Post by pettycash on Sept 3, 2015 13:16:22 GMT -5
Well I've gone and ordered the few more bits I need to do WNYP 421 and 430 in N scale. I've been very inspired by all of mandealco's builds posted on here, and can only hope mine turn out half as well. I've lived in the Meadville area all my life and am quite familiar with 421 and 430. I also have the decorated HO scale versions from Atlas and Bowser too, but I'd like an N scale version too.
An Atlas B23-7 and of course a LL C424 will be my starting points for them. I've ordered various Atlas C630 and C420 shell parts along with the CESM Hi-Ad's to go complete the project. The dynamic brake screens on the sides of the hood right now are probably my biggest head scratcher since the LL C424 is so hard to find (and if I could find another it'd become 426) and the Briggs C425 costs a bit more than I'd like to spend for dynamic brakes and is in such limited numbers, I'd rather not be buying one just to hack up for one small bit when someone else could use it to model a C425.
The rear number boards on 421 may be a challange too since it's a rebuilt phase I with the "eyebrows" sawed off. I'll probably end up mixing and matching the rear end from the LL unit and C420 shell to get the right look. For the ditch lights, I'm thinking about surface mount LED's. Eventually I'd like to do onboard sound on them. I've followed many of jdcolumbo's posts and videos on the other boards about his sound installs in N scale Diesel's, and the results are quite impressive. Soundtraxx recently released their new Econami line with a micro decoder similar in size to the ESU LokSound Micro, but the only Alco sound currently available is the 244. I'm hoping they release something in that size range with the 251 sounds before I get to that point since I really like the F11 brake function of the Soundtraxx decoders.
For now though, my main concern is getting the shell pieces here and getting started. I'll worry about the details and sound later. It'll probably be a painfully slow project since it'll get done as time allows. They certainly won't come close to pleasing rivet counters, but my goal is to just make them look right to me.
An Atlas B23-7 and of course a LL C424 will be my starting points for them. I've ordered various Atlas C630 and C420 shell parts along with the CESM Hi-Ad's to go complete the project. The dynamic brake screens on the sides of the hood right now are probably my biggest head scratcher since the LL C424 is so hard to find (and if I could find another it'd become 426) and the Briggs C425 costs a bit more than I'd like to spend for dynamic brakes and is in such limited numbers, I'd rather not be buying one just to hack up for one small bit when someone else could use it to model a C425.
The rear number boards on 421 may be a challange too since it's a rebuilt phase I with the "eyebrows" sawed off. I'll probably end up mixing and matching the rear end from the LL unit and C420 shell to get the right look. For the ditch lights, I'm thinking about surface mount LED's. Eventually I'd like to do onboard sound on them. I've followed many of jdcolumbo's posts and videos on the other boards about his sound installs in N scale Diesel's, and the results are quite impressive. Soundtraxx recently released their new Econami line with a micro decoder similar in size to the ESU LokSound Micro, but the only Alco sound currently available is the 244. I'm hoping they release something in that size range with the 251 sounds before I get to that point since I really like the F11 brake function of the Soundtraxx decoders.
For now though, my main concern is getting the shell pieces here and getting started. I'll worry about the details and sound later. It'll probably be a painfully slow project since it'll get done as time allows. They certainly won't come close to pleasing rivet counters, but my goal is to just make them look right to me.
