Let us see your Homemade Lionel (or Other) Style Cars or Engines you have Made or Modified

Almost done with this one have to add decals and a Piggyback Hitch

My white Pass and Yukon rolling stock.

These will be for sale along with 40+ other items at the upcoming Lonestar Hi-Railers Train-a-Palooza on March 2019 in Grapevine, TX. 

They are Atlas autoparts boxcars repainted for Quanah, Acme & Pacific Rwy. In reality these cars never existed although the QA&P hauled lots of autos “back in the day”.  The Frisco-QA&P-ATSF scheme cars commemorate the joint symbol freights: QLA, QSF, and CTB which ran from coast to coast.  After these photos were taken, I later applied lube plates, ACI badges, and matte finish.

I have always liked the way these cars turned out, but I have GOT to reduce my collection. 

This Alaska GP7 started out all blue on a black frame in a '90s Lionel set.  It became my second airbrush project after a Grumman F4C plane model.  I masked it off I went to town with yellow to match the prototypical ARR paint scheme and added a winterization hatch.  Some time later I picked up the GP9 from a Titanic set break up and swapped out the bodies so now my ARR GP7 has a yellow frame and basic Railsounds.

This USAF switcher stared out as a K-line SP Black Widow S2.  Shaved off cast in grab handles and used staples for add-on grab handles, re-painted and cut off stamped steel steps and added better pilots.

I picked up An early MTH RK N&W Y6B and wanted an auxiliary tender to go with it.  I just couldn't justify the going rate for such items so I tried my hand at making one. Years back I picked up a couple of the Lionel separate sale whistling tenders, swapped out the frames for some starter set tenders so one was a perfect candidate.  I cut out the coal load, laid in some styrene sheet trimmed to fit inside the sides and around the water hatch.  The treads are actually cut from sanding sheets, added a ladder and acostume crystal for the back up light lens.

One of my favorite threads, seeing the creativity and workmanship.

Took a shot at some wind blades on Atlas 68’ Trainman flatcars:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

This is an MTH caboose modified with clear LEDs to simulate the way an ATSF waycar is supposed to look:

I am really enjoying seeing all the great ideas and construction-bashing jobs by so many.  This type of stuff gives me more pleasure than most parts of the our great model train hobby.

Coach Joe:   Great work on your GP9 and auxiliary tender.  The tender job encouraged me to keep rounding up parts for my planed Vanderbilt tender.  Got most of them now and I have reviewed pictures of them and just need to "get round to it".

The GP 9 turned out super.  What did you use or what did you do to get the great letters and numbers on the repaint job?

Charlie

Rob Leese posted:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

Where did you get the gate material?

Finished another custom  pola Max AHM flat car that I converted into a piggyback car 

Charlie the letters and numbers on the GP were original to the Lionel body.  I masked them off with the rest of the blue while panting the yellow ends.  I have since picked up a set of decals for that paint scheme from ebay in case I want to do another repaint.

lee drennen posted:

Finished another custom  pola Max AHM flat car that I converted into a piggyback car 

Great job on the piggy back Lee. Where did you get the decals?

Lee, Pola Max?  O gauge? Kit?

Here's another two: If you look closely at the car numbers they're all 510.  The 510 came in a MTH RK set of full vista domes with an F40PH.  Long before MTH came out with that set, I picked up a set of RK Santa Fe streamliners with the red stripe and 2 additional vista domes that i intended to re-paint into Alaska RR colors.  That project morphed into converting them into NYC Empire State Express cars.  Before that happened I picked up both the ARR full dome set and some ESE cars and the Santa Fes languished for a while.  I then won an ebay auction for 3 of the 510 bodies, end doors and diaphragms.  So far the 2 additional vista domes have contributed frames, trucks interiors and vista domes so now my ARR passenger train is 5 cars long instead of 3 and I have the K-line Denali business/observation car to bring up the rear.    RK passenger car mounting to frame has changed over the years so the bolster in the body had to be removed and holes drilled in the bottom of the body to allow screws to mount to the roof bolsters.  Still have 1 more 510 to finish up.  Not sure if I'll sacrifice the vista dome from the set or the coach.  A couple of close ups of one:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

Where did you get the gate material?

