8351 Front Coupler

And thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Now, I have done what you propose--I cut the pilot from a PW C&O FA shell, used the metal reinforcing plate that one can buy to repair a cracked pilot, and a little bit of paint and glue, to make an 8351 with a front coupler.

BUT:  there is--or at least WAS--at least one 8351 with a front coupler from the factory.  Christmas shopping season, 1976.  Sears Roebuck, Northwest Plaza, St. Louis County, MO.   I was 12.  My grandparents took me Christmas shopping looking for Lionel trains to add to the one Sears Lionel set and the one Sears Marx set I already had.  But it was 1976, and there wasn't much to be had on the shelves--a few pieces of track, a few odd pieces of rolling stock, a set of yard signs:  no sets left.  But in one display cabinet was a pair of Bluebonnet Santa Fe Alcos, being sold AS a set, and one with a coupler through the front pilot.  At the time, of course, I had no idea this was anything unique, but I did want the pair.  You see, they went perfectly with the Red Warbonnet Alco I already had.  As I studied those engines, I knew I could recreate a train just like the real ones with MORE THAN ONE ENGINE!  I was hooked!

Alas, my grandfather had other ideas.  He was partial to Lionel, but he was miffed there was no full set--cars and all.  So he and Grandma pulled me out of Sears, a disappointed boy, and went to Penneys where I ended up with a Tyco Chatanooga Choo-choo and a ten-year, ill-starred detour into HO.

I never saw those Alcos again--the next time we went to Sears, they were gone, presumably sold.

Over the years, people have tried to convince me that I didn't know what I was looking at, that neither one had a front coupler or that the pair was the D&H version.  But I know what I saw--I was 12, but I was not ignorant--and there was at least ONE ATSF Bluebonnet Alco with a front coupler being sold NEW by Sears during the fall of 1976.

And I would pay handsomely to own it today.

palallin posted:

And thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Now, I have done what you propose--I cut the pilot from a PW C&O FA shell, used the metal reinforcing plate that one can buy to repair a cracked pilot, and a little bit of paint and glue, to make an 8351 with a front coupler.

BUT:  there is--or at least WAS--at least one 8351 with a front coupler from the factory.  Christmas shopping season, 1976.  Sears Roebuck, Northwest Plaza, St. Louis County, MO.   I was 12.  My grandparents took me Christmas shopping looking for Lionel trains to add to the one Sears Lionel set and the one Sears Marx set I already had.  But it was 1976, and there wasn't much to be had on the shelves--a few pieces of track, a few odd pieces of rolling stock, a set of yard signs:  no sets left.  But in one display cabinet was a pair of Bluebonnet Santa Fe Alcos, being sold AS a set, and one with a coupler through the front pilot.  At the time, of course, I had no idea this was anything unique, but I did want the pair.  You see, they went perfectly with the Red Warbonnet Alco I already had.  As I studied those engines, I knew I could recreate a train just like the real ones with MORE THAN ONE ENGINE!  I was hooked!

Alas, my grandfather had other ideas.  He was partial to Lionel, but he was miffed there was no full set--cars and all.  So he and Grandma pulled me out of Sears, a disappointed boy, and went to Penneys where I ended up with a Tyco Chatanooga Choo-choo and a ten-year, ill-starred detour into HO.

I never saw those Alcos again--the next time we went to Sears, they were gone, presumably sold.

Over the years, people have tried to convince me that I didn't know what I was looking at, that neither one had a front coupler or that the pair was the D&H version.  But I know what I saw--I was 12, but I was not ignorant--and there was at least ONE ATSF Bluebonnet Alco with a front coupler being sold NEW by Sears during the fall of 1976.

And I would pay handsomely to own it today.

And therein lies the magic of this hobby. Everybody seems to have one little story that is at the heart of why they're hooked. Here's a picture of mine, finally restored, leaking battery acid stains and all. The stain is also part of the memory...

So, please tell me more about your conversion, some of the gory details would be great! And would you be willing to share any pics of the finished product? Since I have two of these and want to run them back to back, I will start with the one I bought off ebay that has an older shell, and no particular sentimental attachment. If all goes well, I might consider doing the "special" one, but I would have to get my grandson's permission since it is his engine!  In any event, one would be enough to get the pair running together. These are good runners, quiet and strong.

BTW, how did you match the paint?

George

So let me ask this in a different way. Has anyone repaired a cracked pilot on their 200 series ALCO using one of the metal apron repair pieces, like the Lionel 204-78 Nose Support for 200 Series Alco? And would you be willing to share the nitty-gritty details of how you went about it? I have no experience in using Bondo on plastic!

Well, I don't have pics--I can try to take some this weekend--but the process was pretty simple.  I actually misremembered my process:  I cut out a gap in the intact pilot by drilling four holes just inside where the corners should be (judged from my 8020) and then used a Dremel to cut out the rectangle.  I then filed to a more even edge.  In looking at it, I see I still have a little work to do, but the result looks good to me.