Just a simple thread to showcase stock or detailed Athearn Blue Box itmes roaming your tracks!!
CP 5637, new Bluebox with coupler mounts holding the shell on
Blue Box CP Rail 86’ Auto Parts box car passing “Pink Rocks” which I hope on day wihh be Red Rocks on the D&H & yes that’s right on the edge of a 4’ drop & I have had it kid tested & nothing has fallen off yet.
OOPS!
A re-motored and modified NW2:
Same Athearn switcher, re-done as SW1200RS, and also re-motored:
Re-motor (with two Mashima can motors) U-36-C:
Old Athearn geep, one of two re-motored and detailed to match two specific protoypes:
Some re-worked Athearn freight cars:
Athearn Pullman, shortened and re-built as a wood-sided baggage car:
I only have 1 so far, a SD40-2 with a BLI shell:
Buuuuut, I am expecting a BB PA-1 AB set in EL colors soon. [8D]
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a BB judging from these fine photos. Only goes to show ya, Athearn BBs will live forever. Long live 'em all! Great layout and cars, Wayne! No regrets from me and post some more…
DRWAYNE, Everytime I see some of your pics I am very impressed with your work, very tastefuly done and very nice workmanship.
MR is missing the boat by not having your layout featured in one of their issues. My suggestion to them would be that they get moving before someone else decides your layout deserves a feature spread.
One word----------------BEEEUTEEEFULLLL!
Mark
A pair of BB F-7s: Detailed both, drawbar coupled, B-unit has power (P1K F3B) pickup from both.
Pardon the screwdriver handle - this was originally taken for an inventory pic.
Wayne,
Your work is really top notch and well photographed. One question, who mows the grass in the turntable pit? I like that idea and may copy it on mine. I have been unsure of how to finish the tt pit and now I know. Keep the photos coming.
Bob
I only have the two GP-9s
A while back I assembled most all of my assembled BB’s for a family photo. The GN jade green was my first ever HO purchase. The UP right next to was my only attempt at paint and decals. Not shown are another 18 still in the boxes.
For motive power I have one BB bash. It’s based on a CN “SWeep” which is a GP9 body with an SW1200RS frame and cab.
Tom
I’ve got to hand it to you guys who can turn a cheap little BB into such works of art, and functional to boot! Very nice work to all who posted and thanks for sharing.
Please tell me if this counts, as I treat the newer RTR just the same as BB Locos, just not as many grab irons… This may be a review, I posted it recently in WPF.
This is an HO Athearn (newer Y&B box) CN GP40, I still consider it a (BB-with grab irons) with it’s big filament bulb & flat spring pickups. The purpose of this model is to show a few things;
Standard out of the box build I apply to a BB loco.
Wanted a Canadian machine with snow sheilds & tractor type ditchlights.
I left it unpainted for now, to show to non-train people what goes into ‘minting out’ a standard locomotive.
I have a few details to add, may do more with the fuel tank ends, add the trainline hoses, & the air deflectors on the cab windows. Ask if you want a parts list.
Mostly weathered BBs. My one bash is RTR with BB parts. My BB locos are still waiting for detail parts. 
Re-detailed Banana Reefer in the background. I got rid of most of the BB stuff years ago with the exception of a few favorite cars.
Why not?
I have two BB P42DCs, both of which were Amtrak units that I stripped and painted as VIA Rail units:
I also have an SW7, and used the chassis from a U-boat for another project. I also have a baggage car and 3 coaches from the old BB streamlined 72’ cars, that I have painted up in my freelanced passenger railroad’s livery. Don’t have any photos though. Strangely enough, I don’t have any BB freight cars, since I’m primarily a passenger modeller.
I have lots of Athearn BBs; some dating from the 60s when I started model railroading. Here are a few, all are ones that I have painted and decalled:
This is the B&M slug set; 2 GP-40-2s BM 300 & 301 with a GP9 slug between. The slug set were road diesels and were a railfan favorite for many years
A closeup of the slug, kitbashed from a dummy BB GP-9
2 tank cars MEC 715 and UTLX 85302
A caboose kitbashed from a 40’ box and a wide vision caboose to match a photo I have of MEC 646
A big hook 250 ton crane and crane tender
A 50’ box CR 146248, a PC paintout representing a car from when Conrail was new; an old Walthers decal set
GP7 BM 1715 in a simplified bicentennial paint job
2 MEC passengers cars, and one diner; the F3 is Stewart
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Some really nice work being shown here. [tup]
Mister Mike and Mark, thank you both for the very kind words. [:D]
Thanks Bob. [:D] My story is that the pit gets sprayed with weed killer every year, but, of course, the weeds always grow back. [swg] I should really install a couple of catch basin grates, too: the pit, like the nearby shop buildings and the coaling tower, has piped-in steam from a nearby steam/power plant, so my LPBs don’t need to shovel snow out of the pit in the winter. Keeps the shops warm and the coal doesn’t freeze in the tower, either. (Guess I should also install the overhead distribution pipes. [:$] My free-lanced railroad is set in southwestern Ontario, some areas of which recently received over four feet of snow.)
The power plant is just around the corner, to the left, below:
Wayne
Wayne, As always, beautiful layout photos and layout as well…
And…I have a good friend who lives just south of Chatham, told me yesterday that Chatham had about 4 feet of the white stuff and that London had close to 6 feet of it!!! He also said that strangely they received almost nothing at his place, must have been a very unusal snow storm in more ways that one.
Gads, if we ever had 4 feet of snow dropped on the ground here in Central Missouri at one time they could just collect the bodies after the thaw as I’m sure power would be the first to go.
Mark
I can’t imagine 4 feet at one time…
Mark