The project begins

About a year ago, perhaps, I saw photographs of this locomotive:

I wanted to decorate a postwar Lionel F3 to look like it.

I bought an MPC Lionel frame that was dual motor equipped, because the price was right. It wasn’t technically postwar, but a good deal of the stuff from MPC Lionel was made the same, more or less, as the Postwar trains Lionel made in their last decade. I also bought the cheapest shell I could find, a worn out, but still usable 2343 Santa Fe shell.

after a while though, I shyed away. I didnt feel like I could pull it off, and I couldnt find the right decals in the right size.

and so, for some time, the project was put to rest..

Finally, inspiration

I kept eyeing the shell and frame. I had gitten the frame into good working order in almost no time. But without a nice looking shell, there was nothing to do with it. I had learned a lot since I first got the idea, though. I decided to do a little research. I had made up my mind that I wouldn't be doing the B&M after all. I just wasn't up for it yet, without the decals, it would be a no go. And I had a great idea to do instead. Bangor & Aroostook’s grey, red, and black livery, from its later years, was flashy, appealing, and would be much easier to apply to the Lionel shell.

Later that day, some off the shelf krylon spray paints were bought. And I started off the project, in earnest, by painting the shell white. I chose white as a first coat, for two reasons. One, as primer, and two, to become the stripes on the locomotive.

Painting

I masked off for the grey, red, and then black, making sure to leave an even gap between them, so I would have my stripes! I masked and painted the colors, in that order. The gray didn’t go quite right, but after that, I got the hang of things pretty good. My masking wasn’t perfect, but the quality wasn’t too far behind that of Lionel, in the late ‘50s. So, I was satisfied.

I made plans to touch up the grey, the following day. But first, why not try it out on my chassis. It originally had a silver frame, but this was quickly and easily changed. The chassis was originally for the MPC remake of the Lionel New Haven F3 from the postwar era. This locomotive didn’t look like a real NH F-unit. The paint scheme was based off of a locomotive that powered the New Haven’s Talgo trains, which was a Fairbanks-Morse built locomotive, that more resmbled a stretched out ALCo FA, than an F3. Anyhow, here’s the pictures of the shell, on the chassis, as the project stood:

Touch up and decals

The touch up was done, the following day, as well as application of decals. The decals were the best matches I could find, amongst some old HO scale decals I had around. I am not done yet, I still have to seal them, andmaybe touch up the white stripes on the nose. We shall see.

I’m pretty pleased with my work. This is my first time actually completing a project of this nature, and the fact that I’m still smiling, in my mind, is feedback enough to consider this project a success. After all, a hobby is supposed to be fun!

Good fun

Leverettrainfan: I follow all of your posts and am consistently impressed. This project looked like a lot of fun! Sitting on the edge of the tub really gives an idea of the size of the model. Do you have a place to run it?

Place to run

Thank you so much for the compliment, it means one hell of a lot to me! Indeed I do have a place to run my trains, more or less. I have a layout, but it needs to be re-done completely (since it is O27, and my bigger O gauge equipment won’t work so well on it) and I haven’t gotten to that yet. But, I have plenty of track, and I often make setups on the floor, and run the trains for a while. I have already played with this engine a bunch, I found the perfect set of cars for it- a new haven boxcar, followed by my repaired auto-loader (resurrected structurally, from being a completely smashed in, piece of junk), B&M boxcar (another repaired car with a “fatal” injury), the classic BAR “state of maine” boxcar, and an SP “deluxe” caboose (lights, battery boxes, handrails w/ladders). Ultimately, I want to do my own caboose for it.

LOVE IT!

This blog had me with the prototype photo that has some BL-2s in it!


Myself, I'm all about the "what ifs" and the "fantasy" railroads.

And yeah... I still have a Lionel Coca Cola train SOMEWHERE that I need to find...

When I got back into the hobby a year ago, I had this attitude that "I'm a serious modeler! I shall model serious stuff, this is serious business!"

Then I went to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum... my roommate (who drove me) wanted to see the "toy train" section... I skoffed, but decided to humor him...

I had MORE FUN in that toy train section! It was awesome! You mean it's NOT all serious business?

Though I still model HO, there is a special place in my heard for O, and fantasy, and all of that. Right now, I'm obsessed with getting the various "Tongue in Cheek" models (I'm only missing the "Jail Box" car) and have a nice collection of Oscar and Piker kits, that I build when I get that itch to build something fun.

I even have a BL-2 in a completely fantasy SOU paint scheme... and plan to get one of those Athearn "Fantasy" engines in SOU. (I just heard about them a week ago!)

So yeah... this is amazing! I look forward to more!

Cabeese etc

I have been wanting to include a section of O scale alongside my On30 equipment for comparison and interchange. Over the years I have collected a number of cars but no caboose. The 4-4-0 I got online is really 20 years too old to be “modern” for 1900 so I still look but steam engines in this scale are $$$. The O scale wooden kits are still affordable but arch bar trucks with scale wheels are stupid expensive. I want them to look right even if they never run! 

BL-2s, etc

Another early diesel fan, do I hear? The BL-2is one of my favorite diesel locomotives. I have still been looking for an O scale one at the right price, ideally, I want to somehow make my own “postwar Lionel” BL-2, by having one that is powered by a “real” motor (ie a vintage open-frame motor, the kind that you can really hear working). I’m torn as to what railroad I would do it up for though. B&M, one of my favorite railroads, and a local one too, owned one, but it only ever wore the gold & maroon, which isn’t my favorite paint scheme. And the BAR colors are just so, so tempting!! Also on my list, I need to roster some Central Vermont power.. and since Lionel never made anything more than a rather boring, brown boxcar, well, maybe I have more custom work to plan for in the future.

My BL-2

Mine is pure fantasy...

 

I am the CEO of my own RR empire

and I say, if you want to decorate any loco with any road name and livery, who am I to say to a fellow CEO that he shouldn't do that?  I *like* your model!  I was just digging through a box today that was my first effort (not yet completed) to get a couple old Tyco/Mantua F3 (or are they F7s or F9s?  I dunno) that were probably old Santa Fe warbonnets and redo them in Pennsy tuscan.  I have the tuscan on (my first effort with an airbrush);  I just need to do some detailing to the shells, decaling, and re-install the front/rear trucks.  I know a lot of people wouldn't waste their time on low-end locos like that but again.. (see subject line!).  

Then I just need a layout and something for them to haul around.  

Mark

Just how you like it, no more, no less!

Warflight, that SR BL-2 looks very fine indeed! What a great idea- So what if they never owned one, I won’t tell! 

the old galoot, I would have to agree, “waisting time on low end models” isn’t the right outlook, if it’s making you happy, and you don’t seem bothered by it at all, there’s nothing wrong. Besides, even those with $250 brass locomotives they want to paint, need to get their practice in somewhere, if they want to ensure some good results. And inexpensive HO trains are easy to come by, and, well, they won’t burn a hole in your pocket! Regardless of whether it’s just for practice, or (in your case) to be your hard working motive power, I see no harm in customizing some “low-end” trains to your fancy. It’s only a waste of time and money, if it feels like it to you.

I repainted a few of my inexpensive HO trains when I was about 12 years old, nothing came out very well, but I gained valuable experience from it, and of course, since they don’t usually have any kind of value attatched to them, besides sentiment, it’s not going to hurt to experiement a little.