Under The Hood: Wherein I Give a Postwar NYC 221 Dreyfuss A Bloody Nose!

Awful and endearing at the same time. Awful because there is nothing esthetically pleasing about Amtrak; endearing because I like the 221 in almost any dress and you had the whatevers to do it.

----------------

Years ago a friend asked me to paint his PW Lionel 6-8-6 PRR Turbine in Gulf, Mobile & Ohio red/maroon. So I did. Wish I had a picture. Black and red. Small (HO) GM&O wings on the front. It was...OK.

Idle hands are the devil's workshop!  Bwah, ha, ha!!!!

Looks good Mitch!  Should do well with the Amtrak cars!

Yes I remember the Conrail steam.  I had forgotten it was AHM who came out with it.

Not near as bad as the Marx Penn Central steamer........Mitch you're having too much fun.

Me thinksts you have been nipping at the Gi-raffe feed again....

Never actually followed through on these, but maybe it's time!  Personally, I like your originality!

D500 posted:

Awful and endearing at the same time. Awful because there is nothing esthetically pleasing about Amtrak; endearing because I like the 221 in almost any dress and you had the whatevers to do it.

^.^

Years ago a friend asked me to paint his PW Lionel 6-8-6 PRR Turbine in Gulf, Mobile & Ohio red/maroon. So I did. Wish I had a picture. Black and red. Small (HO) GM&O wings on the front. It was...OK.

Hee!  I like it. 

Mark Boyce posted:

Idle hands are the devil's workshop!  Bwah, ha, ha!!!!

Looks good Mitch!  Should do well with the Amtrak cars!

Yes I remember the Conrail steam.  I had forgotten it was AHM who came out with it.

Thankee!  I think Model Power came out with a CR 0-4-0 switcher as well.

Steamer posted:

Not near as bad as the Marx Penn Central steamer........Mitch you're having too much fun.

Why...yes.   Yes, I am. 

RSJB18 posted:

Me thinksts you have been nipping at the Gi-raffe feed again....

Moi? 

GG1 4877 posted:

Never actually followed through on these, but maybe it's time!  Personally, I like your originality!

Thankee!  That UP G reminds me of a pic I did a few years back:

Mitch

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Thankee!  That UP G reminds me of a pic I did a few years back:

Mitch

I like it!

I think you did a great job and I like it very much.

Well done.

Marty

don't encourage him Marty.....

GG1 4877 posted:

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Thankee!  That UP G reminds me of a pic I did a few years back:

I like it!

Thanks!  The number is an actual fictional number; it was tough finding one UP hadn't actually used. 

The idea is that UP, deciding to electrify from Chicago to California, licensed the GG-1 design from the Pennsy. 

Marty Fitzhenry posted:

I think you did a great job and I like it very much.

Well done.

(blushes) Aw, shucks! 

Steamer posted:

don't encourage him Marty.....

Shhhhh! 

Mitch

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/.../true/MR%200271r.JPG

Marmel, or Marvel?  You decide!   

If anyone is bored I'd be curious to see what a Black Widow GG1 would look like.........

Not an Amtrak fan, but that Dreyfuss looks better than the awful daylight schemes Lionel keeps putting on large SP articulateds.

TexasSP posted:

If anyone is bored I'd be curious to see what a Black Widow GG1 would look like.........

Not an Amtrak fan, but that Dreyfuss looks better than the awful daylight schemes Lionel keeps putting on large SP articulateds.

Williams did put out a scale GG1 that was Black. I have one but just out of my reach at present. 

Yes I do remember the decal affair. Such a fuss, like today. If it's not your thing just don't do it.

The 221 looks great although I'm glad you said it was a grungy one.

Jim

I wanna go on record as stating that the 221 has some of the pickiest valve gear Lionel ever produced, but at least the loco is finished!   

Photos next week, when I get a replacement camera delivered (my trusty pocket GE A950 has developed a rather scratched lens from years of being bumpswitched on while in the pocket of my cargo vest, so I'm upgrading to a 14 megapixel model)...

