Repainting

I was initially faced with the prospect of stripping and repainting all the engines. I tried removing the lettering from a Bachmann engine (#51, further down) but was relatively unsuccessful using alcohol and abrasives. On a whim, I tried painting over the manufacturers numbers with Poly Scale “Engine Black”.  Wow, it matched the factory paint very well. I was hoping that some gloss coat, the decals and then dull coat would blend right in.  It’s not perfect but it works for me and avoids the whole disassembly, stripping, painting, reassembly issue.  

Engine No. 1

Engine No. 1 (“One Spot” or “Old Spools”) was purchased from Baldwin in February 1904. It was a small 2-8-0 Consolidation (as were most of the GW steamers) weighing 126,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 28,200 pounds. It had small 46” drivers (hence the name “Old Spools”), 20x24” pistons and a boiler pressure of 180 PSI. It was kept running until 1952 when it was sold for scrap to the Colorado Fuel & Iron steel mill in Pueblo, CO.

Note: all prototype photos are from The Great Western Railway by Ken Jessen.

Since there are no commercial models of GW steam power, I used an MDC Roundhouse Consolidation (now marketed by Athearn). It is not true to the prototype other than being a “small Consolidation”.  Luckily, I’m  not a rivet-counter so the engine is “good enough”. I added an NCE decoder without sound.

The engine was not highly decorated with only #1 on the cab sides and “Great Western” on the cab and tender. Bill did a great job matching the font and adding a small dot between Great and Western.

Old Spools draws yard duty and is working the sugar bin.

Engine No. 2

Engine No. 2 (“Two Spot”) was purchased from Baldwin in September 1905. It was also a small 2-8-0 Consolidation weighing 142,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 30,000 pounds. It had 52” drivers, 20x26” pistons and a boiler pressure of 190 PSI. It was also sold for scrap along with #1.

The model is also an MDC Roundhouse Consolidation like #1. It also has an NCE decoder without sound. Decals for #2 are the same as for #1.

The Two Spot is working the Hardman beet dump.

Engine No. 51

The GW bought two identical Consolidations from Baldwin in July 1906 (#51) and September 1907 (#52). Both were larger Consolidations weighing 161,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 31,290 pounds. Both had 51” drivers, 19x26” pistons and a boiler pressure of 200 PSI. #52 was sold for scrap in 1952 along with #1 and #2. #51 was sold to a local steam enthusiast in 1963 and was used on several excursion trips for the Rocky Mountain Railway Club.

No. 51 is a Bachmann “Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation” with “DCC On Board”. Not a perfect match for #51 but “good enough”. This engine has a more modern paint job with “51” in a diamond herald on the cab and a large “Great Western” on the tender. Bill did an excellent job on the size and shape of the herald and went to extra effort to add a stylized “A” in Great Western.

Nice “A”, eh?

The more modern steam engine paint schemes had white striping on running boards and wheel rims. I have some white dry transfer stripes from Woodland Scenics for the running boards and some white paint pens for the wheels. The stripes and tire rims will be done when I get up the nerve. I’m guessing “run the engine slowly on the bench while touching the wheel rims with the paint pen”. I may have to practice on a sacrificial engine first.     

No 51 whistles through downtown Johnstown on its way to the Welty beet dumps.

Engine No. 101

The GW owned two 0-6-0 switchers with slope-back tenders. No. 100 was bought in July 1906 and was used until 1951 at which point it was thoroughly worn out. I chose to not model #100. No. 101 was bought in September, 1907. It weighed 149,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 31,500 pounds. It had 52” drivers, 20x26” pistons and a boiler pressure of 200 PSI. It was sold for scrap in 1954.

The model of #101 is a Bachmann 0-6-0 which at least has a slope-back tender. It has “DCC On Board”. Decals are much like #1 and #2 except the Great Western name on the cab is below the number. 

No. 101 is struggling to get loaded beet hoppers up the Windsor highline.

Engine No. 75

Also purchased from Baldwin in September 1907 was the largest Consolidation to date and the last engine to be purchased for the next 17 tears. It weighed 160,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 31,500 pounds. It had 52” drivers, 20x26” pistons and a boiler pressure of 200 PSI.    
 
#75 had quite an active life after it was retired and sold in 1963. It was in numerous films “in disguise” and was driven by stars such as Lee Marvin (in Cat Ballou) and Gene Wilder (in The Frisco Kid). It was also used for many excursions on the Great Western and was still running in 1984.

A Broadway Limited Paragon 2-8-0 represents #75. I was very pleased that it had white striping and white tire rims from the factory. It uses a Rolling Thunder full-sound decoder and is quite “noisy”.

No. 75 takes the Kelim Turn and is busy working the Union Pacific Interchange.

Engine No.90

The Great Western purchased it largest steam engine from Baldwin in 1924. Unlike the other engines, #90 was a 2-10-0 Decapod. It weighed 212,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 46,500 pounds. It had 56” drivers, 24x28” pistons and a boiler pressure of 200 PSI.

No. 90 was the darling of rail fans and was extensively photographed. #90 was finally sold to the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania in 1967 where it still in use.      

  Richard H. Kindig photo

The model for #90 is a Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-0 using an NCE decoder without sound. Some of the details are not correct but that’s the way it goes.

No. 90 is pulling an excursion train over the I-25 overpass.

Engine No. 60

The last steam locomotive purchased by the Great Western came from Alco in September, 1937. It is the largest of the line’s Consolidations. It weighed 161,000 pounds with a tractive effort of 31,290 pounds. It had 51” drivers, 19x26” pistons and a boiler pressure of 200 PSI. Her last campaign was 1961 and was sold to the Black River and Western Railroad in New Jersey in 1963.

