So NYE 2021 I won three items from a Cabin Fever MTH warehouse auction, a CNW E4 Hudson missing a pilot truck (https://ogrforum.com/...c/159660139522679023), a later PS2 wireless drawbar set of SP GS4 Daylight shells, and an unpainted, unassembled ATSF 5011 class Texas (https://ogrforum.com/...ant-a-locomotive-kit). Here's how I turned the SP GS4 shells into a functioning locomotive using parts I had sitting around in my parts bins. First off here's how the GS4 shells arrived.
First order of business was making a whole locomotive and tender. Digging around in my parts bins I pulled out:
PS1 GS4 chassis
PS2 satin rods
PS2 pilot and trailing truck
PS1 complete pilot
PS3 tender frame
PS3 tender trucks with chains
GS4 worm gear, gearbox cover, dog bone drive shaft, motor mount, 30mm flywheel.
A 12V 9234 Pittman with rare earth magnets and 6mm ball bearings.
I got all the mechanical parts assembled over the summer and broke the motor an driveline in on DC power. Ran nice, strong, and smooth.
I had to decide what I was going to use for command control. Usually I would just use a standard PS3 steam upgrade kit, but I'd have to do some work arounds to get a functioning MARS light. So instead I went the hard way. I had a complete PS3 steam harness from a Premier Reading T1, along with PS3 boiler and tender boards, and this was the perfect candidate to use them in. I had to re-pin the boiler lighting harness to add the MARS light. Since the locomotive chassis had no provision for a wireless drawbar, and I wasn't about to cut it up for one, I converted the boiler harness to use a wired tether. The tender harness was modified to use a tether and I added a nice 50mm Visaton speaker.
Here's the completed locomotive. Not bad for I random collection of parts I put together.