mikjd

I have a few spare U-boat castings and etched bits somewhere if you're interested - unfortunately I'm just off to Le Mans for the week (bit of a race at the weekend ), but let me know if you're interested.

Looks like a Gilmaur U boat hood ....................

I have just picked up an Atlas SW9 that I need for it's running gear and some body details for an old General Models NW2. It came as B&M #1223 - If anybody would like the body and silver truck frames I would swap them for any other SW9 (twin exhaust) body and truck frames. Let me know otherwise that lovelly livery is going in the paint stripper.....

The situation is good if they have what you want, and dire if they don't ............... I've managed to pick up GP/SD cabs, high hoods, fans, glazing, those boxes that go behind the cab (EAFB?!), and air tanks, SW pilots and air tanks, and caboose underframes and details for a couple of transfer cabeese. I'm hoping that with the next release of the SD40 there will be some spare long hoods about, at the moment short hood, cab and chassis/sill are available.

Atlas parts used to be the same to the UK as the Domestic rate, $4 I think it was (unless you ordered O scale bodyshells !!), but since the new website has been up and running it has gone up to $10 or $11, still not bad, and it all comes in a nice solid box. There are parts diagrams for some of the stock, otherwise you have to trawl through each items listing, and not all items are in stock - and ignore the pictures ........

I know you don't want to get from the US if possible, but have you looked at the Atlas parts site. I get a lot of parts from them and the postage isn't bad. So far I havn't had to pay any VAT.

"They are labelled "GP38-2", but they are a bit unusual. They were built as Norfolk and Western GP38ACs and converted to GP38-2s. Because of that, they are missing the oval sight glass on the right side of the long hood, a pretty definitive spotting feature for Dash 2 locomotives." Just a shame they didn't retain the high hoods ......... Mick.

The O scale version of 'Cannonising' .......... Atlasising in this case. A soon to be N&W High Hood SD45 (they had a single low hood, rebuilt after a smash). Still to sort out the correct high/low brake cylinder trucks and the pilots ...................... Mick.

Lehigh & Hudson River Mick.

Another current O scale project ....... An Atlas U23B morphing into a PC U33B. Mick.

F units ........ Mick.

A new project to produce a model not available 'off the shelf' - This is O scale remember, there are still many EMD locos not available (or only as scale??/non scale 3-rail). A N&W High Hood GP38AC - Otherwise known as 'A 13Dip Blower Growler' apparently ...... Mick.

You've got no soul man ..... The next thing you'll be modelling one of those brightly coloured railroads west of the Appalachian's !!

Ahhhhh ….. the smell of Alco’s in the morning, Mingo Junction Ohio, in the early days of Conrail, with six axle Centuries around the old roundhouse, and film crews on main street filming the Deer Hunter (and please don’t tell me it was actually filmed on the set used for the Moon landings in ’69 - I've heard it all before ). https://railpictures.net/photo/590812/ https://railpictures.net/photo/590663?id=590663&showexif=1 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=271421 There are many more images online, the CRHS etc, and of course the Morning Sun books. Whats not to like, an old roundhouse, turntable, patched locos, atmosphere and as many Alco's as you want! and the steel industry Now just to get on and build that N scale steel mill I've been collecting bits for for years. Just think what I could have done in that space I've now devoted to O scale Mick.

Damned if I can remember what the first is. Mick.

A lot of the newer Lionel and MTH scale models have opening cab doors. I did think of using the Lionel S2/4 as a start as the body moulding is very good, but I could never find one at a reasonable price. Unpowered is probably the way to go, as converting Lionel powered trucks to 2R is supposedly very difficult without the right tools (as are early MTH). Just looked on ebay, a non-TMCC loco can be had for £200 plus post/VAT, and a TMCC one is over £400+ !! I did look at buying a Bodyshell from Lionel, but for all their models it says contact Lionel (despite all other items being listed, with pictures and prices). Mick.

Nick, Repatriated from the US last year (ebay), cost approx £130 incl VAT & delivery. I have since discovered thanks to Colin Stewart of this parish (who is helping develop the Gilmaur S scale kits - see various threads in this forum) that Mike Calvert the owner of Gilmaur can still supply some of his O scale kits. I have recently purchased a baby U boat, and the best I can suggest is that you email him at mike dot calvert at bt internet dot com. There is a draft version of a new website online if you do a simple search. The body only kit of the U18B was around £140, the Alco includes Keil Line cab details and Blunt trucks, but no drive components (Weaver/P&D etc), I imagine it could be built as an S4 using AAR trucks (Weaver/Atlas etc). Mick.

A little project for the winter (or the next ..... or ....) Mick.

One of my O scale Alco's - The very hard to find Atlas C424/C425. I'm not sure what happened to the handbrake chain ...... It just needs the numbers and letters removing, to enter service with the Cincinnati Belt & Terminal (tag line: We go round the middle - Not the outside). ......Or could it end up in PC black ?! Mick.

That's more like it, it looks like some survived unsheathed until the 70's. http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/selectdocs.php?index=rs&id=56 Now the question is how many do you need ................ Mick.

I think you'll find it's from a mid 60's merger, there is no easy answer to that steam era N&W caboose A link to the N&W Historical Society .....http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/selectdocs.php?index=rs&id=859 Mick.

.... and I thought I had a few unmade kits stashed away. I noticed the CLW chassis and parts, they still seem to be in demand. Mick.

Would love to visit to get my mojo topped up, but as usual it clashes with a 'bit of a do' somewhere in France (Le Mans) ................. Mick.

Not forgetting Atlas in O scale - surely the only way to go ....................................... Mick.

Class 91's have them, I don't know about 90's. Mick.