HI i’m kind of new to trains I’m 15 and hope to build a good model of the prr in my basement.
I went to the lhs yesterday and you know when you go in and you see a good deal you just have to get it well that happend to me. i go in and i see a # 1502 L&N U25c for 18 dollars. It was made by rivarossi/ahm. When i got home i put it on the track and off it went. Ran great it has 8 wheel drive 6 wheel pickup open frame motor that runs great i will probobly replace it with a can motor someday when it dies.
I also have been working on a scratch built brass e6 atlantic like the prr 's engine.
15 years old and scratchbuilding a brass E6? Wow, that’s ambitious! I wish you the best of luck with that!
You may also want to look into picking up a Bowser (formerly Penn Line) E6. You can buy their kits new, but I see plenty of used or partially assembled ones on eBay as well.
Always nice to hear from a fellow Pennsy fan.
By the way, that L&N U25C can easily be painted Penn Central black or Conrail blue!
I would do yourself a favor and return to that LHS and ask them to show you how an Atlas or Kato locomotive runs. Then you will have a benchmark for a good quality running loco.
Since you are new to the hobby, I recommend that you do alot of reading of mags and books. This will give you a new vocabulary in order to describe things correctly and such.
Good luck with your brass project and please, please post us some pics of your progress.
The PRR owned 20 U25Cs, but they were all painted Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (a.k.a. Pennsy’s almost-black Brunswick Green). PolyScale makes a very good match for this color.
i’m realitively new i’ve been modleing for about 3-4 year. main reason i got the engine was the price. My lhs doesn’t have kato engines the mainly sell marklin trains. They run very well.
Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but Dr Dave, whats with the addition of the ConJob logo to your sig? Don’t tell me you are abandoning the Standard Railroad of the World![:O]
Well, I look at it this way… I have many more years in the service before I can retire. Since I can never know in advance what sort of space I can expect for a layout at my next assignment, my 3’ x 6’8" door layout is pretty much the limit of what I can do and still expect to be able to transport and re-use the layout.
So, in order to keep my tiny layout interesting and fun, I decided to attempt to make it dual-era. In other words, the plan is that every few weeks or so I would flip-flop between PRR and Conrail, replacing trains, vehicles, structures, etc. as appropriate. Sort of 2 layouts in 1.
I’m only beginning to amass a Conrail @1980 roster; I have a single GP38-2, an N20 cabin, and a mix of hoppers, boxcars, and covered hoppers… I also haven’t yet begun to acquire 1970s/1980 era vehicles.
I started a thread about the plan over in the layout forum:
You got a good deal on that U25C. Finding one that runs really well for under $30 or so is no easy task. I spent $12 on an old beat up U25, and it took another $15 or so to get it in real good working condition.
If you’re interested in the Pennsylvania, http://bowser-trains.com has the largest selection of PRR steam engines (kits) and diesels (semi-ready to run Stewart). Bowser steam engines can be some of the best runners you can get when you take your time to build them right, and the Stewart line of diesels are also excellent.[:D]
When the day comes don’t remotor it. Kaslo Shops makes a resin drive kit and chassis with a detail kit that just came out. Pricey but all the work is done for you.
They have a web site. there is also a Yahoo group about the U25C with pictures of the Kaslo effort. everyone seems pleased who has one. Large can motor with a new gear tower and chassis. As I recall a little more than $100.00 but a fine runner.
Great deal on the loco. BTW, 15 and scratchbuilding a loco? Dude, I’m 13, and I’m not anywhere near that level. Tell us how it turns out. Dude, you gotta leave that puppy in the L&N scheme. Just patch it out. The L&N was awesome.