John's Loco Workbench - More Projects Begin...

ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.


A bit more digging around reveals that the T&NO batch with the exception of 180 survived well into 1967 and at least one into 1968, all be it now SP owned with the same numbers so bloody nose livery, although not photographically proved, is a possibility.

181 it is...
180 was traded in to EMD in 1965... I'm pretty sure it was painted Black Widow at the time.
Here's a link to a pic of 178 a couple of years before that time:
 
Last edited:
CD&LR S4 #250 has received its flags and is now on the roster.
20260624_194102.jpg

It was originally intended to be CD&LR #42 in a revised livery for the short line but I thought this was more appropriate for now.

The AS-616 has been dismantled and cleaned. As soon as I track down replacement hood top number boards, it will head for the paint shop.
 


Many moons ago I was tackling a Proto 2000 E8 Espee #6018 (the only one they had as it happens) and made a colossal mess of the front end. The loco was put aside and then lost somewhere in the great house move.

Well, a couple of evenings ago, it unexpectedly turned up so I decided to get on with it. The bad transfers were carefully cut back to just the wing bits and then the rest very carefully hand painted, resulting in a acceptable slightly patchy look which ironically is probably more realistic.

20260628_104346.jpg


One cab door window is still missing and really it needs a B unit (E7B most likely) but at least I have finally finished it.
 
A concentrated effort on the last two days of my annual leave saw the FM Trainmaster completed:
20260704_185439.jpg


The AS-616 is in primer:
20260705_125906.jpg


Another wrecked Atlas Alco S4 has also taken its place on the workbench. Advertised as a non runner, it only needed wheels and pickups cleaning and it runs again.

The paintwork is extremely battered and tatty but there is no time for a full repaint so it is getting patched.
20260705_125843.jpg


20260705_125832.jpg


Only major issue apart from cosmetics is damage to the aftermarket wire and brass handraiks on one side which i am in the process of replacing with new, the first time I have used these parts myself.
20260705_125814.jpg
 
A concentrated effort on the last two days of my annual leave saw the FM Trainmaster completed:
View attachment 269188

The AS-616 is in primer:
View attachment 269184

Another wrecked Atlas Alco S4 has also taken its place on the workbench. Advertised as a non runner, it only needed wheels and pickups cleaning and it runs again.

The paintwork is extremely battered and tatty but there is no time for a full repaint so it is getting patched.
View attachment 269185

View attachment 269186

Only major issue apart from cosmetics is damage to the aftermarket wire and brass handraiks on one side which i am in the process of replacing with new, the first time I have used these parts myself.
View attachment 269187
I always liked the Trainmaster. I hate it that only Athearn Blue Box did the proper SP lighting package. I believe Atlas did a nice one, but they've never been much into road specific details. You can't get the detail parts to do one yourself, so I have the BB version, though it doesn't see much service these days. SP used them in Commute service, as the F-M engine could accelerate better than any other early diesel, and that was a must have for commute service. Accelerating a train to speed between stops was something first gen diesels couldn't do as well as the heavy Pacifics, Mountains, and Northerns could do. Most heavy steam ran out its miles in Bay area Commute service.
 
A weekend project was a upgraded undecorated Athearn 40ft box car for the CD&LR:
20260712_093213.jpg

There were supposed to be two but the other one got ransacked for parts for other box cars. The body may wind up distressed and grounded somewhere in due course.

The AS-616 is effectively finished:
20260715_115153.jpg

Still missing a few truck sideframe parts but I am happy with the result for now.

Now then, this....
20260715_115203.jpg

This is as it arrived, no idea what type, model manufacturer or even if it is salvageable. The seller didn't have a clue as in their description they just posted verbatim what was was written on the end of the box - in French!

20260715_115210.jpg


A PRR post carriage it most definitely is not!!!
 


A weekend project was a upgraded undecorated Athearn 40ft box car for the CD&LR:
View attachment 269831
There were supposed to be two but the other one got ransacked for parts for other box cars. The body may wind up distressed and grounded somewhere in due course.

The AS-616 is effectively finished:
View attachment 269830
Still missing a few truck sideframe parts but I am happy with the result for now.

Now then, this....
View attachment 269829
This is as it arrived, no idea what type, model manufacturer or even if it is salvageable. The seller didn't have a clue as in their description they just posted verbatim what was was written on the end of the box - in French!

