[Bob Baxter]

Inspired by Vic Smith's conversion of one of Hartland's Mack switchers, I dug an old Mack out of the box and started whacking away. I decided on a different design and spent many happy hours designing as I built. A generator model contributed the engine and the core of it's radiator. Below are some of the parts that made the "design as you build" cut.

The driver started life in the cab of a Bachmann railtruck. The seat and console were made of styrene. The controls came from a tractor model.

After a number of false starts and abandoned parts that just didn't look right, this is the final version, all weathered and ready to get to work.

Seeing Don Gage's Dizzies inspired me to add the barrier stripes which I think, really sets off the heavy duty industrial look. Don made the trip down to my place to demonstrate his skills as a drybrusher. He did most of the weathering but I tackled it and found that I had been doing several things wrong in my early attempts and now my part looks almost as good as his. Thanks, Don. I'll keep practicing.

 

[Bob Baxter]

Thanks guys, for all the nice comments. Also, a giant THANK YOU to Dwight for helping me with the picture posting process. It was here all the time and I haven't been inclined to explore the process on my own. I try to spend as little time as possible at the computer so I can spend more time with domestic assignments and some occasional model building.

Here's a couple of pictures of the complete generator. I bought two from the Bridgemasters guys as a flat load but that never happened. i don't know whether they have more or who manufactured them.

Notice the radiator. I built a frame for the model from styrene and fit the grill (black in the left photo) with the grooves vertical. The back of the fan unit also survived the cutting and much of it holds the engine and the radiator together.

 

[Bob Baxter]

Stan, Why should I mess with batteries when I have perfectly good track power. My trains don't go outside so I don't have problems with dirty track.
This loco will be running on the Door Hollow Shortline at the Big Train Show in June.

As far as whipping it together, the first picture I took of the building process was taken February 15th. It takes a while with the domestic assignments that just keep coming. Another factor is the 74 years that have passed since I arrived on the planet and the energy level isn't what it used to be.