Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Do you have a modified loco?

2509 views
18 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • 1,009 posts
Do you have a modified loco?
Posted by GDRMCo on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 11:12 PM
Mine is a Alco PA with steam generators with grills on the sides of the nose which is connected to a dummy PB which carries a DCC decoder to control the steam generators.

ML

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 26, 2003 1:35 AM
hello
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 26, 2003 8:23 AM
I have a 2-8-2 that started life as an IHC 2-8-0,
It ran great, but didnt care for the cast on details. I also had an Athern 2-8-2 that was a bit more detailed then the IHC, but ran like crap.(could never figure out how that thing won MRs product of the year award). I added some piping air tanks, grab irons etc, to the Athern body, modified the IHC chassie to accept it, kept the IHC tender, but took off details from the athern tender and but them on it. Used a set of rear bogey wheels I had on hand for the rear wheels to complete my 2-8-2, now it looks great, and runs great too. also equipped it with DCC
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Pittsburgh, PA
  • 1,261 posts
Posted by emdgp92 on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 11:38 AM
I have a pair of Tyco Baldwin RF16s that I installed frames from Bachmann F9s. The original Tyco drives were junk, and I just happened to have 2 F9As sitting around. This mod is rather straightforward. Just trim the tabs on the Bachmann drive, and it'll slide right in. The only problem now is, that I can't figure out how to mount couplers on them! The Bachmann pads are rather fragile, and I don't want to chop up the shells, since both are painted for Johnson's Wax.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 12:19 PM
I am in the process of finishing building a late boxcab diesel, using parts from two MDC boxcabs, an Ahearn CN NW-1, and a GE U25B.
  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 5:56 PM
I have 2 Athearn GP40-2s that I repowered with the Atlas drives..

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • 1,009 posts
Posted by GDRMCo on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 7:55 PM
I made a 4-10-10-6. icut up 2 4-8-8-4s and added an extra set of drivers to each engine truck making 10 drivers on each truck the got a 2-6-6-6 and cut of the cab firebox and rear truck. i made a longer boiler and put the whole thing together and made an articulated tender

ML

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Niue
  • 735 posts
Posted by thirdrail1 on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 8:34 PM
All of my N scale locomotives, Diesel, steam and electric, are to some extent modified or superdetailed, some more than others. I have two PRR L1s Mikados, for example. One is an Atlas mechanism made by Rivarossi with a boiler that started out from MiniTrix, while the second is a Kato mechanism with a GHQ boiler.
"The public be ***ed, it's the Pennsylvania Railroad I'm competing with." - W.K.Vanderbilt
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • 141 posts
Posted by Kent on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 10:40 PM
One Atlas SD60M with working ditch lights painted to Santa Fe red/silver. and a BNSF SD60M with working ditch lights the can FLASH side to side with two extra white LEDs inside!

Kent Timm, author of ZugDCC for Lenz XpressNet DCC
  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 263 posts
Posted by tankertoad70 on Thursday, July 10, 2003 11:16 AM
Well, I hadda Athearn GP50 (early version) that I 'bashed' into a respectable GP60M, and took an Athearn S12 and converted that hummer to a 'Beep'.[}:)]
Don in 'Orygun' City
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 10, 2003 2:47 PM
Right now, everythings stock. But I'm going to be 'Improving' the Athearn GP35 (removing the Dynamics, pilot details, better railings), and probably add a bit of detail to my S-2.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 11, 2003 5:32 PM
Like "third_rail" just about all of my locos have been detailed, altered or weathered in some way - except the Bachman Doodlebug which isn't worth the effort [V] -and the two P2K GP7s I bought recently and haven't started on yet.

