Steam locomotive projects for the branch.
The customizing and superdetailing of steam locomotive models seems to have largely faded, just like the real engines did, as younger modelers become further and further removed from the steam era. 60 years ago when I first started model railroading, such detailed work was largely executed on brass engines, all done by removing and replacing extremely minute, detailed parts with micro soldering.
There’s a fair amount of customizing and superdetailing of locomotives today, but of course in today’s world it focuses on diesels. Plus, the model locomotive world has almost entirely shifted to plastic models, which means an entirely different mindset for just about everything. Even though I’m going to focus exclusively on steam locomotives in this thread, I hope that someone that does similar work on diesels will start up a seperate diesel discussion since that work is certainly just as worthy of examination. Or even electric locomotives, let’s not forget those.
I have a few engines that I have modified that more closely resemble prototypes that I am interested in. I have to say that at my advanced age I really don’t feel like microdetailing things at the rivet counter level. Instead, I modify notably visible details to make the engine appear as if it belonged with the actual prototype engines. In my case, it is details characteristic of locomotive practice on my favorite railroad, the Missouri Pacific. And, in full disclosure, I do very little of this work myself because of limited vision and deteriorating dexterity. I am more of an idea man who pays a guy to do this work for me. I do spend money, but I end up with beautiful models that endlessly please me and I don’t feel bad about doing it at all.
It’ll take me a little while to begin to assemble these stories which will appear separately since they are all relatively involved. But hopefully I might give someone some ideas that they may find enjoyment in doing themselves on their own engines.