The model for #60 is a brass model I have had since 1978. It is actually a B&O prototype
imported by Pacific Fast Mail but it is a Consolidation so I’m good with that. It has a Tsunami sound decoder, sounds very nice and even runs well. I re-motored it so long ago that I forgot what kind of motor it has but it may have been a tape drive motor of some sort. Unfortunately, this baby will need to be disassembled, cleaned and painted before decals are applied. I hope I remember how to get it back together again…

   No 60 sits outside the Loveland paint shop waiting for its official paint.

Loveland Dinky

Each of the sugar factories had small Davenport 0-4-0 engines nicknamed “Dinkies”. They were used all around the factory doing yeoman duty but saw major action in the wet hoppers since they had no electrical equipment to short out. Each Dinky was run by one man who did everything: drive it, stoke it, load coal, operate track switches, etc.

I have been unable to locate anything like a model dinky. About the closest I can imagine is an N- scale 0-4-0 rebuilt with HO wheels and a scratch built body. So a stand-in for the Loveland Dinky is a very old Mantua “Dockside” 0-4-0. I was unknowledgeable when I built it and I thought fancy valve gear would be neat. How embarrassing. But the little cast-metal sucker can sure pull cars. Unfortunately it is still a DC model so is used as scenery sitting behind the engine house.

The Loveland Dinky struggles to get two beet hoppers pushed into the wet hopper.

Very Nice post.  Im in the

Very Nice post. 

Im in the process of detailing and re painting a fleet for my Swan Bay Lumber Company. Its nice to see simple paint schemers and detailing on these locos. Gives me more inspiration to finish off some of mine

Beautiful work!

Love it! Love it all!

What I was thinking.

This is what I was thinking when I saw your title Great Western Railway.

Sorry. : )

Lookin' Good George

They look great George, and thanks for the kind comments.

Great Western

Yes, it's difficult to search for Colorado Great Western info without running into British GW stuff.

Don't feel bad...

I was also thinking of the UKs Great Western as well. This is all so very spectacular anyway though!

I like both

I like the roster.

As for the Great Western, I would like a model of US 90 and UK 5700 

Model of Great Western No. 90

No. 90 was available in brass, a long time ago. It was an HO model imported by perhaps United or Hallmark. A friend in Colorado had the model and loaned it to me for my previous C&S/GWR layout.  Sweet looking but didn't run worth beans.  It was used simply as scenery.

E-bay may one occasionally.

White Wall Tires and Racing Stripes

After decaling all the steam engines and running them for a bit I decided, with some trepidation,  it was time for the finishing touches.  The “modern” era paint schemes for GW stream engines featured white rims on drivers and pilot wheels and white striping to highlight running boards.   Armed with white dry transfer stripes, white paint, black paint (for touchups) and an oil based white Sharpie pen, I went to work.  Sharpie makes both acrylic and oil based pens and the art store clerk recommended oil based.  It worked well.

The wheel rims were fairly easy.  Running the engine upside down and slowly on the workbench, I carefully touched the Sharpie pen to the edge of the wheels.  It worked like a charm expect for an occasional mark on the counter weights.  A dab of black paint corrected that.  The pilot wheels were removed and spun by hand against the Sharpie.

The white stripes were a bit trickier.  I tried the dry transfer decals and failed miserably. It was very difficult to hold the stripes in position on the running boards and rub the dry transfer.   Tender stripes were also hard due to rivets where the stripe went.  Black paint was used liberally to correct all that.

I finally resorted to painting the tender stripe areas white, masking the stripe with thin masking tape, sealing the tape edge with more white paint then putting black paint over it.  It worked fairly well (engine #90) but I may try again .. some day.

The running board edges where also tricky.  I tried carefully rubbing the Sharpie on just the edge but managed to get paint on the tops of the running boards and other parts as well.  I finally put masking tape on the top of the boards and on other parts and was more successful.  Perhaps a steadier hand would suffice but I don’t seem to have one anymore.

Pictures of the result are below.  Keep in mind that #75 has factory applied stripes sand wheel rims.

Number 51

Number 75 (factory paint)

#75 could use a step over the air compressor like #51 and #90.  Maybe later.

Number 90

I had to add a step over the air compressor to better match the prototype.  This is simply a piece of brass strip bent to shape and attached with ACC.  I tried using styrene for sharper edges and a thinner profile but fumbled that badly.

Number 60

I can hardly wait to work on brass #60.  Disassemble, paint, reassemble, etc.  Some day…

The Steam Fleet Is Complete

Engine No. 60

After much dilly-dallying about painting brass #60, I finally got down to brass tacks and did it.  The fear of disassembly, losing parts and reassembly was solved by simply brush painting the darn thing.  Not perfect but good enough.  I noticed some minor touch-ups are needed around the smoke box handrails and I need some lenses for the head light and marker lights. But enough of this already.   

Ready For Action

Lined up in front of the Loveland engine house, the fleet is ready to go about its beet hauling duties.  From left to right, Consolidations #60, #51, #75 and Decapod #90.  Like the book by James Lyon, “Where Steam Still Serves”!

  "The fear of disassembly,

It looks great to me, I can't tell the difference between it and a spray job....DaveB

Cat Balou

The 101

What are the Decals under the Cab of 101? (For a project)

Sorry To Be Late

To the party, but that is some nice work, and a lot of it. Love the tire painting.