Switching gears...
It's been a while. Christmas was good, as I ended up with a new Intermountain pressure hopper decorated for Stelco, and three Athearn 53' Canadian Tire containers. Very nice. Also got Dead Island and Halo: Anniversary Edition, which both have absolutely nothing to do with model trains, but are super cool.
The SD40-2W's are in a holding pattern, since I'm waiting on a lot of parts in order to finish them off. Some are because they haven't been made/released yet, and others are because I haven't gone to the hobby store to get parts to lengthen the frames. Once the parts are released and I have what I'll need to lengthen the frames (epoxy putty, styrene channel, brass strip), the project will continue.
So, I've started looking at other projects. The first is a complete change in direction. I had an old Front Range GP9 with a rebuilt Atlas Alco cab that was going to become a CN GP9rm...but with all the problems I was having with the build, I was about to toss the unit into the unbuilt pile. Then I saw a picture of a Southern Ontario Railink GP9r. Easy enough to change the cab out and change some of the details. Good thing I'm a packrat, as I still had the original Front Range cab. A few cuts here and there with a razor saw, and I had a perfect cab for the unit.
Then, in the same picture, I saw an old ex-CN SW1200rs. I had built one of these using the old Juneco Models retrofit kit. I think the word "retrofit" means "ruin", as I tried using two of these kits and neither of them did the job right. It was sitting in the junk pile waiting to either be sold or put into a scene as a rusting hulk. Anyway, I stole the trucks and motor from another locomotive and will be stripping my locomotive and repainting it so that it looks better. A new Cannon cab will also be used.
And then, I saw in the background...a new GP20d owned by CITX Leasing. I've got an old Bachmann Plus GP30, which has the same wheelbase. It's a good runner (which is strange, since Bachmann gets such a negative rap on the internet) and I have no use at all for a GP30.
So, in all, Southern Ontario Railink will end up with three locomotives I never intended to build because I got bored and searched for locomotive pictures around Hamilton and Brantford.
I also started work on one of the ES44DC units I'm building. No, I'm not buying one of the Intermountain ones. When I can kitbash one for a third of the cost and still have a great looking and great running locomotive, why buy one that I only have to take out of the box?
Once all of these are done, they'll be ready for painting. Which means, I'll need to get an air filter for my air compressor, the paint, the decals, and I'll have to build a spray booth. Lots of work...lots of work.
But what else is there to do in the winter? Watch the Leafs lose?!?!
I'm kidding. Go Leafs Go!
The SD40-2W's are in a holding pattern, since I'm waiting on a lot of parts in order to finish them off. Some are because they haven't been made/released yet, and others are because I haven't gone to the hobby store to get parts to lengthen the frames. Once the parts are released and I have what I'll need to lengthen the frames (epoxy putty, styrene channel, brass strip), the project will continue.
So, I've started looking at other projects. The first is a complete change in direction. I had an old Front Range GP9 with a rebuilt Atlas Alco cab that was going to become a CN GP9rm...but with all the problems I was having with the build, I was about to toss the unit into the unbuilt pile. Then I saw a picture of a Southern Ontario Railink GP9r. Easy enough to change the cab out and change some of the details. Good thing I'm a packrat, as I still had the original Front Range cab. A few cuts here and there with a razor saw, and I had a perfect cab for the unit.
Then, in the same picture, I saw an old ex-CN SW1200rs. I had built one of these using the old Juneco Models retrofit kit. I think the word "retrofit" means "ruin", as I tried using two of these kits and neither of them did the job right. It was sitting in the junk pile waiting to either be sold or put into a scene as a rusting hulk. Anyway, I stole the trucks and motor from another locomotive and will be stripping my locomotive and repainting it so that it looks better. A new Cannon cab will also be used.
And then, I saw in the background...a new GP20d owned by CITX Leasing. I've got an old Bachmann Plus GP30, which has the same wheelbase. It's a good runner (which is strange, since Bachmann gets such a negative rap on the internet) and I have no use at all for a GP30.
So, in all, Southern Ontario Railink will end up with three locomotives I never intended to build because I got bored and searched for locomotive pictures around Hamilton and Brantford.
I also started work on one of the ES44DC units I'm building. No, I'm not buying one of the Intermountain ones. When I can kitbash one for a third of the cost and still have a great looking and great running locomotive, why buy one that I only have to take out of the box?
Once all of these are done, they'll be ready for painting. Which means, I'll need to get an air filter for my air compressor, the paint, the decals, and I'll have to build a spray booth. Lots of work...lots of work.
But what else is there to do in the winter? Watch the Leafs lose?!?!
I'm kidding. Go Leafs Go!
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