Mitch

Atta boy, Mitch!  There never seems to be a dull moment at Geeeraff Central.

Bruce

I'll let you know about the valve gear....I need to order mine.And I always heard the 675 was a pain to take apart, and it's the first one I bought myself and never found it bad to work on.

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Remember the foofaraw when Walthers offered Conrail steam engine decals and AHM offered a Conrail steam engine?

Fast forward several decades to a few days ago, when I was watching an NYC documentary on YouTube.   The narrator mentioned that the streamlined Dreyfus Hudsons ran with special streamlined cars.   "Gee," I thought.  "I have that rather grungy 221 sitting around.  Too bad the only streamlined cars I have are Amtrak..." 

At this point, an Evil Idea occurred to me.  

And one set of Champ decals from eBay later...

This is, of course, a work in progress.  To be done:  Decal the other side, spray with clear gloss and reassemble... 

More pics after I get everything done!

Mitch

Mr. Marmel;

Don't know how I missed this thread for so long...

To quote Joseph Welch, "At long last, have you left no sense of decency"? At least you didn't desecrate another GG1. Time to lay off Fortesque's stash of Kickapoo Joy Juice!!!

Sincerly;

The Legion of Decency 

  Whatever you do,...

....do not sell this man your Jawn Henry  

  Especially if he approaches with a paint can of Razorback Red in hand, or casually brings up post war Boy's and Girl's Set's during the haggle.

  What's really funny is it would have been the best looking thing on their roster!

...and here I thought I already perfected using the worst GG-1 paint combo ever. (Glossy "cherry chocolate" & silver. (it looked nothing like the sample, and the surface finish leveled like a mudslide. So I helped it be uglier and then sawed it in half out of spite   

  Somewhere I have that GG-1 in DT&I Saftey Orange. That one will burn patterns into your retinas too. 

..found this "before" shot;..no DT&I yet Dag nabit. I was hoping to get you back fully for making me witness "The Tick-Tac" & "The Armored Banana"

Adriatic posted:

  What's really funny is it would have been the best looking thing on their roster!

...and here I thought I already perfected using the worst GG-1 paint combo ever. (Glossy "cherry chocolate" & silver. (it looked nothing like the sample, and the surface finish leveled like a mudslide. So I helped it be uglier and then sawed it in half out of spite   

  Somewhere I have that GG-1 in DT&I Saftey Orange. That one will burn patterns into your retinas too. 

..found this "before" shot;..no DT&I yet Dag nabit. I was hoping to get you back fully for making me witness "The Tick-Tac" & "The Armored Banana"

Ah!  The famous GG1/2!

The air conditioner bolted to the side makes it for me.

Mitch

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Ah!  The famous GG1/2! 

The air conditioner bolted to the side makes it for me. 

Mitch

 

HERESY I SAY!!!

In the words of The Great Carnac, "May a weird holy man light a Roman candle in your pants"   

Apples55 posted:

HERESY I SAY!!!

In the words of The Great Carnac, "May a weird holy man light a Roman candle in your pants"   

Mitch

ProTip of the day:  The pilot truck gets the short mounting screw, and the trailing truck gets the long mounting screw.  Otherwise, the screw hits the pickup shoe, and a short circuit results.

Don't ask me how I know this.

Oh, well, that stupid old wiring harness shoulda been replaced anyway.  

Mitch

Its no fun if you don't blow something up Mitch.

GG1 4877 posted:

Never actually followed through on these, but maybe it's time!  Personally, I like your originality!

I shouldn't like them, but I must admit they do look pretty cool.

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

ProTip of the day:  The pilot truck gets the short mounting screw, and the trailing truck gets the long mounting screw.  Otherwise, the screw hits the pickup shoe, and a short circuit results.

Don't ask me how I know this.

Oh, well, that stupid old wiring harness shoulda been replaced anyway.  

Mitch

I wanna see the carnage!!! and the truck screws don't affect my 221 since I used a Prewar freight truck for the trailing, I had to improvise....and the pilot truck was a mock up that didn't turn out as expected.

