Jump to content
 

Yet more trees and locos for Sweethome Alabama


Jon Grant 4472

Recommended Posts

Hello all

 

I have spent the last week or so making more trees for the layout and repainting/soundchipping/detailling/weathering a GP40 into CSX (the loco had been painted for SP) The number reflects an ex-Western Railway of Alabama loco.

 

I also detailled and weathered the ex-Family Lines GP38 in a bit of spare time.

 

IMG_7139.JPG

 

IMG_7142.JPG

 

IMG_7151.JPG

 

IMG_7144.JPG

 

IMG_7172.JPG

 

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

I couldnt decide which style of CSX patch style I preferred for the Family Lines GP38 so I did both.

 

One side has a dark grey patch low on the cab side for the CSX number and the FL lozenge has been whited over. The other side has a lighter grey patch for the CSX number covering the yellow and red trim on the cabsibe and the FL lozenge has been covered over in red paint. (the actual loco - an ex-CRR loco - had the low dark grey patch on the cab side but the writing in the FL lozenge was still visible.

 

The guys in the paint shop must have been checking to see if the foreman was paying attention!

 

 

IMG_7157.JPG

 

IMG_7156.JPG

 

IMG_7161.JPG

 

IMG_7163.JPG

 

IMG_7181.JPG

 

Lastly I overexposed this shot of the GP38 but it produced an interesting shot, so I've included it here

 

IMG_7165.JPG

 

 

I will now have to take a month's break from Sweethome Alabama while I get Sweethome Chicago ready to show at Manchester exhibition at the start of October.

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Wow Jon! Those trees are outstanding!

I just love the variety of colours, just as in nature. Also the way that you've blended them into the backscene, always a difficult thing to pull off.

 

More snaps please! biggrin.gif

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I was at an American Modellers swapmeet last sunday and came away with the following three locos, in exchange for a BLI AC6000 in CSX paint - nice model and sound, but far too big for the layout.

 

First is an Atlas U23-B in the second CSX paint scheme, weathered by Saia (customscalekits), and a timesaver for me as I was going to do something in this livery anyway.

 

IMG_7203.JPG

 

 

Second was an Atlas SD35 in ALC livery. I will have to convert this to SCL, before patching it into CSX - an interesting job.

 

IMG_7205.JPG

 

 

third loco was a Kato SD40-2 - also one I was intending to do as a repaint. I intend to redo this as a high hood, but the nicely weathered windows are making me have second thoughts.

 

IMG_7209.JPG

 

IMG_7215.JPG

 

 

I'm more than happy with the three new locos despite needing to sort out some soundchips for them.

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

third loco was a Kato SD40-2 - also one I was intending to do as a repaint. I intend to redo this as a high hood, but the nicely weathered windows are making me have second thoughts.

 

IMG_7215.JPG

 

 

I'm more than happy with the three new locos despite needing to sort out some soundchips for them.

 

Jon

 

Its a minor point, but I love the "Pacer" (Is that right?) appearing through the trees. Didn't they go bang if you rear-ended them? Or is that an urban myth.

 

Sorry to hijack!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Its a minor point, but I love the "Pacer" (Is that right?) appearing through the trees. Didn't they go bang if you rear-ended them? Or is that an urban myth.

 

Sorry to hijack!

 

 

Not sure about the name of the car but I think it is the same type as the Mirth-mobile, used by Wayne and Garth in Waynes World.

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

Its a minor point, but I love the "Pacer" (Is that right?) appearing through the trees. Didn't they go bang if you rear-ended them? Or is that an urban myth.

 

Sorry to hijack!

 

Yes it is an AMC Pacer....horrible dog of a car, and yes I think they were prone to combustion but not even on the same page as the Ford Pinto another absolute Yank nail. Even more terrible was the AMC Gremlin...can you believe that name?

Great little model too. Some US outline road vehicles are quite superb! smile.gif

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

All three were available(with others) in the "Fresh Cherries" range from Walmart, now discontinued - but turn up on Ebay. I was fortunate to have a selection picked up by a friend in USA.

