mickoo
Western Thunderer
Well it arrived today.....little it isn't.
I've liked them before and I have other 'more' favourite engines....or so I thought until I pulled it out of the box. It's not lacking presence that's for sure.
Granted it's a RTR box opening, but it makes me feel like I'm seven again
.
It's not perfect, maybe that's why it has so much appeal, not so pristine it'll pang my guilt if I upgrade it a bit, not so poor that the overall high price tag bites your conscience.
The blemish on one side is in the lacquer so will go once stripped and cleaned up, both small central grills have a ding in the plate work on their lower edge above the main grills, the main grills are stainless etched and the sand box covers are pressed out so slightly distorted and on one side they have started to come away (attempted to be fixed by owners previous).
One of the panto support beams has come free from dry solder joints and there's the odd bit here and there to straighten, they're currently only rested on the supports for the photos.
There's a couple of other little niggles from the factory but as far as Overland models go, it's in the top percentile of their catalogue, probably as it has no stamped doors and latch handles like their diesels.
There is only one real compromise for the model, the bogie side frames, the drop down belly affair below the secondary spring shouldn't be there, it should be inboard of the wheels as it forms part of the central bolster. Which opens the question aired before, keep as factory or pimp out.
I'm heading toward doing my own 3D side frames and getting them lost wax cast in brass to replace the factory ones; put the factory ones in the box safe and fit the new correctly profiled ones. I'll more as likely add some under body clutter and light blockers, maybe drop it a few mm as I think it's a bit high at the moment, another RTR compromise; then I'll think about the roof additions, but may just leave it at that.
Anyway, enough waxing lyrically, more than happy to have it in my collection.
I found a utube of a little Joe hooter restoration, the narrator is a little nerdy and mounting it on your roof for drive by's is an anorak I don't have in the closet, but for all that, it's a hell of a sound, ranking close to a 567 or Dash 9 but not quite surpassing.
This is another of his,
Cut to 4.30 or so, driving through one of the original MILW Bitteroot tunnels is inspiring, completely bonkers bark at the moon and I get it, I bet he feels like seven again
I've liked them before and I have other 'more' favourite engines....or so I thought until I pulled it out of the box. It's not lacking presence that's for sure.
Granted it's a RTR box opening, but it makes me feel like I'm seven again
. It's not perfect, maybe that's why it has so much appeal, not so pristine it'll pang my guilt if I upgrade it a bit, not so poor that the overall high price tag bites your conscience.
The blemish on one side is in the lacquer so will go once stripped and cleaned up, both small central grills have a ding in the plate work on their lower edge above the main grills, the main grills are stainless etched and the sand box covers are pressed out so slightly distorted and on one side they have started to come away (attempted to be fixed by owners previous).
One of the panto support beams has come free from dry solder joints and there's the odd bit here and there to straighten, they're currently only rested on the supports for the photos.
There's a couple of other little niggles from the factory but as far as Overland models go, it's in the top percentile of their catalogue, probably as it has no stamped doors and latch handles like their diesels.
There is only one real compromise for the model, the bogie side frames, the drop down belly affair below the secondary spring shouldn't be there, it should be inboard of the wheels as it forms part of the central bolster. Which opens the question aired before, keep as factory or pimp out.
I'm heading toward doing my own 3D side frames and getting them lost wax cast in brass to replace the factory ones; put the factory ones in the box safe and fit the new correctly profiled ones. I'll more as likely add some under body clutter and light blockers, maybe drop it a few mm as I think it's a bit high at the moment, another RTR compromise; then I'll think about the roof additions, but may just leave it at that.
Anyway, enough waxing lyrically, more than happy to have it in my collection.
I found a utube of a little Joe hooter restoration, the narrator is a little nerdy and mounting it on your roof for drive by's is an anorak I don't have in the closet, but for all that, it's a hell of a sound, ranking close to a 567 or Dash 9 but not quite surpassing.
This is another of his,
Cut to 4.30 or so, driving through one of the original MILW Bitteroot tunnels is inspiring, completely bonkers bark at the moon and I get it, I bet he feels like seven again
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UP8617 SD40T-2
UP 8865 Bakersfield CA May 2002
UP8726 SD40T-2
SP8312 SD40T-2
D&RGW 5348 East at Mitchell, CO