Which odd locomotives will you/have you model(ed)?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’m just curious as to what oddball locomtotives have been done by others. These can be prototypes or built from raids on the junk drawer.

My efforts in the past 2-3 years include a Baldwin DT6-6-20 and EMD’s RS1325.

I’ve seen pictures of the mythical BL-T, which got me to thinking of doing an F7/9 pushmi-pullyu – an F7 with a cab at each end (for those mythical railroads that don’t like turning locos and don’t need AA, ABA, or ABBA lash-ups.

I’m planning on doing an NW4 and NW5 as soon as I can secure some drawings. I’m just lacking the magazines in question.

So what oddballs have you done?

Jay

2

I did an NW5 in Burlington Northern from Athearn Parts about 5 years ago, and It’s still my pride and joy locomotive. I hope to repower it in the future.

I also did an SDP45 in BN using older Athearn parts. I’d like to completely redo this locomotive using Kato/Atlas SD shells someday.

3

My one effort to date at an oddball has been to sorta re-create my version of ATSF’s Beep. I did so by grafting an Athearn GP7 long hood to an Athearn S12 frame. The puppy still has the switcher trucks on her so she isn’t a complete ATSF copy.[:D]

4

I have projects lined up to do a pair of RS1325s and a pair of SDL39s in N-scale. I have all of the pieces, but I want to work out a view small details, and I want to perform some other detailing and kitbashing projects to get some more experience before I tackle those two projects.

—jps

5

I want to scrachtbuild a 2 foot gauge 2-6-6-2 and a fireless 0-6-0

6

Good idea. Stretching the frame for the RS1325 can be a chore. I had to cut the frame in 3 pieces to do mine in HO. Both ends had to be moved out by 3 feet.

7

I bought a pair of Kato electric boxcab switchers, based loosely on a Japanese prototype, and rather toy-like. I figure they can be bashed into something else one day, but I haven’t decided just what.

8

I am scratchbuilding a Southern Pacific Tractive Effort Booster Unit (TEBU). I know some people may not consider this a locomotive, however they were listed on SP’s roster.

9

I am also planning on doing a pair of SP TEBU’s [:D]

there were a couple in my favorite video (Beaumont Hill by Video Rails) so i just have to make a couple for my layout. I have a bunch of good photos of them but some drawings with measurements would be a heck of a lot better. but they dont look too hard to build.

the only other oddball i am planing to do is a fantasy unit, a cabless SD90MAC.

10

I took the cab and one end of a Spectrum 44 tonner, shortened the hood still more and came out of it with a credible 25 tonner. Powered it with one of the 44 tonner’s trucks, of course.

Then took an MDC box cabv body and cut and spliced it down to a 23 tonner, also powered by Spectrum.

And if this counts in this catagory, I used yet another 44 tonner drive truck to power a TMI work crane, by putting the power truck in the tool car. used some MDC passenger trucks that match the wheelbase, figuring anything goes in MOW I modified the trucks so that all wheels on the tool car pick up current, as well as 2 axles per side on the crane too. Super reliable.

Am working on a rod connected “2-4-2” gas turbine, and a repowered and superdetailed Alco C-415 , starting with Model Power’s

11

I built a T-6 out of a AHM S-2.it was not exact but served the purpose as
works with SW-1200 calfs in yard dutys and transfer runs.

Stay safe…

David

12

Oh, I dunno, I’ve done a few going waaay back to my teenage days when I had a lot of junk and a lot of time on my hands… [:D]

Recently, I am attempting to do a “good enough” GP40MC for the MBTA (imagine a shortened Canadian cab on a GP40X body).

For a “what if”, I did a B40-8 in New Haven colors (the U25B scheme).

Going further back, I had a F3.5A with two B units. See, I was practicing the art of splicing shell parts together, and then attaching them. I wound up with a very short F7A shell. I had an old “Pancake” power truck form a Bachmann, and I put it under the shell. I painted it New Haven (of course), and proceeded to annoy the heck out of some of my fellow club members by running it at lightspeed around the club layout (boy, does that thing move!). That’s when another wise guy at the club said, “You need B units.” So, using the extra parts laying around (and another Bachmann pancake motor), I made two B units for my “shorty” F unit.

I also went the other direction and made a “F14A” (no, not the Tomcat). This, I can’t take 100 % credit for, as I bought the shell (two almost complete F7 shells glued back to back) like that at a train show. My part was designing a power chassis for it. I used two Athearn F7 frames, but the rear truck off one of them, and put it under the shell. To fill the mising truck under the middle of the body, I took the large fuel tank off the aforementioned Bachmann.

I have a “partner in crime”, BTW, that is far worse than me. This guy in my club has made all kinds of “shorty” (under 40’) equipment: Autoracks, spline TOFC’s, stock cars, boxcars, passenger cars (beyond the Walthers cars froma few years ago), FA-1’s, gondolas, etc. You name it, he’s probably done it. He has also made a 2-2-0, and put a DCC decoder in it! His other masterpiece was a cowled DD40X using F45 shells.

In short, I have seen and done some pretty strange stuff over the years. The differance with me these days is that I

13

I’m working on a GP40-2L(W) right now. Next up is a GP38-2W or an RSC24.

There actually was a dual-cab F7, but it was made for export (UK or Aussie, can’t recall which).