Even more progress this morning, so I updated by earlier posting on what I've done.
It will be an Adriatic (2-6-4). Why? Purely based on aesthetics. I tried 4-6-4, 2-6-2, and 2-6-4 configurations, and rare as it was in real life, the Adriatic form looked best. Rear truck is a three-axle truck modified to two axles, in order to get a slightly longer wheelbase than any two-axle trucks I had in my parts bin, and the front, as you can see from the white styrene, is scratch built. Cowcatcher and all is not from the LC+ Hudson but a scale ATSF Northern, and was about 12% larger in all dimensions so it gives a nice "scale" look to the front on the loco. Cab, of course, is scratch built and modeled after (copied in dimensions exactly) on that of the Lionel ATSF 3751 and 3759 Northerns.
Bashing modifications. Boiler is 5/16 inch (scale 16 inches) great diameter and 1 1/8 inches (scale four and a half feet) longer. Cab is scale one foot taller and half a foot longer. In addition, the entire original loco body over which I added everything, has been raised 1/8 inch (6 inches) on the LC+ chassis. This loco will be slightly taller than but a scale foot shorter than the Legacy Southern Crescent. I will make it ATSF. The tender shown (still unmodified) will be replaced with a more scale-sized fantasy tender, using the 'box" from a Legacy 3751 made into a type of centipede tender with, I think, seven axles.