My most modified loco started life as a MDC UP ten-wheeler which I kit bashed into something resembling a MEC O class 4-6-0, complete with entirely new tender, virtually all the all the cast on detail removed and replaced as appropriate, lighting installed and wired for DCC. Even though its only an approximation it looks the part, and as far as I know the MEC O class has never even been produced in brass so it will have to do. I'll have to try an O-1 next - that has outside valve gear to add [}:)]....
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 7:23 PM
I tend to do a lot of nose jobs, as I model Norfolk & Western in the 1970's, which means high noses, long hood forward for safety...
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 8:05 PM
I have a Model-Power RS11, detail stripped and replaced appropiate for a BN [ex NP] loco. in the mid to late 70's, re-motored and fly-wheeled with parts from a Walthers FA on to the original trucks and gear-boxes, painted in BN green, weathered as an old Alco should be, and finished just before Atlas re-issued their updated version! Ho Hum!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 8:26 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Scott Groff

I am in the process of finishing building a late boxcab diesel, using parts from two MDC boxcabs, an Ahearn CN NW-1, and a GE U25B.
Scott; Please tell more about this bash. I'm a big fan of Boxcabs and I'm looking at the possibilty of an MDC Boxcab bash of my own. Need more info.
  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: US
  • 3 posts
Posted by cneste on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 9:08 PM
I have a Mantua Mike that I ground all the detail off the boiler and replaced it with Cary, Cal-Scale and Kemtron castings and brass piping. Some of the details, such as the platform for the turbo-generator and the feedwater heater cold water pump, are scratchbuilt. This was my first attempt at a major redetail project.
Now I'm doing the same to an old AHM Big Boy.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 17, 2003 8:08 AM
I "Pennsy-fied" a Spectrum 2-8-0, Smokebox front, bell, whistle, water scoop, markers, paint, decals.
  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Nova Scotia
  • 825 posts
Posted by BentnoseWillie on Thursday, July 17, 2003 8:37 AM
Tons of 'em. A kitbashed C630M built from a Tyco C630 and a Model Power C628 (and another planned using an Athearn drive); a brace of Rail Power SD45-2's with Cannon and Athearn bits added; an RS11 undergoing conversion to an RS18; a GP9 getting reworked and detailed; and so on.

The question is more do I have any stock locomotives...
B-Dubya -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside every GE is an Alco trying to get out...apparently, through the exhaust stack!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 17, 2003 11:41 AM
For the person who asked for more details about my kitbash for a boxcab: What I have done is cut an MDC boxcab in two pieces in such a way as to leave the engineers window and door, one section for each end. That means I had to fill the partial window opposite of the side access door with styrene and putty. I also sanded off all the rivet detail to make an all-welded-construction unit.

I bought an Athearn NW-1 Diesel, removed the shell, and carefully sliced off the hood, leaving the base plate that holds the fuel tank because I needed the original Athearn method of holding the shell onto the frame. I glued the two MDC box cab ends to the plastic frame. Epoxy the MDC box cab end buffer plates and couples boxes to the Athearn frame.

Glue some Evergreen styrene angle to the plastic Athern base on the inside of the box cab ends to give them some support. Slice the roof off another MDC box cab to cover the extended frame of the Athearn unit. Fortunately these kits are really cheap at swap meets.

I had a spare GE U25B Diesel shell so I cut out a section with equipment access doors that I made fit the space between the two box cab ends. The Athearn frame for the NW-1 is somewhat longer than the MDC box cab unit so you have to find a way to fill up some space.

This resulted in a raised middle section with just enough clearance for the Athearn motor and a decoder on top of it. Believe it or not, this is prototypical. I am following pictures in a book of early Diesels.

Use Squadron Green putting to fill any gaps and sand smooth. I cut off the cast on grab irons and added metal ones. Shorten the MDC part that contains the two exhaust stacks and glue it on, along with the two MDC roof radiators. Add a bell and horn and the MDC headlights, drilled to accept grain of rice bulbs.

Spray paint and decal, add an engineer in a seat at the window, and glaze the windows. I fabricated compressed air tanks for the roof out of Evergreen styrene tubing, sized by eye, mounted in small slices of L-angle to represent tank supports. I will also install the original Athearn end plate stanchions, somewhat modified.

This has been my Summer project. I've never done anything like this before and I made a goal to get it done this Summer. The parts have been sitting on my work bench for a year or more. I have no idea how much time I've spent - I usually don't get more than a couple of hours a week to work on this. Contact me directly at ScottG@McKinstry.com if you need more information.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!