I was scrolling through some custom locomotives that people have made for inspiration for my own projects when I found this. Is their any info on who built it? I would like to build a 4-6-6-4 challenger for my fictional Colchester and Midwestern railroad similar to this. It looks like a standard lionel motor modifyed to pivot. In info on how this was done? Thanks.
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I'll bite. I know that you are probably drawn toward the "doing new things with old Lionel stuff" mindset - as am I. Sort of satisfying in a weird way.
But - if you want a smaller Challenger, you could go the MTH RK Challenger route. Older ones (PS1 or even the whistle-only versions) were once available economically, and you could still customize it for your freelance road. The looks could be greatly modified with new details and/or the deletion of existing ones. It will also run better than the old Lionel. Those RK Challengers weigh a ton, too.
Yeah an MTH challenger might work. I also have been working on a smaller articulated. An 0-6-6-0. The back half of the shell is from a lionel safari set locomotive extended with PVC. Still trying to fit a motor. It doesn't have any pickups cause the pickups are on the tender.
That's an idea that's been in the back of my mind for a long time. I never pursued it, but from the looks of things it obviously can be done. I thought after the first 5 or 6 O gauge Mallets came out it would just be a matter of a few years before someone brought out a 2-6-6-2 in B&A and NYC markings. I also thought Atlas would bring out an O gauge HH-600 soon after their HO offering. Think I need to fine tune my crystal ball. Good luck with your project!
Two names come to mind: Bob Gale and Bill Roberts. Both took smaller Lionel engines and cobbled them together into bigger wheel arrangements that were, at the time, unavailable.
Chris
LVHR
As D500 said, the wide variety of Railking offerings have made the do-it-yourself route less popular.
But, back in the day, Bob Gale's creations were highly sought after.
Another builder in the upstate NY area was Frank Bell (more commonly known as Hacksaw Bell among his friends up here. 
) I wonder how much of his work is still around somewhere!
Back when postwar mechanisms were all there was to work with, lots of modelers produced some interesting results!
I really like your 0-6-6-0. 
Jim
Thanks for the help guys! I will probably use this thread to show off more of my custom projects.
I was working on a 2-4-4-2 using a couple of Marx #999 chasses, and had the chassis running, but couldn't find a detailed photo that would show me how to wire the two motors to reverse in sync, and then got diverted to another project, that awaits parts. Probably should go to a QSIl reverse or some such.
Here's another one of my C&MW projects. It's a 8350 shell with added details on a 51 navy switcher chassis with added white walls. I tried to simulate oil dripping from the vents and the air tank on top is a wooden dowel.
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