cmurray,Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'd like to offer some free advice if you want to improve the look of your already very nice M420's. It's been driving me nuts until I realized what was missing. See, I worked on a pair of these (still in CN paint) back in 1999 for a tourist line here in Massachusetts, and I spent a bit of time in, on, and around them. And looking at your well done model, something was bothering me...
It appears that you're missing a handrail stantion on each side of the long hood right behind the cab. It bisects the middle of the battery box doors (which hinge open like clamshells). I am very, very familiar with that stinkin' handrail stantion as it was very in-the-way when I was changing out the 16 freakin' locomotive batteries. That particular stantion was part of my life for a couple days...
Also, just a little extra advice...there should be a pair of re-railing frogs on the fireman's side, sitting on top of the fuel tank bulge. Thank goodness I never had to use one while I was there, but I spent a few minutes one time just trying to move one...it didn't happen.
Paul A. Cutler III************Weather Or No Go New Haven************
For O Scale operators LIONEL and Atlas O could have Sanda Kan make the M420 and M424 out of the C420 and C424 that they already offer. They have made "distinct" ready-to-run versons of Diesel Locomotives in the past few years, so that would not be a tall order.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
doctorwayne wrote:Here's a loco that I did for my son many years ago. It's a pretty-much stock Atlas C425, a model that CN never owned.Wayne
Here's a loco that I did for my son many years ago. It's a pretty-much stock Atlas C425, a model that CN never owned.
Wayne
But they did have C424's and only a nitpicker could probably tell the difference. I have 3 of the C424's, 2 in the original "noodle on the side" scheme and 1 in the stripes like yours.
Colin ---------- There's just no end to cabooseless trains.
My PhotoBucket album: http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c390/CN4008/
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My web site: http://www.cmgraphics.ca
Very nice job on the conversion, Colin, and, as far as modern prototype paint schemes go, my favourite. Here's a loco that I did for my son many years ago. It's a pretty-much stock Atlas C425, a model that CN never owned.
UP2CSX wrote:One of things I always look for is how well grabs line up and how straight they are, since mine never line up and are always crooked. Your grabs look perfect, which always gives me hope that it's physically possible to get things straight and lined up and, one day, I might even do that.
Actually, it was easy to get the grabs to line up because the shell had tiny depressions where the holes were to be drilled. The tricky part was bending all the hand rail wires to CN shape.
loathar wrote:Nice detail work! Is that N?
It's HO. Sorry, I should have mentioned that.
George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
Here are some shots of my recently completed MLW M420. It's a Kaslo shell on an Atlas U23B chassis. Details such as horn and bell are from Miniatures by Eric.