Epilogue - Thanks to brokemoto for providing me a heck of a deal on two Atlas RSC-2's. Now I begin the long, somewhat masochistic, process of attempting to replicate what a pre-1980 N scale RS-2 might have looked like. I don't have any illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead of me, but I believe my two tours in Iraq may have prepared me for what I am about to face. Thank you for your support. Just to wet my beak I did fit B-B AAR trucks to the raw chassis, I like the look already.
This is an experiment to try building one pre-Atlas/Kato RS. I wanted to have one using early N scale technology. It's a model train version of "living history".
I've got a pair of MONON RSC2 locos collecting dust. One of the worst factory paint jobs I've ever seen. But if anyone wants them I woundn't want collector prices.
Looks like there is a market on Trainboard for used and abused Atlas/Mehano RSC-2s. I can not recall what the CIL paint job on this looked like, but I do know that the NYCS that I sent to bumthum has a rather crude looking lightning stripe paint job. The lettering is not that bad, but the stripe is awful. The repainted shell that he posted on this topic was orginally a Borg, but I can not recall the quality, or lack thereof, even on that one. These things were eminently forgettable, but yet again, proof that one man's trash is another's treasure. This is yet another reason why you never throw away anything in this hobby. If you can not use it directly, it may afford you an opportunity to be of service to a fellow hobbyist.
My memories of these locos are kinda funny.Many years ago,probably 1975,I was at a guys house.He was getting out of N,going HO..I was there to buy his stuff.I looked in the box,there sat a Monon RSC-2..WOW,I thought,look at that!! Think about it,back then,just about NO N scale decals yet,pretty much almost no locomotives,I didn't even know it existed.It was a POC,but it was still very "railroady".. They got a lot wrong on these..I remember the EL unit had white stripes.I used to upgrade them with C420 trucks,and I would splice the frames from 2 together and put in an RSD15 motor for 8 wheel drive.I would get rid of the traction tire wheels for 8 wheel pickup,and put on brass railings..They were actually pretty decent for the time..
I have two RSC-2s from "back in the day" that I ungraded the mechanisms on. One's an E-L, and I colored the white stripes yellow with a Hi-Lighter! The other is a New York Central. Both ride on Atlas/Kato RS-1 mechanisms, the shells slips right over them, making a vintage RS-2. I painted the handrails and touched up a couple spots but that's it. I planned on adding new headlights from the RS-1 too but haven't gotten around to it yet. That should only require enlarging the opening a bit. These locos are part of my "permanent Rapido collection" of equipment that I plan on leaving Rapido coupler equipped. Some are really a bear to convert and others are just for posterity.
Occasionally I throw something away as an opportunity to be of service to a fellow hobbyist by taking the @#%&* out of existence!
I guess this is one of those locomotives that evokes strong feelings one way or the other. On the one hand there are those who struggled to make their early N scale aspirations work with what they had. On the other hand there are those who despised the very existence of this model. I get it either way, I don't there is a modern locomotive which could be so polarizing, but I see why there is still interest in it. I like early N scale stuff and I view it as an offshoot of my hobby. This locomotive happened to be so bad that it wasn't picked up by any of the other companies who imported Mehano products, but maybe that is part of the appeal. Until Atlas partnered up with Kato for their RS-3 there wasn't an early ALCO road switcher available... so people had to make do. As I've said, that's where I'm at right now, I am trying to put together a pre-1980 operating layout and assemble an RS-2 using what would have been available, to a modeler of average resources, pre-1980. Combining a Mehano RSC-2 and C-420 seems pretty logical in that regard because they were fairly inexpensive locomotives back then and easy to come by. I guess we shall see what comes of it but it is very interesting to see how much interest surrounds this locomotive, no matter how much of a dog it was/is.
I too know Kato did the ALCO RS 2 and so did LIFELIKE.. Kato (Japan) Alco RS-2 / RSC-2 Life-Like/Walthers (China) Alco RS-2 Tom
