Cab
Details From the factory, the Atlas model is equipped with a “standard” horn and little road-specific detail, all of which can be added using various detail castings.
bers. Using this method, I built onto the latest saved version, yet easily went back to any earlier version to make changes and de- velop variations. Keeping in mind how the At-
With the first color in place, it was now a matter of dividing up the red and white. Again looking at how the model disassembled, I chose to use red for the front third of the locomotive, includ- ing the short hood and cab. White covered the center of the locomo- tive, providing a large open area for the special bicentennial graph- ics. To tie the three colors togeth- er, I then chose to make the dy- namic brake blister red. I could paint this removable component separately without additional masking of the hood once in the paint shop.
Satisfied with the basic scheme, I began tweaking it by developing extra detail and graphics. Using the Paint program’s text feature, I placed a number on the cab side. I then added a resized CWE her- ald to provide corporate identity — made smaller and moved to the rear of the locomotive, providing room for the bicentennial graph- ics occupying the logo’s standard position.
The locomotive’s rear had
Details Some locomotive details such as this hood mount- ed bell can be considered “signature” details and immediately identify a specific road or region.
las model disassembled, I began by adding blue to the rear third of the long hood similar to the Boston & Maine prototype. Be- cause the Atlas model features a separate casting that includes the walkways, steps, and pilots, this immediately became a candidate for blue also, enabling me to carry the color to the front of the model.
66 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
much visual appeal with the ba- sic graphics in place; however, the front end lacked color. To correct this inequity, I first changed the entire short hood to white, pro- viding an observer the full red, white, and blue of the oncoming engine. An unfortunate result of this change made the side view appear disjointed, effectively turning a three-color scheme to four due to the white now appear- ing in two locations. However, with a few clicks of the mouse, I created several variations, allow-
ing me to compare them easily and make choices before applying a single drop of paint. Soon, only the face of the short hood and number board box were white. I had brought all three colors to the front of the locomotive, each in perspective to one another, and the sides kept their original color separations.
Now began the most difficult part — the bicentennial graphics. One caveat of this project was to use commercially available de- cals. Various bicentennial-specific sets are available. My challenge: find something generic enough to convey the bicentennial message in the available space without identifying a prototype road. Us- ing the basic theory of billboard advertising, I decided to keep the graphics short and succinct. A flag bracketed at the top and bot- tom by the years “1776 and 1976” should make the message self-ex- planatory without displaying any prototype tie-in. Finding suitable numbering for the years was quite easy — I culled them from a Burlington Northern bicentennial set. How- ever, locating a flag proved more difficult. The standard 50-star United States flag is available in multiple sizes and styles (rectan- gular, waving, and so forth). Un- fortunately, the 13-star or styl- ized ‘76 flag popular in the era is not as prevalent in decal form. I found one suitable version with- in a Missouri Pacific set; howev- er, the readily identifiable MoPac eagle surrounded the flag. After studying the decal, I realized that
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