Oh, i see your pic of the 38. But mine would have a SD70M cab.
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by dingoix
CN beat you to it in the '70s… http://mile262.railfan.net/gallery/cnrail/locomotive/cn/cn4799.html
[:p]
I’ve been doing it for a long time too:
Bob Boudreau
Thanks for the replies guys. The pics are great. I have started on my engine. I dont know when I’ll have pics.
Victor
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
Well, I should have put this with my first post in this thread, but…
I do plan on building new locomotives for my railroads, and from the projects I have in mind, I am not limiting myself to diesels. I have many plans that I hope to at least attempt. I would have probably started something if I had some styrene and more tools, but the lack of both limits me as to what I can actually do.
so icmr, you’re going to take parts from engines you have now and build your new one?
I’ve enjoyed ‘kitbashing’ or ‘converting’ or whatever one chooses to call it–for years I wanted a Rio Grande F-81 2-10-2 for my MR, but could never find one. I finally found a ‘junker’ brass 2-10-2 at a swap meet and went about doing a conversion with a whole truckload of castings, and got myself a pretty fair replica if I do say so, myself.
Just this year, I got a Spectrum USRA Heavy Mountain that I realize can be converted into a Southern Pacific MT-2 with some castings and adjustments, so that’s my next project.
I’ve converted or modified quite a few of my steam locos over the years–everything from a few details like different headlights and feedwater heater systems to entire ‘face-lifts’. I think it’s one of the pleasures of the hobby.
Tom [:D]
Bob,
I had to do a triple take on that. Now THAT, is freakin sweet. Is that a Wide Cab on a GP-9?[:O]
Other than some wood and cardstock creations of my early youth (now, mercifully, lost in the mists of time) my efforts to date have involved minor redetailing and kitbashing. However, in the (hopefully not too distant) future I’m going to take on putting scratchbuilt superstructures over some steam loco mechanisms that currently run well enough, but have superstructures that are utterly inappropriate to my modeling era and location. Materials and ideas are at hand. The missing link is time, which is presently fully occupied with layout construction.
That’s right dingoix. I made a couple revisions since my first post. The loco Im building right now will be a SD70R with the SD70 spartan cab and SD80MAC radiators replacing the SD70’s. The only thing I dont have is the motor. I should have pics at the end of the week. NOTE: this is my first time building/bashing locomotives so it might be a while before I get everything right.
Victor
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
anything w/ the spartan cab, i like.
BACK IN THE OLD DAYS…yeah I know!!! Everything was either built from scratch or a kit. The last engine I assembled was a Mantua Reading Goat. A few years after it was finished I installed a NWSL motor, gearbox &flywheel ( a tight fit) A few years later I added a decoder. It adds a new dimention to model railroading. I still have a Mantua logger kit on the shelf along with a Cary detail kit. I’ll get to it someday
You too, Jerry?
Heck, I just finished a Bowser Challenger kit. Taking it to the club on Thursday for a test run. I’ve built several of the Mantua kits and this is my third Bowser. This is what I consider “building.”
Add to that detailing, kitbashing, and custom painting jobs too numerous to mention.
Here are picture and links to two engines I built / kitbashed. The first is a GE132 ton Centercab that was scratch built as much as possible.
The second one is a D&H RS3u that was kitbashed from an Atlas RS3.
There are How I did It pages on my web sit at the links below.
RS3 http://www.dansresincasting.com/RS3%20project.htm
132 Ton http://www.dansresincasting.com/GE132%20ton%20PG1.htm
I have done some other projects that I don’t have listed currently on my site.
Dan Pikulski
www.DansResinCasting.com
I want to take a GP38-2 and put an AC4400 cab on it (GP38-2W) it looks like it’ll fit if i cut the nose off a GP38-2. but I don’t want to cut up the engines i have now so i’d just buy a GP38-2 shell and a AC4400 cab and put that on my GP38-2 frame
I don’t have the time to “scratch build” a locomotive, but i have kitbashed entirely my whole fleet…I do know my limitations and scratchbuilding a locomotive is one of them…I’ll do kitbashing of locomotives and buildings until the cows come home …but scratchbuilding a locomotive?..way out of my league!..my hat is off to all those “brass hats” out there…chuck
I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a high short hood SD50 as if the Southern didn’t merge with the N&W until the 1990’s. The closest I’ve thought about getting into a “scratchbuild” project is doing a GP39X which would involve everything new from the walkways up using as many Cannon & Co. parts as possible and maybe starting with an athearn GP50 shell.
Josh, do you have any photos? I have kitbashed a U18B before, and have always wanted to try using an Atlas model.
Matt
A friend of mine found an old Lionel HO scale model of a U18B on eBay a while ago, a real rarity! He later found another one that wasn’t in very good shape on eBay too. Might be worth while checking out eBay to find one and use the shell as a starting point.
bob Boudreau
Bob, I keep a constant watch on any U18B that shows up on eBay. Somehow, that one must’ve slipped by. The last one I saw went for around $50.
Have you seen the unit? If so, is it at all close to the prototype?
One thing I notice about the old Lionel HO U18B’s is their overly-clunky handrails. One hesitation I would have with buying one is handrail replacement. Other than modifying Athearn handrails, I’d probably have to custom build handrails.
Also, their roadnames were a bit odd. I think I’ve seen a SOO and a DRGW. You have to wonder why they didn’t go ahead and use the prototypical roadnames.
Matt