Locomotive detailing

[Bergie]

In the Back to Basics column in November 2003 Model Railroader, Jeff Wilson writes about adding details to diesel locomotives. What degree of detail do you add to your model locomotives?

Please vote below then share your comments.


Polls on Trains.com are not scientific and reflect only the opinions of the users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, the readers of our magazines, nor the public as a whole. Bottom line, our polls are meant for fun and to stimulate conversation amongst our forum users.

[perrylamb]

Actually moderate detailing would better suit my answer. Since I have a private road, all my diesel locomotives get the same parts so they follow a "family" appearance, horn, bell, roof beacon, antennas, air conditioning, working ditch lights and plow. Other details are added to improve appearance, like windshield wipers, etc. But, remembering that these units must also work on a operations oriented railroad, I don't go overboard. I do spend a lot of time applying all the decal warning and data markings that would appear on a prototype locomotive. The little flashes of color make a big difference. Add to this custom road name decals and weathering, you get a fine looking locomotive that stands up to the demands of a functional railroad.

Perry Lamb, President
Utah, Colorado & Western Railroad

[Anonymous]

I have an operating layout. With 35 different operator I just don't think that it would pay to super detail. To many hands.

[Anonymous]

My brass locomotives get painted and weathered pretty heavily, unless they are
passenger engines. Same goes for most of my rolling stock.

[Anonymous]

My locomotives get just enough detail to make them personally my own. They get a minimal amount of weathering and grime. No engine sould look as if it never had any care done for it whatsoever. It is a far too easy thing to go overboard and ruin a fine example.

[tankertoad70]

Fer me it's a toss-up between enuf to make 'em look good[:D] and going nutz. [:p] Most of my lokies get what I consider obvious details, some get the 'works'.[8D]

[TomDiehl]

I have my own road name, and also several locomotive models of real railroads. On my own road, I try to keep details similar between locos to give the family appearance, but I don't go crazy with it. A hobby is supposed to be fun, and I'm more into reliable operation and good pulling power. On prototype railroad models, I try to get the signature details, like my current project, a pair of Mantua die cast Baldwin shark bodies with Hobbytown drives detailed for the Pennsy. The main detail is the Trainfone antennas, which I added, plus changed the nose detail to an RF-16 and added the front sand fills. This is the extent of the detail I'll be doing, since I believe more would be prone to damage in handling and operation.
Tom Diehl

[FJ and G]

glad to see i'm voting w/majority: detail a little.

too much detailing and i'm liable to screw it up beyond repair!

[vsmith]

I voted super-detail but thats not entirely accurate, I'm doing 1/2 scale and alot of the stuff thats out there is so poorly detailed that I HAVE to add detailing or they just dont look right. I must add detailing to the stock item just to get it to what I consider a BASIC level of realism, and I will probalby continue to add several layers of details over the years ahead also.

Example: LGB's Porter loco looks good on the outside but the cab is a joke. I added pipes, valves, throttle, and reversing lever form Ozark, added air compresser, air tanks on the sides, and a texas longhorn skull to the smokebox. Add the first layers of weathering and its just starting to look like I want it to.

This is going to be the case for almost ALL of my loco's. At G guage you would expect to be able to look into cabs, cars, buildings, etc, and see details so that up's the ante for the modeler. For us its a challenge, but a fun one.

[Anonymous]

I did something rather unusual with my new Western Pacific HO gauge set.
The builder of the cars just repainted their previous SP set of cars silver. The SP cars looked different than the California Zephyr Cars so I decided to have a completely
inaccurate set for my California Zephyr. I purchased a SP e unit and painted it Silver and Orange and put all the WP and California Zephyr decals on it and thus I now have a complete authentic unauthentic set. Funny huh?

[ajpaschal]

The amount of ditail that I add depends on teh correctness of the locomotive out of the box. Of course, the redily available details are much easier to do. When necessary, I'll make what I need.

[GDRMCo]

My railroad uses Alco PA-1s/PB-1s and PA-2s/PB-2s. The PA-2s get plows and nose ladders and ice breakers and so bo the PB-2s but they do not get plows.