View attachment 269828

A PRR post carriage it most definitely is not!!!
That’s a Rivarossi IHB 0-8-0. Some of them had a simulated tender booster truck under the front of the tender.
 
The patient is unpacked:
20260715_121941.jpg


Cosmetically at least, it looks okay, just the front pilot missing and that bell needs replacing:
20260715_121955.jpg


There is indeed a motor in the tender:
20260715_121947.jpg


And another motor in the main body:
20260715_122007.jpg


This I presume is the boiler weight:
20260715_122022.jpg


And there is a number of bits:
20260715_122040.jpg


Can't work out how traction from the tender motor reaches the driving wheels though.

I'll see if I can find a service sheet online somewhere.
 
A weekend project was a upgraded undecorated Athearn 40ft box car for the CD&LR:
View attachment 269831
There were supposed to be two but the other one got ransacked for parts for other box cars. The body may wind up distressed and grounded somewhere in due course.

The AS-616 is effectively finished:
View attachment 269830
Still missing a few truck sideframe parts but I am happy with the result for now.

Now then, this....
View attachment 269829
This is as it arrived, no idea what type, model manufacturer or even if it is salvageable. The seller didn't have a clue as in their description they just posted verbatim what was was written on the end of the box - in French!

View attachment 269828

A PRR post carriage it most definitely is not!!!

The patient is unpacked:
View attachment 269836

Cosmetically at least, it looks okay, just the front pilot missing and that bell needs replacing:
View attachment 269838

There is indeed a motor in the tender:
View attachment 269837

And another motor in the main body:
View attachment 269839

This I presume is the boiler weight:
View attachment 269840

And there is a number of bits:
View attachment 269841

Can't work out how traction from the tender motor reaches the driving wheels though.

I'll see if I can find a service sheet online somewhere.
Impressive, quite a work to come. On the box it's italian, not french.
 
The patient is unpacked:
View attachment 269836

Cosmetically at least, it looks okay, just the front pilot missing and that bell needs replacing:
View attachment 269838

There is indeed a motor in the tender:
View attachment 269837

And another motor in the main body:
View attachment 269839

This I presume is the boiler weight:
View attachment 269840

And there is a number of bits:
View attachment 269841

Can't work out how traction from the tender motor reaches the driving wheels though.

I'll see if I can find a service sheet online somewhere.
Some of the early ones had tender drive, with a driveshaft between the motor and gearbox in the engine. That looks like what you have, and t looks like the frame of the original motor is suffering from zinc pest. The motor in the cab is a replacement Pittman type. If it were an original motor, it would be a large round 3 pole motor.
The only thing missing on the front pilot is the footboards, and you could probably rig up a real coupler of some kind to replace the not-coupler on the front.
 
My weekend project is reviving this cheap old Atlas GP40:
20260719_091919.jpg

As it arrived, it was tatty, grubby and I suspect the seller was on the verge of binning it before chancing it on ebay.

Parts from the undecorated Con-Cor GP40 that had got smashed in the mail are being used in the restoration efforts.
20260719_092007.jpg


This gives me a full set of unused matching handrails and replaces the missing glazing too.

The Rivarossi 0-8-0 has been fully disassembled and a plan put together for what to do with it:
20260719_091934.jpg

At the moment it is a rolling chassis, the valve gear is fortunately undamaged.
 
My weekend project is reviving this cheap old Atlas GP40:
View attachment 270197
As it arrived, it was tatty, grubby and I suspect the seller was on the verge of binning it before chancing it on ebay.

Parts from the undecorated Con-Cor GP40 that had got smashed in the mail are being used in the restoration efforts.View attachment 270194

This gives me a full set of unused matching handrails and replaces the missing glazing too.
It looks like that shell started life as an RF&P engine. Richmond, Fredricksburg & Potomac was a railroad that ran around it's namesake area, and was eventually absorbed into CSX. Unlike many railroads, it actually served the locations in its name.
 
It looks like that shell started life as an RF&P engine. Richmond, Fredricksburg & Potomac was a railroad that ran around it's namesake area, and was eventually absorbed into CSX. Unlike many railroads, it actually served the locations in its name.
I was tempted to keep it in RF&P colours but unfortunately, all the RF&P GP40's did not have dynamic brakes wheras the old Atlas shell has them by default.
 




Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)

Back
Top