Gerd, I have no words :in-love: It's the most beautiful SW1 that I have seen, and I can just wait :we2-jiggy: My Burlington Northern becomes jalous, and my whole LV family is waiting for her.
I'm happy to see, the SW-1 is still alive and well. Just wondering, how many different road names exist in Z. I'm sure, at least a dozen.
Awesome! I have to say, it has been 5 years since I built my first SW-1 kit. When they were released, everyone was a buZZ!!! I hesitated in getting one cause it was just not my era of Z. Time went by and people still raved about Lajos' SW-1's. I finally gave in. I purchased one with the intent on making it a switcher for a refinery/chemical plant module I wanted to build. Since I had just worked at Chevron in Pascagoula, MS they had a switcher that looked similar and I decided to make a fantasy paint scheme for Chevron. I did not have a mill or lathe at the time, just a Dremel and some files. Was slow going working on modifying the Marklin chassis but I got it done. Put it all together and it was beautiful. Took a little effort but got it running sweet! I took some photos and if I recall was the first person to post them of the SW-1 to any forum that existed at the time. The talk had me guessing everyone was refraining from building the kit cause it looked complicated/difficult or they didn't want to mess with it right now. Once I built mine, others followed suite. Since that day I have built about 7 SW-1's and milled about 30 chassis' for others and for Lajos. Now, what brings me to the real reason I am writing. Yesterday, not wanting to burn out on making stuff in Z for others, I cleared the work bench so I could repair that fabulous SW-1 I have. See the last SW-1 chassis I built for a fellow Z scaler had a rough motor. It was 5 pole but did not want to run right. I went so far as purchasing the Pager motor kit that Nigel Lawton sells to see if I could get it going. Well, it was an even bigger disaster now. What I did was take the smooth running chassis from my Chevron SW-1 and give it to that fellow Z scaler who had been waiting for so long for his SW-1. I promised myself that one day I would fix it. Well yesterday was that day!!! I sifted thru all the parts I have of Marklin 0-6-0 locos and re-assembled a chassis I could use, and it runs just as sweet now as the original chassis. I wanted to post mention of this last night but refrained, but now it appears there is SW-1 Fever in the air!!! Gerd, your work on the SW-1's is Phenominal!!! This particular paint scheme looks difficult, but do-able. One thing I have found out is if you can do it, that doesn't mean anyone can. You have the Touch!!! Armand is a lucky man!!! Ok, that is what I wanted to inject into this discusion. Lajos, you SW-1's will be around for many years to come. I myself have enough kit parts to build 2, but I will save them for a rainy day! Go SW-1!! Hobo Tim
all time classic! If they ever do a model railroad 'hall of fame' The SW1 kit should be one of the first nominations! I have started keeping a stock BR89 steamer under the layout at shows and then astounding people who enquire about our 'Nickel Plate' Sw1 by showing them what it started out as. It is still one of the most fun etched things I have ever put together. Did anything ever happen about the GE 70 tonner that was mentioned as a follow up? That Lehigh one is a pearl by the way. KEV
....all beautifull switchers. (and actually still the one and only arround isn't it?) I finally ordered a fret as well, from Lajos, to build a SW1. First I will try to solder the body together. It will be my first brass kit. I saw that Märklin still sells their fun set with a BR89 with 5-pole motor... Since I have a bad running old BR261, I will try to get an as good as new BR89....if I get the body work done.
I have now 3 SW-1 and I am really grateful to Lajos. I already own from him some small german electric what was also the base for the boxcar. Somewhere with Lajos, is like Columbus and the egg, a lot wanted to do it, or could do it or announced doing it, but he did it. That's the point. First SW-1 was from Lajos, second from Tim and third now from Gerd. So, the top. Small advice to get cheap and best 5pol BR89 chassis : Try to find a "Varta" set. This clear blue with battery on the front and the white container with battery label, not with the black passenger car (what is not bad set) but this first was the best quality of chassis that they put on the market.
Lajos, I did SP blody nose, SPMW, CR, GN, IT, UP, BN green black and LV so far, so my contribution is 8. You got 7 different schemes to mine + Kev's Nickel Plate and Tim's Chevron. Who got more to add?!
sw-1s I have made a fantasy schemed SW-1 in Norfolk Southern with the horse logo, a beautiful maroon colored Boston & Maine, and two Louisville & Nashville SW-1's for different people. So, with the Chevron and these that makes 4 different paint schemes! Hobo Tim
Oh, yeah, totally forgot about this loco...I really wonder why? So that makes well and good 20 schemes, sure there are more around. I think that's great! Did somebody actually kitbash one into something different, for example a SW7 or so? I did the NW5...
Actually I had 8 paint schemes, also, one from the first batch was a custom, non prototype "Searails" model. If I remember correctly, Michael Hilliard built a few, one of them was NYC. Now, another news. I'm nicely progressing on the "ultimate" switcher conversion, based on any junk Marklin 0-6-0 chassis. The motor is a 6 mm coreless from Nigel Lawton, mounted under the hood. It has a flywheel and a small gearbox to transfer lots of torque and move the chassis with scale speed. The best part of this conversion is, it works not only with the SW-1 shell, but the various NWs, TRs, the collection of many other SWs, some GEs, Alcos and Baldwins. Stay tuned...
Lajos, sounds great to me, keep us up to date! I have tried something similar a couple of years ago and it was never working well....But no doubt you have the better fine-mechanical skills
Gerd, This has to be your masterpiece! In Z Scale this ranks up there with the Sistine Church ceiling ! I'm sure Joe will be happy. Can't wait for him to bring it in. Congrads, Ron:tb-biggrin:
Dear Gerd, your LV SW-1 is wonderful! You are the Michelangelo of the airbrush! Aside to Joe Orach - You wouldn't want to sell this would you? lv Donna
Hi Donna, if I would keep everything I like i would have some unsatisfied customers, no money and no space left.... The good news are: I know the guy that can make me one if I need
Your right Armand and thanks again. Gerd I sent the money, let me know when you get it. I can not wait to run it. JD