RSJB18 posted:

Its no fun if you don't blow something up Mitch.

Well, yes.

Steamer posted:

Patience!  My new/old eBay cameras will be here next week! 

I wanna see the carnage!!! and the truck screws don't affect my 221 since I used a Prewar freight truck for the trailing, I had to improvise....and the pilot truck was a mock up that didn't turn out as expected.

Protip:  When you reassemble the valve gear, the connecting rod to the crosshead member goes in front of the slot, not the back.  Don't ask me how I know.  I'm sure this crosshead-shaped burn on my finger (couldn't get the rivet to set, so I soldered it instead) will heal up nicely. 

Mitch

New camera!  Amazing how much better pics with 14.1 MP and a big honking lens are over my old 9.1 MP pocket camera...

Sharp eyed viewers will note the "Amtrak" on the right side of the boiler isn't symmetrical with the left side of the boiler.  This is owing to some casting detail on the right side of the boiler...

Mitch

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

New camera!  Amazing how much better pics with 14.1 MP and a big honking lens are over my old 9.1 MP pocket camera...

Sharp eyed viewers will note the "Amtrak" on the right side of the boiler isn't symmetrical with the left side of the boiler.  This is owing to some casting detail on the right side of the boiler...

Mitch

Mitch, You never cease to amaze me with your inventiveness, ingenuity, and imagination. Amtrak never had it so good. . With the new camera you might not need the flash indoors if there is enough light.  By the way where are your assistants?

suzukovich posted:

Mitch, You never cease to amaze me with your inventiveness, ingenuity, and imagination. Amtrak never had it so good. . With the new camera you might not need the flash indoors if there is enough light.  By the way where are your assistants?

Well...

Yard Supervisor Sylvia Siamese is busy inspecting the infastructure.

Shop Inspector Norma Bates Kitteh is checking on the work done.

As for Fortescue:

Mitch

Here are two that are owned by Gerry Morlitz.  One night when Mike was at the house, he thought the pink G was cool.

Niiiiice! 

Mitch

Love that Lightning Stripe GG1

coach joe posted:

Love that Lightning Stripe GG1

Yup!  Looks good on the G!  'Course, they look good in pretty much ANY paint scheme! 

...Well, ALMOST any paint scheme.   ;^.^

Mitch

while it is a bit disturbing to see a PRR locomotive in NYC colors......it does look really good, and waaaay better than the mating worms.

Mark Boyce posted: 

Yes I remember the Conrail steam.  I had forgotten it was AHM who came out with it.

...And does anyone remember the editorial(s) in Model Railroader magazine at the time over this?....and brouhaha that followed.  Oh, the sin and disgrace of it all!!  Weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth!  Conrail...Amtrak....emblazoned upon a steam engine tender.  Pandora's Box was forever opened in the hallowed hobby of model railroading.

Yeah.       Right.

So, we've come a long way, eh what?   I mean, for me the final 'straw' (which, to the best of my knowledge never broke a Camelback!.....) was when Lionel painted a steam engine PINK!.......and, more so, when Williams couldn't resist taking it up a notch and painting a (gasp!) GG1 the same shameful color () for an iconic engine.  But now, flipping through the pages of a new catalog, seeing what marketing mayhem unbridled can do with a color palette ad nauseam and fictional logos gone 'muy loco'??.......what can one say?  

All in jest, of course........

KD

KD,

I read Model Railroader every month for over 4 decades.  Trying to stay prototypical in My HO modeling finally sent me to the man with the white goatee and couch!  I couldn't cope!  Finally I picked up a copy of this odd magazine I never heard of named O Gauge Railroading at the local Giant Eagle grocery store.  The cover story was an article about Mercer Junction Train Shoppe.  I made the 45-minute trek, and Dave Minarik convinced me that semi Scale RailKing engines were okay!!!  Talk about timing is everything!  I let my subscription to MR lapse, and never looked back!  Now, I can look at Mitch's new Amtrak steamer and say, Well done Mitch!