GE 44 ton loco and lowering the boiler on an MDC Climax, as well as converting it from a wood-burner to a coal burner.
One simple one was to swap boilers between an old late 50s Mantua Big Six 0-6-0 and a later Tyco 2-6-2 to give a switcher with 2 sand boxes, and an 0-6-0 with 2 sand boxes. The boilers were both perfect fits on the new chassis.
Yeah I would like to see pics to. I just finished a couple first bashes. One of which was a bash of an rs-2 and a gp-18. I posted pics earlier in the week.
I think less people do it now because there is more variety of commercially produced cars, so the need to kitbash is removed, and the trend towards RTR models means that you will spend as much time disassembling the car as reassembling it.
I have kitbashed Athearn engines to made SD40’s, cars to make a 1932 10 ft IH boxcar, 50 ft gons to make various USRA 46 ft gons, a 50 ft gon to a 1902 36’ Pressed Steel gon, coaches into RDG PBm coaches, RPO’s to a RDG RPO and 36 ft reefers into 36 ft boxcars. All of those kitbashes (except the 36 ft cars) are “obsolete” now because there are commercial models made for those types of cars/engines.
B&M converted an old GP-9 into a road slug. For many years, Slug 100 was partnered with GP40-2s B&M 300 and 301; railfans called them the Slug Set. They even made it into Guilford gray. I started with an Athern dummy GP-7/9, removed the cab, lowered the hood height, filled the dynamic brake area with styrene, sanded the sides smooth and covered them with thin styrene. It’s still a dummy, but I have been thinking of lighting the number boards.
In the early 60s, there was a shortage of cabooses; and MEC shops converted a number of 40’ boxcars into cabooses. I started with an undecorated Athern wide vision caboose and a 40’ boxcar. After a lot of cutting, modifying and body putty, this was the result.
The ends are a bit too thick, if I do another one I may cut the ends off and replace them with a detail part. MEC had 2 versions of these - narrow coupola like I modeled, and wide vision coupla. Portland Terminal (PTM) also had one without a coupla.
Nice job on the model. I wouldn’t bother with the number boards. On a train only the engine the train is cleared as or the warrants issued against, would hve the engine numberboards lit. Since this engine spent its life sandwiched between two other engines, I doubt it was ever the engine used to clear the train.
the MKT/UP had a similar set which was also numbered 300, etc. What a coincidence.
I did some kit bashing on 6 Athearn SD9’s last spring. I converted them to SD35’s using IHC Atlas clone shells. I still have to modify the fuel tanks, paint them, install my Earnst regear kits, and install my DCC decoders.
The only Athearn kitbash I’ve done which followed an article in MR was to change an Athearn switcher (in those days, they called it a SW1500) into an NW2. I remotored and re-geared it at the same time, and also added a cab interior, extra weight, and a few details:
Other projects included Atlas SD24s and -35s with scratchbuilt safety cabs (along with the scratchbuilt all-weather cab on the Bachmann Northern and the centipede tender kitbashed from the original Santa Fe long tender):
A Model Power FA converted to an FPA-4:
And an FB converted to an FPB-4:
A pair of Model Power E7As re-worked into an E7B phase II:
Various Athearn heavyweight coaches and Pullmans re-done as wood-sided headend cars:
Along with some modified Rivarossi heavyweights, including…
A friend of mine once showed me his PRR Mail Handling Car. I commented that it looked kind of like two 40’ boscars that had been shortened & jammed together… Hmmm.
I had two old Athearn 40’ boscars laying around so I cut one end off of each one about 3 panels in (I think, I’m going from memory here), then cleaned & squared the ends up and reglued the two pieces into a longer car. I painted it in a maroon color, printed some decals for it then placed it in service on my mpassenger train. No, the NKP never had any “mail handling car” that I’m aware of, but mine does! : )
. These an old life like and an old AHM rs-2 and gp-18.