Kitbash

I need to do some touching up, and dull coat it. Tomorrow when the clearcoat dries

Nicely done!

Peter

Nice modeling! JohnA

Hey great minds think alike!

I'm kit bashing a Lionel Union Pacific RS3 into an CNW booster unit number BU42.  In the 1970's and 1980's  CNW found itself in a power shortage.  They wanted extra tractive effort without having to purchase a new locomotive.  So there were surplus ALCO S and RS and EMD Fb units available.  The prime movers were removed and concrete was add to ballast them. They were called booster units and were coupled to different 4 axle locos. RS  units were spliced in between 2 ALCO Century 420's. Numbering went up to BU 41 for completed units. The last one, BU42  was an RS3 that was canceled before completing.  I'm resurrecting BU42. I made decals for the numbering, the herald and CNW  came from an old Walthers decal set I've been sitting on for over 20 years.

Third Rail

I don't understand. If the prime movers were removed, what was their function????

Ron

Traction motors wired to the powered unit. Probably one truck to each unit; sort of an A-B-A setup. In this photo that I took in Anderson, KY, the second unit is a slug and is wired to the lead power. BTW, the train is in Ohio:

There is a ferry crossing here:

Correct.  By adding the booster between two 4 axle units thereby creating two 6 axle locos. You don't always need the extra horsepower when additional tractive effort is sufficient.