Best Of My Children have gone into the world (sniff, sniff) - Bearden Models

[peteski]

What a great record of your excellent accomplishments Ron!
I'm glad that this thread has already been tagged as "Best Of".

[ek2000]

Sometimes I marvel at the creativity and talent of some members here. I'm at a loss of words to compliment them as I am here, thankfully, there are the up votes. Amazing work Ron  !

[Santa Fe Guy]

Great stuff indeed.
Back in those early days of N Scale I too did a bit of kitbashing however nowhere as prolific as you Ron.
Made a U36 from a Kato U33 by slicing on a Bachmann radiator. Made a SF SD40-2B using a GP7 rear shell on the front as did the AT&SF and added brass handrails, Re-powered an original Atlas GP30 with a can motor.  Finally scratch built 2 Dash 9 -40CW  wide cabs out of two Bachmann Dash 9 40C shell narrow cabs. I built the cabs up piece by piece with styrene then filled with Squadron body filler and filed away.
Added sunvisors, winterised snow shields on GP35's along with rotary beacons etc.
 Your comments about the original Bachmann SD40-2 brought back memories. I modified two of mine following hints in the original N Scale resource book by Jim Fitzgerald. lowered the truck frames to allow the body to sit lower, improved the Uni joints by removing flash and annealing the chassis to let the wipers work better. Then they ran and look way better.
Thanks for all the memories.
Rod.

[bbussey]

... U25C L&N  former Oro Dam.   This was a challenging kitbash.  Spliced from several U25B shells.  And placed on a stretched RS1 chassis.  This loco began life as an Oro Dam unit.  After the dam was built, L&N acquired it- which is what I modeled.  I liked this one, but had to let go of it.  Probably needed money for bills.  Anyway, it was purchased by Bryan Bussey who still has it.  He stripped it and kitbashed it AGAIN into a different phase for Conrail.  This child appeared in an article- before Bryan got ahold of it.   

Here's a current photo of the Conrail kitbash of the former kitbashed Oro Dam U25C.



What Ron conveniently neglected to mention is that I didn't purchase the model until I got his permission and blessing to kitbash it into the Conrail unit. 

[SAH]

Great stuff.  I distinctly remember the T6 article.  There was a pool of them in Cleveland based out of the former NKP shops at E 79th.  From the University Circle RTA stop I would watch them go by with a transfer run.  Whenever I see a photo of a T6 I think of Ron.  Funny.

Steve

[u18b]

Bryan, thanks for the updated picture of the U25C.

Now how about a picture of the C-liner?  Maybe 2 shots including the mechanism with no shell.

I'm going to list locos that I never got a photo of-  and that 5-axle C-Liner is one of them!

[u18b]

Wow guys.  Thank you for your kind words.

Chessie System Fan and I were putting our heads together and thought of a couple more locos.

A thorough search of my computer turned up a couple more photos.

I'll be posting more in the future.

[u18b]

Really curious as to how you adapted the LL trucks to this drive. Was it a difficult undertaking aside from making the contact strips?

Russ, a search of my computer turned up a shot to answer your question.

I used some plastic tubing to make retainer parts to hold the Life Like trucks in.
I had totally forgotten.

Not sure if this will help, but it's the best info I have.

[u18b]

Wow, I discovered a few more children that have been sent out into the world.

GP40 RF&P  kitbash.  Long before Atlas made a good GP40, I kitbashed one.  I spliced a rear end from a Kato SD40 onto a GP38-2 body and removed the DASH-2 features.  Painted in RF&P. 



F40PH with better fuel tank.   When Life Like was trying to imporove their line back in the late 80s, they released the F40PH with same giant motor and springs for drives.   The model was hindered by a TERRIBLE flat fuel tank area.  So I made a 3 dimensional fuel tank.  Pete Postel of BLW knew who I was and somehow I offered it to him and he added it to his line as a pewter casting.   It REALLY improved the look of these locos.  Appeared in an article.

Here is a Life Like F40PH with detailing and that tank. 



And here is one that I detailed and custom painted.