 

Somebody must have had a sense of humour. 3 of the very worst cars ever made. Essential for your 70s-80s US layout then?!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Somebody must have had a sense of humour. 3 of the very worst cars ever made. Essential for your 70s-80s US layout then?!

 

Utterly essential :) Pacers, Gremlins, Pintos, Vegas. Filthy, rusty and dented if more than a couple of years old. All four of them rusted out like they were built by BMC tongue.gif

 

One comment for John - the rotary beacon atop NS 1642 is almost certainly not accurate. I've never seen an NS locomotive with a rotary beacon...which of course means somebody will pull a photo of NS 1642 with a rotary beacon.blink.gif

 

ACL 1001 - rebuilt to SCL H-15 #3, to SBD 0003, to CSXT 1003. 1008, 1016 and 1017 became H-15s like the 1001. H15s were 1500 hp units, deturbo'd and with dynamic brakes removed and used for hump service at Hamlet, Waycross, etc.

 

http://www.trainweb....H-15/1003fl.jpg - the former ACL 1001 and looking pretty grim there. The ex ACL SD35s went into CSX sort of higgledy-piggldey number-wise. ACL 1000 - 1023 became SCL 1900-1923, and after that all heck breaks loose. ten went to L&N to SBD to CSX. Reading from Warren Calloway's 1993 book on ACL diesels, "On the SCL the remaining members of the SD35 fleet were reassigned to heavy yard service at the formation of the Seaboard System and renumbered into the 4500 series. At the SBD merger, SCL units 1900, 1904-1906, 1910 and 1912-1915 remained. These units were renumbered 4584-4592. WIth the Seaboard System/Chessie System mergaer that created CSXT, the units retained their 4500-series numbers but few received CSXT paint." They're all long gone from CSX now. 4590 might be a worthy target: http://www.trainweb....D35/4590scl.jpg ...the unit was indeed in yard/hump service by then, coupled to another ex ACL SD35. Note the remains of the mount for the mars light on the long hood of the 4584.

Link to post
Share on other sites

One comment for John - the rotary beacon atop NS 1642 is almost certainly not accurate. I've never seen an NS locomotive with a rotary beacon...which of course means somebody will pull a photo of NS 1642 with a rotary beacon.blink.gif

 

ACL 1001 - rebuilt to SCL H-15 #3, to SBD 0003, to CSXT 1003. 1008, 1016 and 1017 became H-15s like the 1001. H15s were 1500 hp units, deturbo'd and with dynamic brakes removed and used for hump service at Hamlet, Waycross, etc.

 

 

Thanks for the info Craig.

 

I intend to High Hood the NS SD40-2 with the Cannon kit and will ditch the beacon in the process, along with the road ##.

 

A question - With the SD35's being de-turboed, would that make them sound like standard EMD 1st generation engines (GP9 etc).

Good news for me if that is the case, as I have several sound decoders lying around in unused locos.

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info Craig.

 

I intend to High Hood the NS SD40-2 with the Cannon kit and will ditch the beacon in the process, along with the road ##.

 

A question - With the SD35's being de-turboed, would that make them sound like standard EMD 1st generation engines (GP9 etc).

Good news for me if that is the case, as I have several sound decoders lying around in unused locos.

 

Jon

 

 

If I remember, I ended up using the complete Cannon trio (cab, nose, sub base) on my high hood Southern units (SD40-2, SD45s, GP35) as there were gaps left between the Kato sub base and the Cannon nose. I bet Tony Sissons has done this more recently than I have so could help with that.

 

I've been told that they sounded like a GP7, yes...perhaps a bit throatier on account of the "liberated" four stack exhaust. I don't think you'll find anything that matches it exactly...so yes, a GP7 would do fine. By the time I started visiting the yard at Hamlet, NC the H15s were gone so I have no direct experience.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...