[Anonymous]

I think that adding detail or changing an RTR product sort of stamps your name on it. No-one who visits can say they have one like it. I like a moderate amount of weathering, but it is too easy to completely ruin a loco with too much grime.

[Anonymous]

I give a locomotive the general trimings before it goes on the road. As time goes by I
often add additional details to my satisfaction.
One rule thumb: if the detail won't survive the servicing cradle, I leave it off.

[Anonymous]

I don't usually enjoy working with the very small parts that are necessary to super detail locomotives. Occasionally, though I will dabble with it. Models do look quite superb when super detailed but very often adding general details does a good enough job for my taste.

[BRAKIE]

I model good enough/close enough..My C&O units look like C&O units without all the finer details.I add bells on the short hood of my GP7/9s,side mounted bells on the long hood as required,my GP30s have both set of horns and all units have the proper style of horns.[;)]

[Anonymous]

Things that can break off stay off for my Boston & Maine road. I do add MV lenses on all my non-lighted engines, plows and bells,and added garbs and handrails. That and painted numberboards make the model look "Good enough".

[Anonymous]

I weather some of my locomotives to reflect "in service" condition (especially taking the glossy sheen off), while others represent "fresh from the shop/pride of the roster" condition.

[Anonymous]

I haven't done much with the RTR steam besides decaling for my road, but the kit was a diferent story (Old time round house 2-8-0). I changed the pilot, added coupler lift bars, train lines, water feed lines, sand lines, and heavy weathering. It was a lot of work, but worth it, since it was going on the same layout with Proto200 and Genesis steam.

[Anonymous]

My standard is "more than a little, less than alot". Added details must be two things, visable and durable. Someone once wrote that "some added detail tricks the viewer into seeing more than there really is" and I agree. I also feel my modeling time is too precious to use it to repair details on completed projects.

[Anonymous]

My medium sized, but meticulously detailed pike dictates super-detailing of all facets involved.

[Anonymous]

I would love to super detail my locos, but I believe I would slowly work up to that challenge.
William

[JoeUmp]

While I checked "No Detailing," that doesn't mean that I'm not planning on it after I figure out what I want to add for my freelanced road.

[Anonymous]

I really don't go much into detailing. I like to run them just as they are. I don't fault the person who wants accuracy, but I think some modelers tend to over due it. I mean who is going to notice if a Z scale locomotive is 1 scale inch too wide. After all, isn't model railroading supposed to be fun?

[Anonymous]

It makes my Athern good runners look like something else. I takes time to make the engine mine. I like the improved scale appearance. It is much easier for me to work on plastic than brass so I can really load up a car or locomotive and run with pride on the club layout. Even the RTR models llok nude just out of the box.
Lindsay

[Anonymous]

Most of the locomotives out of the box these days is detailed enough for my tastes. Some of the older stuff though needs some detail to personalize it to fit a persanal road

[sparkingbolt]

It varies with the loco. If it is well detailed, I may actually leave it as is, 'cept some weathering. Sometimes though, they dont look right without some help. Just bought a couple MDC RS3s, (kits) they'll get lift rings, m.u. hoses, uncoupler bars, "glass", some sort of headlighs. Mainly the stuff that's obvious by it's absence
This new batch of steam and diesel locos of late seem to have more detail than we could do ourselves not that long ago. it's great! Dan in Bend

[Anonymous]

I fall on the superdetail end of the spectrum. As I dont have huge ambitions in terms of numbers of locomotives I tend to pull one off and revamp it to my current level of skill and knowledge. The net result is a rotational progression toward the highly detailed end of the scale.

[Anonymous]

Diesels have details?[?] OK, maybe under the hood.
No brass whistle, bell, external air tank, feedpump, etc.
I model a small branchline, circa 1939, so I have a lot of older stuff (like me) which is fairly well detailed.

[leighant]

I couldn't find appropriate way to vote. I detail moderately to match prototype photos but rarely use "aftermarket parts" except for the figures in the cab. Usually have to make my own parts from bits of wire, plastic etc.