Post by rock on Jan 30, 2012 14:53:56 GMT -5
I am working on a small "throwback train" to operate at a friends' 1950s-era layout. The main power will be a BL2 (Proto 2000 repowered with Kato trucks and drive), which will give me versatility to operate both freight and passenger trains. I decided to build a second motor to help make it up his long, steep grades. The obvious choice for me is the RS2M, of which the Rock Island had five of, which would give me an opportunity to model something that is not in my 1995 era and has the same 567 engine so I could just have sound in the BL2. These were all rebuilt in 1957, so I set that as the era of my throwback train and thus, this RS2M looks completely brand new, fresh out of La Grange.
Here's some good info and a nice photo of the prototype:
www.rockisl.com/cgi-bin/display.asp?f=3&e=1&n=453-4a
I started with a Kato RS2M (decorated for D&H). I hardwired the trucks, which proved to be a little tricky because there's hardly space for the wires to go above the driveshaft and below the extra weights, but I squeezed it all in (the new long hood helped this). I threw in a Digitrax DH165IP decoder and got it running.
Then I cut off the Alco long hood and cut off an undec GP9 long hood from Front Range Products. I went with FRP because my rebuilt RI GP7s are FRP and it is a nicely detailed shell with accurate sizes and a bit cheaper than the P2K option. Granted, on close inspection you can tell that the grills are out of place (similar to the first run of Athearn Genesis' latest model), but that's not a deal breaker to me.
Here's how it looked with the new long hood and most of the details worked in, including larger number boards cut from styrene:
Then I added a Nathan M3 horn (same as the BL2) and painted it primer gray:
Then Badger Modelflex Rock Island Maroon:
And then decals, dullcote, and the rest of the details. For decals, I went with a mixture of Microscale 87-361, 87-989, and 87-956. There is no set specifically for this maroon-n-pinstripes scheme, so you have to be a little creative. I ran out of the curved stripes (and couldn't find another set of the discontinued 87-361), so I formed the rear curves on my own using the straight lines and some Solvaset. The handrails along the long hood are Atlas S2 handrails; RS2Ms had new handrails built, fixed on the outside of the sill instead of above the sill, because the EMD doors stuck out more when open.
And there you have it! Since Rock Island nicknamed the BL2s "mongeese," I call this one the honey badger...
Here's some good info and a nice photo of the prototype:
www.rockisl.com/cgi-bin/display.asp?f=3&e=1&n=453-4a
I started with a Kato RS2M (decorated for D&H). I hardwired the trucks, which proved to be a little tricky because there's hardly space for the wires to go above the driveshaft and below the extra weights, but I squeezed it all in (the new long hood helped this). I threw in a Digitrax DH165IP decoder and got it running.
Then I cut off the Alco long hood and cut off an undec GP9 long hood from Front Range Products. I went with FRP because my rebuilt RI GP7s are FRP and it is a nicely detailed shell with accurate sizes and a bit cheaper than the P2K option. Granted, on close inspection you can tell that the grills are out of place (similar to the first run of Athearn Genesis' latest model), but that's not a deal breaker to me.
Here's how it looked with the new long hood and most of the details worked in, including larger number boards cut from styrene:
Then I added a Nathan M3 horn (same as the BL2) and painted it primer gray:
Then Badger Modelflex Rock Island Maroon:
And then decals, dullcote, and the rest of the details. For decals, I went with a mixture of Microscale 87-361, 87-989, and 87-956. There is no set specifically for this maroon-n-pinstripes scheme, so you have to be a little creative. I ran out of the curved stripes (and couldn't find another set of the discontinued 87-361), so I formed the rear curves on my own using the straight lines and some Solvaset. The handrails along the long hood are Atlas S2 handrails; RS2Ms had new handrails built, fixed on the outside of the sill instead of above the sill, because the EMD doors stuck out more when open.
And there you have it! Since Rock Island nicknamed the BL2s "mongeese," I call this one the honey badger...
