1 prototypes it emulates in that it sees its fair share of accidents and mishaps. Operators sometimes forget to watch the head end of their train as they indulge in conversation and colli- sions do occur. When I started noticing that locomotives I had detailed were missing parts that I had applied I de- cided to approach detailing differently for this railroad. I was giving Mike Rudinsky (Major Mike) a tour of the layout when we happened upon the Southern Pacific run-through stack train. Mike is a big fan of the Southern Pacific, so I figured this train would pique his interest. Well it did, but the first thing he no- ticed was that the locomotives were all out-of-the box Kato models and pretty generic looking. He started pointing out different parts of the engines and how many things could easily be changed. I had wanted to get at these engines for a while, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to do something a little different. Southern Pacific engines had a unique appearance. The first thing most people notice is the headlight package. It seems like there was a light for every occasion. Oscillating lights,
headlights and emergency
Mars lights are normally found on the head end of each locomotive, so that was the first detail added to these en- gines. The headlights were cut into the noses of the locomotives and glued in securely. No amount of handling will dislodge them. The other nice thing about adding the headlight package is that with DCC it is possi- ble to realistically light up all of those different lights. Firing up the oscillat- ing light is just another thing that adds the “Ooh and Ahh Factor” to an operating session. The classification lights were also painted a “silver-ish” color. This small step added to the overall appearance of a model without decreasing its durability.
Another area where detail can be added is around the pilot area. The Southern Pacific had huge plows on the front of most of their motive power, and fortunately Details West makes some really nice metal plows. After cut- ting the footboards off of the pilot, the plow was attached using cyanoacrylate cement. There really isn’t much chance of the plow becoming dislodged under most operating circumstances. I also added Details West m.u. hoses. These were also metal and got glued to the pi- lots and draped through the openings in the plow. Again, even in the worst head-on collisions, I don’t see these parts becoming damaged
I did refrain from adding the brake pipe hose. This detail is rather small
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
The speed recorder cable (above) is flexible rubber hose. The truck swivels freely and the hose is removable from the frame. Painted details like fuel spillage, sand dust on the trucks and grime streaking from the battery compartment add to the superdetailed look without affecting the engine’s durability. The speed recorder cable plugs into a hole drilled into the plastic under the cab (below). This system, suggested by Mike Rudinsky, solved the durability problem for the speed recorder cables in these models.
and can be brittle if the plastic ones are used. That hose is usually the first piece to be broken off of the model when trains meet unexpectedly. The cab of a Southern Pacific loco- motive is also an area where added de- tailing can be done. Many SP cabs had “L” shaped windshields on the engi- neer’s side. The Kato models lacked this detail, and I used a Cannon and Company cab with the “L” shaped windshield as a replacement cab. The cabs also need small details like vents on the sides near the windows, as well as on the engineer’s side door. (Check photographs in books or on line if you don’t have any of your own.) Cab sun- shades,
armrests and windshield
wipers just give so much personality to a locomotive, and they are nearly im-
possible to damage if the unit is han- dled with reasonable care. The Cannon and Company cab has doors which can be left in the opened position, and I couldn’t resist leaving the doors opened on these models.
The horn is also one of those key fea- tures of a locomotive that is specific to the railroad that owns it. The Southern Pacific had a liking for Nathan P-3 horns and used them on most of its lo- comotives. Details West makes really nice-looking cast brass horns. Once at- tached to a model, those horns are there for the long haul. Other manu- facturers make plastic horns, but the durability issue comes into play here. The last addition to the cab would be the roof-mounted bell. I used Detail As- sociates parts, which are plastic. They
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