I ran across a couple of very good buys this week, just couldn't pass them up! First is this little SP 0-6-0. I like the "watter bottle" tender, or Sausage tender as it was called. Designed to give the crew maximum visibility when switching. This model is an old Katsumi. It has the Tyco style drive, unsprung drivers and a worm soldered directly to the motor shaft which meshes with a worm gear on the center driver. Like that little ten wheeler on the other thread. It will get the same treatment, a 28:1 NWSL gearbox and one of those little shorty motors. By today's standards, it's a crude model, but I have plenty of Cal-Scale laying around. She'll get a nice facelift!
Next up is a Westside Models UP FEF-2 4-8-4. I know...I'm an SP guy till the day I die, but I model the LA area, and the SP shared that with the Santa Fe and UP, so both railroads made appearances alongside the SP. Besides, I happen to think the FEF series was a very handsome design, and for beginning painters, they are very easy to mask for the smokebox and firebox graphite. I may do this one in early Greyhound (white stripes). It's never been run. The Elephant ears, boiler weight, and coupler pockets are still in the factory sealed bags. It has an open frame motor, and that can in the foreground will be going in. Those old open framers sure do smell interesting though!
I got this one for a song, because of a minor problem, well, minor to me. A nasty stain on the tender. I think many years ago, someone spilled some acid flux and didn't clean up the mess. This is what happens as a result:
Now for a collector who wants shelf queens, this is a deal breaker. For a guy who is going to paint it and operate it, it's no big deal. A quick trip through the blasting booth and here you go:
The FEF-2 will be joined by an earlier acquisition, the PFM FEF-1. This is an older PFM model, with the original tender:
This model is a good example of why I remove the clearcoat on these. Note that it is starting to fail, especially on the tender. It's harmless to the model, but you lose eye appeal if you prefer them unfinished, and why put all that work into a paint job over a bad clear coat? Your paint job is only as good as what it goes on top of! It will be fun to update these, and get them running on the club. Unfortunately they're going to have to wait in line. I did promise that ten wheeler next and I haven't forgotten!
Next up is a Westside Models UP FEF-2 4-8-4. I know...I'm an SP guy till the day I die, but I model the LA area, and the SP shared that with the Santa Fe and UP, so both railroads made appearances alongside the SP. Besides, I happen to think the FEF series was a very handsome design, and for beginning painters, they are very easy to mask for the smokebox and firebox graphite. I may do this one in early Greyhound (white stripes). It's never been run. The Elephant ears, boiler weight, and coupler pockets are still in the factory sealed bags. It has an open frame motor, and that can in the foreground will be going in. Those old open framers sure do smell interesting though!
Now for a collector who wants shelf queens, this is a deal breaker. For a guy who is going to paint it and operate it, it's no big deal. A quick trip through the blasting booth and here you go:
The FEF-2 will be joined by an earlier acquisition, the PFM FEF-1. This is an older PFM model, with the original tender:
This model is a good example of why I remove the clearcoat on these. Note that it is starting to fail, especially on the tender. It's harmless to the model, but you lose eye appeal if you prefer them unfinished, and why put all that work into a paint job over a bad clear coat? Your paint job is only as good as what it goes on top of! It will be fun to update these, and get them running on the club. Unfortunately they're going to have to wait in line. I did promise that ten wheeler next and I haven't forgotten!
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