MTH's H3 2-8-0, although based on a PRR prototype, shares basic dimensions with 2-8-0s that many railroads owned around the turn of the century - many of which lasted to the end of steam. The late Joe Giannovario detailed how this model could be bashed into an N&W G1 (O Scale Trains, May/June 2009), and taking his cue I decided to do something similar, this time into a Southern Railway G-2 (picture taken on the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway at Piney River):
And here's the "donor":
I'll post progress updates here as I take this little engine down south. It's going to get completely stripped, details removed, added, and modified. I'm currently gathering parts, some of which are easy to find and some not. It's going to need a new cab, and scratchbuilding it is out of my league, so if anybody has something suitable sitting around please let me know! First, it's getting a new tender, which is almost complete - stay tuned!
