Let me first say I love this site and read it all the time for inspiration!
My primary interest is HOn3, but since I have neither the time or space to build the kind of layout in HO I dream of, I have been dabbling in Nn3. I plan on building a 1970s themed Monarch branch based on the "what-if" it remained narrow gauge. I figure it's plausible as the branch remained in revenue use albeit as standard gauge. It was also one of the few narrow gauge branches to turn a profit in its later years for the Rio Grande.
Had the line remained NG, Rio Grande would certainly need modern power to work it so the little ALCO/MLW DL-535 is an obvious choice. I plan to include the switchbacks and the tipple on my mini layout, so I need two diesels to work the layout. My first try ended in sadness when I left the model to close to a work lamp as the paint dried and it ended up looking a little droopy :(. So after the heartache was over I started over. The second try turn out much better and should stay that way. The crew now knows to avoid parking their plastic diesels so close to the sun!
I'm finally getting around to starting the second and I figured I'd document this build to help me remember how I did it in case I ever need another one in the future.
I'm using a chassis from a Marklin Z scale six axle electric locomotive. The chassis is shorter than the prototype by about 4 ft but lengthening it is a bit beyond what I want to get myself into so I left it as is. The shell is a N scale Model Power C420. I followed a lot of the ideas given by Garth Hamilton here: http://www.nn3.ca/diesel/diesel-p2.htm
I used his idea of using the alco trucks off of a z scale Christmas ornament, but I shortened mine to fit the trucks on my marklin chassis. The wheel spacing is almost perfect on the marklin chassis. I scraped off the truck detail, sanded it smooth, then glued my modified sideframes on. I wired the chassis up with with a DZ125 decoder, it will eventually get directional LEDs like the first one. Next I sawed the the body form the running boards lengthwise, and removed the steps. The molded grabs are all trimmed off and the nose headlight holes filled in.
These steps are complete in the photo, she is sitting next to her completed sister for comparison.
Next is the shortening of the body and running boards, removing the front hood, cutting out vents, and removing most roof detail. Lots and lots of cutting!
Last edited on Sat Jul 24th, 2010 07:37 pm by sledhead
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