Weekend Update 8/1/21

[wm3798]

Managed to get a bit further with cutting up and extending old Bachmann mechanisms  Still a lot of work to do to get it to run well.

Certainly a low-risk surgery.  There must be 7 million of them laying in junk drawers all over the world.  I know I have one!

Lee

[kiwi_al]

Certainly a low-risk surgery.  There must be 7 million of them laying in junk drawers all over the world.  I know I have one!

Lee

Hi Lee, yes it's low risk and I can get parts easily which is why I'm using a whitebox 4-8-4 but they are also crappy runners, this is a proof of concept for cutting up the really good running ones . I make my mistakes on this one then when I cut up the better quality ones I should be good to go. It's taken 2 for this model, 2 for the next one and I have an earlier one that I have re-motored but runs like crap - need to fix the mechanism on that one.

[randgust]

Managed to get a bit further with cutting up and extending old Bachmann mechanisms  Still a lot of work to do to get it to run well.

I had one of those first-run white-box 4-8-4's back in the late 70's, with the cup-gear reduction, and it was quite the design mess, put a ton of work into it, and didn't sell it until I got my first Hallmark 4-8-4.   But one thing it did, and did well, was track flawlessly and pull like a mule - once I took out the tender pickup drags and got rid of the traction tires and moved all pickup to the drivers.

But it also had blind center drivers, and the Hallmark didn't, and the Hallmark couldn't even negotiate a 15" radius curve - so I ended up blinding the Hallmark like the Bachmann.   REALLY old Atlas forum thread I did on that one with Verne Niner.  Moral of the story is, and what I see on your mech, is a whole lot of flanged drivers on a 2-10-4, so I sure hope you either have really wide curves or some nice lateral play in there. 

I always wondered how good the mech could be if you ditched that horribly noisy motor and cup gear mess.

I still have some leftover Bachmann junk from cross-kitting two of them to end up with mine (to get all solid drivers).   Need anything?

[Pomperaugrr]

I did not have much modeling time in the last few weeks, but I did make progress on two N scale locomotive modifications. I finished filling seams on the RS3M and built the boxy air filter housing on the GP9M for my N scale Housatonic RR layout.

I primed them and got a base coat of CNW yellow on the main shells and CNW green on the frames, handrails and cabs. Next weekend will be masking and green paint on the main body shells. Then gloss coat, HRRC decals and dull coat. Weathering will wait for this winter.





Eric

[davefoxx]

@Pomperaugrr,

Looking good.  One suggestion might be to hit the areas of the shell that will be inside the cabs with black or a darker color than the yellow, so that the "cab interiors" are less conspicuous when your locomotives are complete.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[amato1969]

Agree with @davefoxx , nice work @Pomperaugrr ...  Those funky exhausts and fans look great, as does your base color.  Yellow is super tricky to get coverage!

  Frank

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Every time I see that RS3M I keep thinking "wait, Reading didn't have those...".

Looks great man. Can't wait to see em done.

And I third the recommendation for the darker cab area.

[Pomperaugrr]

I appreciate the feedback!  I will definitely blacken the cab interior areas.  That is on the to-do list.  I also need to seal the hole I made inside the cab of the RS3M, for a future sound installation. Right now there will be light leakage through it.  That is the only place I can possibly fit a speaker without major frame modifications.  The GP9 is now ESU sound equipped.

The yellow is PolyScale CNW yellow, which is a great match for the Housatonic's paint scheme.  I thinned it with 91% isopropyl alcohol and did 4 thin coats, letting each dry.  Both shells were primed with Tamiya light gray primer before paint.

This is my first attempt at shell modification and airbrushing locomotives.  It is fun, but my eyes are not what they used to be.   

[MVW]

I appreciate the feedback!  I will definitely blacken the cab interior areas.  That is on the to-do list.  I also need to seal the hole I made inside the cab of the RS3M, for a future sound installation. Right now there will be light leakage through it.  That is the only place I can possibly fit a speaker without major frame modifications.  The GP9 is now ESU sound equipped.

The yellow is PolyScale CNW yellow, which is a great match for the Housatonic's paint scheme.  I thinned it with 91% isopropyl alcohol and did 4 thin coats, letting each dry.  Both shells were primed with Tamiya light gray primer before paint.

This is my first attempt at shell modification and airbrushing locomotives.  It is fun, but my eyes are not what they used to be.   

As somebody who will eventually be spraying C&NW colors for C&NW equipment, I'm grateful for the details. 

Jim

[Pomperaugrr]

As somebody who will eventually be spraying C&NW colors for C&NW equipment, I'm grateful for the details. 

Jim

Jim,

I did a test using Tamiya white primer and Tamiya light gray on scrap styrene.  The gray yielded a much better final CNW yellow color than the white primer, which looked more like CSX yellow, to my eye, with the same number of coats.

Eric

[amato1969]

Both shells were primed with Tamiya light gray primer before paint.

Oh yea, Tamiya = bulletproof, even from the rattle can!