Because of fond memories, two of my favorite three are Arnold Rapido classics from 1968 -- a Western & Atlantic 0-6-0 and Southern Railway 4-6-2. My third is a pair of Atlas (Kato) Reading GP-35s from 1992 that run flawlessly and look great.
Just off the top of my head... 1. I built this little Climax from a kit by Randgust, based on one of those Kato power chassis, and even somehow made it DCC when I was still really new to soldering decoders. Is this the best paint job ever? No. Did I do it all myself early on in the hobby? Yes. I built the saw filers shack and the flats in the photo also from kits, probably from RSLaserKits. 2. Kato GS-4 in the Bicentennial scheme. I was born in the early 70s and my first real memory of a big steam train was during the Bicentennial when I saw the Freedom Train. The 4449 and I live in the same city and we've been friends ever since. 3. This little Kato NW2 switcher, one of my first decent running locos. I converted it to DCC.
Well here are three together. My black satchels. Climax locos I built. RLW Class A Climax conversion to N from Nn3 by John Moore posted Oct 19, 2012 at 9:18 PM and another three up in the right corner. My three railbus critters. 100_0235-4 by John Moore posted May 12, 2020 at 6:15 PM
Almost made the cut: Also have to honorable mention: Why the heck can we only choose three??? Who comes up with this stuff? MODERATORS?! (jk)
Wow-too hard to choose. FVM’s NS 8100. My grandfather started with NKP, then N&W and retired from NS. I’ve got the N&W as well as a few FVM horsehead Gevo. Haven’t weathered those yet-wanted to practice on other things first. FVM CP unit that I painted into their Hapag-Lloyd unit with Circus City decals. This was the last custom paint job I did before leaving Japan. Kato F40 with Switchline or Fusion Scale decals (can’t recall which). I have a lot of Metra locomotives to choose from, factory and custom paint, but I like that baby blue. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Only a few photos exist. RLW Class A Climax conversion to N from Nn3 by John Moore posted Oct 16, 2012 at 8:19 PM Critter by John Moore posted Dec 24, 2011 at 12:52 PM On this critter I used an HO kit for some parts and a Kato mechanism. The trailer car has a Kato caboose underframe for additional electrical pick-up. RLW Class A Climax conversion to N from Nn3 by John Moore posted Oct 16, 2012 at 8:19 PM All three Class As have Bmann 44 tonner mechanisms under them and parts fabricated from styrene and parts off of old dead steamer body shells. I made castings of the Climax truck sideframes for the Nn3 kit and used on the other two.
My top three? Hmmm. Well I'll start with the Atlas S-2. It's a fairly recent model (although the first run are getting some age in them, around 10 years or so). I bought a bunch, but to pick one I'll choose B&O #9044. My primary road is the B&O and my layout is a small switching setup. So this locomotive fits pretty much perfectly for the purpose. I wish it had an earlier paint scheme, but maybe Atlas will one day release that. #2 - Also an Atlas. This one is a GP38-2. Norfolk Southern #5105. An especially good runner. Also, prior to changing my focus, I was into Norfolk Southern and this particular loco was a favorite to run. It doesn't see much use lately, but I am hanging on to it regardless. I am sure at some point I'll run it again, maybe on another layout. Who says I can only have one layout! (they are small) #3 - This one is a lot harder to nail down. I have a lot that I like - I've been pretty fortunate in that regard. But I guess I'll go with a GP9, B&O #6605. This is also a great runner. This one is unusual - I actually only bought the shell (off of ebay I think) and I put it on a GP9 frame I had. Put in a decoder and it runs great - much better than some others I have. I wish it wasn't a torpedo tube version, but I take what I can get. Honorable mention - Broadway Limited SW7, Southern (in the green paint). This one is surprising. Not because it's Southern, but because it's Broadway Limited. The loco seems to have a lack of pulling power, and frankly is handicapped by Broadway's subpar electronics. It gives me mystery problems. And yet, despite it all............... I like it!
Good question. 1. Atlas Chessie GM50 GP40-2. Rare as hens teeth and goes for $200+ when it does come up...I found it for $30 at a train show. My literal golden goose, and I'm sure I've destroyed all collector's value by installing a decoder, and I'll finish it off by weathering and adding a rock pilot! 2. Cheating here, but probably my pair of Ann Arbor Railroad RS-2s. They were honestly a lot of work, and still need weathering, but I'm happy to have them mostly done! 3. Probably my latest freelanced diesel, a Violet Hill B23-7. I really like how this came out, although like most things, it’s still a work in progress!
Well my pictures will not upload, so I will just list them: Hallmark Brass ATSF 4-8-4 #3773, acquired from Verne Niner when he left N scale and went to ON30. This locomotive pulled 88 cars and a caboose without flinching at an NTrak show layout. My Micro-Trains US Navy FT AB Set, as my daughter used to say, "Go Navy, or go home!" No idea where she got that from....... My Kato PA-PB-PB set in DRGW, I first started out in DRGW. Honorable mention are the Kato-Atlas GP units in DRGW.
Is there a build thread for your model or could you point me in the right direction of the Ron Bearden article? I picked up a couple of those motors before I left Japan “just because” w/o a specific purpose in mind and as luck would have it, I’ve got a stack of Showcase trucks ready to build. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Too lazy right now for photo uploads but here goes. 1970s vintage Rivarossi 4-4-0 Genoa (and Inyo), 1970s version Tyco 4-4-0 General kit and my kit bash Bachmann 4-4-0 of a loco photographed on the Zalma branch 1915ish.
Sorry, I did not document the build of my MOW truck. The Ron Bearden article that I followed was a hard copy from an N scale publication from probably well over a decade ago. If I can find it online somewhere, I'll let you know. That said, I have vague recall of modifications to the Kato drive (to make it ride lower) and I think that's what affected the running quality of mine. Now that I switched to DCC, it no longer runs on my layout anyway, so it's pretty much a static model that currently sits in a maintenance yard. I think Ron Bearden has started another model that is DCC and even alternating ditch lights. Maybe he'll chime in on this thread with more info on that one and/or the original.
WOW. Just WOW. That crane is fantastic! Of course, as a MILW fan, I am biased. The ALCo. The Detector cars as well. Having seen other photos of your work, WOW. Please, please post more photos of your other "one-off" and "special" projects!
Just three? That's a cruel hard call, and my picks are probably going to vary from day to day. But today they'd be: This LL GP20E. The first major detail and paint job I ever did, 20-some years ago. Also responsible for sparking my GP20 addiction. This Bachmann 70-tonner. Not too long after I'd finished the GP20E I took a long break from the hobby, and this was my first foray back into things. Plus, it's just a fantastic little runner. Finally, THIS 70-tonner. If you can call it that yet. But I started scratchbuilding this before my MRR break, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and Bachmann hadn't even contemplated their 70T yet. Life intervened right around the time I started working on the cab, and so it sits in a place of honor on my workbench until life lets me finish it. But one of these days I am going to finish it. Honorable mention goes to this Tunnel Motor, because in person the weathering is absolutely pitch-perfect (the photos don't do it justice) and every weathering job since has been an unsuccessful attempt to clear the bar I set with this one.