F40PH phase 3.  Again, long before Kato made one, I made a phase 3 F40PH.  You can't tell much from the side.....



But when you look at the top, you can see the recessed fans.



Berkshire Repowered.  I found that you could replace the anemic MRC motor in a Berkshire with the motor from a Kato/Atlas RS11 with the long one piece worms.   I have no personal photos of this.  But this is my shot that appeared in the early days of N-Scale Mag.  This Berk ran great.



And last, GP35 ph2c  CSX.  I tried to make almost every phase of GP35.  This is a phase 1c.  Only slightly different from the Atlas model.   This is another I wish I had been able to keep.

[u18b]

I can think of two more children that have left me.... but I have no photo.
It's possible I had a shot at one time, but I lost some data years ago in a hard drive crash.

5-Axle C-Liner.   I never painted it up.... but I made a 5-axle C-liner.  I took an old Atlas shell and placed it on a highly modified Atlas/Kato SD7 chassis.  I also modified the skirting for the trucks.  Bryan Bussey acquired it years ago, but I don't think he ever did anything with it.   It's probably buried in his basement now (assuming he's still got it).


The last was a brass WM NE caboose.  I painted it in the WM/Chessie Safety green scheme.  I chose this because CSX inherited this cab.  The real cab still lives since CSX donated it to the B&O museum in Baltimore.   This is one piece I really miss.   I bought another brass NE caboose and I'll make another one day.

Here's the prototype:  http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/photos/cabs/901803cs-wmsafety2.jpg


There may be others, but that's all I can remember at present.

When I have time, I'll post about the two children that left the nest.... and then found their way back home!

[bbussey]

5-Axle C-Liner.   I never painted it up.... but I made a 5-axle C-liner.  I took an old Atlas shell and placed it on a highly modified Atlas/Kato SD7 chassis.  I also modified the skirting for the trucks.  Bryan Bussey acquired it years ago, but I don't think he ever did anything with it.   It's probably buried in his basement now (assuming he's still got it).

I still have it but I'd have to hunt for it.

I have a T6 also that you did, in Pennsy livery.  Haven't had the heart to repaint into Conrail as of yet.

[nkalanaga]

Ron and Rod:  It looks like you both had better luck with your Bachmann SD40-2s than I did, so maybe I got a lemon.  I will admit that it ran better than my Mehano SD45.  The Bachmann would at least move under its own power.

That Mehano was a failure from the beginning.  It had to define "high friction" drive trains.  At one point I took everything apart, scrubbed all of the gears and shafts with a toothbrush and toothpaste, put it all back together, then jumpered it to a Minitrix F B-unit.  After all of that, it could, barely, pull itself, but the B-unit still had to push it.  I could have lived with the combination, which wasn't unusual for the BN, but even as a teenager I insisted that my locos be able to pull their own weight.  The Mehano motor wasn't the problem, as it ran fine, as long as the trucks weren't attached.  But the trucks simply wouldn't roll.

[tehachapifan]

Russ, a search of my computer turned up a shot to answer your question.

I used some plastic tubing to make retainer parts to hold the Life Like trucks in.
I had totally forgotten.

Not sure if this will help, but it's the best info I have.

OK, thanks! I had at one time thought about trying to adapt the LL truck, but figured it would be too difficult. That said, I currently have all of my Concor/Kato SW1500 and Concor Cow/SW1200 drives running pretty decently with their stock truck assemblies, but sure wouldn't mind if they ran a little bit better. Might have to try this on one at some point.

[wazzou]

I'm interested in the GP-35 Ph-2 with the thinned sill and the dustbin hatch.
If you can point me to the N Scale Mag article, it's likely I've got it.

[screeh]

RF&P GP35.  I confess, this is one of my children I miss the most.  Atlas made a great GP35- but is was in phase 1a and phase 1b.  This is a phase 2 with the much thinner walkway (among other changes).   If I'm not mistaken, this one ended up with someone in Australia.   This one was in an article.

You're not mistaken Ron, it made it's way down here and more recently crossed the country from west to east when I purchased it.

PM me if you'd like it back?

Stu