Painting an Undec. Atlas RS-1

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Howdy All, and Happy Holidays!

I just picked up 3 undecorated HO Atlas RS-1’s, which I will be painting for my Midland Continental layout. My question is, how to go about painting the frame without completely dissassembling the (very nice running) drivetrain?

Getting the hood and cab off for painting looks easy enough, but do I disassemble the trucks, or mask the motor and drivetrain? Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks, Mike

2

Use masking tape to cover the trucks, motor, gears and anything else you do not painted.

3

I’ve only painted old, 20 year old, Atlas RS’s. You have to take the couplers off to get the running board/frame off.

I assume the current offerings are much more highly detailed or are the details not ready to be applied and packed separately?

4

If I remember correctly, the sideframes on the RS1 can be popped off, which makes the masking process much more simple. If you do choose to disassmble the whole thing, putting it all back together isn’t too difficult.

5

There are diagrams of the Atlas RS-1 HERE. Click on the top, middle icon where it reads “Engine Diagrams/Part Numbers” - there are two versions of the RS-1 shown.

I painted this RS-1 for a friend, and stripped it down to the frame with the running gear and motor left in place. Even on undecorated ones, the frame is already painted black…

I kept the plastic handrail stanchions, but replace the handrails with ones formed from .015" music wire. There are some added details, too.
The model was airbrushed with Floquil Gray Primer, followed by CNR Green and Yellow from Accupaint. The yellow on the hood ends was done with Accucals, as was the patch for the road name, while the roadname was done with individual letters from a Champ alphabet set.
I brush-painted the wheel faces, handrails, numberboards and other details.

Were my layout set in the diesel era, I’d have a few of these smooth-running locos (and a lot of Bowser Centuries, too). [swg]

Wayne

6

Thanks for the help guys. After looking at the instruction sheet, and reviewing your comments, I will be removing the sideframes, hood, and cab, then masking the drivetrain and trucks.

The RS-1 is different from my undecorated RS-36s since the walkway is cast into the frame. The RS-36 (and I imagine a many other atlas engines) have a plastic walkway that is separate from the frame and hood.

Also, the most recent run of the RS-1 has a cast gray frame, as opposed to the black metal version, which is why I need to paint it. Had it been black, I would just need to weather it.

Thanks again fellas, much appreciated!