After some digging I found the 2014 thread that lead me to the parts I used:

https://ogrforum.com/topic/atsf-marker

Rob Leese posted:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

Where did you get the gate material?

After some digging I found the 2014 thread that lead me to the parts I used:

https://ogrforum.com/topic/atsf-marker

 

I looked through it but didn't see a part number for the gate you ended up using. Perhaps I missed it?

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

Where did you get the gate material?

After some digging I found the 2014 thread that lead me to the parts I used:

https://ogrforum.com/topic/atsf-marker

 

I looked through it but didn't see a part number for the gate you ended up using. Perhaps I missed it?

Here is a link to download Keil Lines O gauge parts list.  The item is called a vestibule gate.

http://www.oscaledirectory.com...keillineproducts.pdf

When I was first got back into the hobby and started going to local train shows I picked up 3 flat car shells real cheap.  One brown, one navy and one a very pale blue.  I added some plastic K-line trucks and added loads.  Here's the brown one, wearing UP HO decals, and the navy one with Alaska with individual dry transfer letters.   

 Mark thank you I appreciate the compliment 

Joe.  Pola Max I think was a part of AHM these  came ready to roll in some of my pictures you can see where I put styrene on the sides and convert them into piggyback  cars 

rehabbed some four wheel cars

and some beat up 600 cars

Craigslist 1615 made into more of a B6

Steamer

Great jobs especially on the the remake of the 600 cars and the making of the B6 from a 0-4-0.  That was a neat trick.  You guys amaze me.

Charlie

Wow!  Does that B6 have the chassis from a Lionel 227, or ???

Dennis Holler sent me the Prewar motor

2031 frames, LTI shells,Len Carparelli paint...

Rob Leese posted:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

Where did you get the gate material?

After some digging I found the 2014 thread that lead me to the parts I used:

https://ogrforum.com/topic/atsf-marker

 

I looked through it but didn't see a part number for the gate you ended up using. Perhaps I missed it?

Here is a link to download Keil Lines O gauge parts list.  The item is called a vestibule gate.

http://www.oscaledirectory.com...keillineproducts.pdf

The part is now sold by Scale City Designs here is the link :

http://scalecitydesigns.com/sc...r-details/vestibule/

While not exactly home made, I modified an American Flyer tender to give an American Models S gauge 4-8-4 a longer tender.  The original one was great for Santa Fe,  but C&O used coal tenders.  I retained the AM electronics and made a brass frame for the tender too.Here's the process. 

Got this as a Christmas gift from my friends Jim & Dorette that I play with in the acoustic rock group Strumburgh. Total surprise for me, made my Christmas celebration very special last year. Our friend Matt did the work on the car, he specializes in painting brass engines.

-Bruce

Steamer

I believe the motor with 6 wheels you used make the neat 0-6-0 switcher is from a Marx 333, a 4-6-2 steamer, the largest Marx made in the late 40s and 50s.  I have the three major steamers Marx made, the 333, 666 and 999, the later two have four driving wheels.

Charlie

nope 

Lionel

CSX Al posted:

Rob Leese posted:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

Lou1985 posted:

Rob Leese posted:

This is an MTH coach with the added modifications of tail gate and marker.

Where did you get the gate material?

After some digging I found the 2014 thread that lead me to the parts I used:

https://ogrforum.com/topic/atsf-marker

 

I looked through it but didn't see a part number for the gate you ended up using. Perhaps I missed it?

Here is a link to download Keil Lines O gauge parts list.  The item is called a vestibule gate.

http://www.oscaledirectory.com...keillineproducts.pdf

The part is now sold by Scale City Designs here is the link :

http://scalecitydesigns.com/sc...r-details/vestibule/

Thanks for the link.

Mark Diff posted:

lee drennen posted:

Finished another custom  pola Max AHM flat car that I converted into a piggyback car 

Great job on the piggy back Lee. Where did you get the decals?

Mark sorry for the late reply the decals are for a HO scale Western Pacific  caboose. thank you for the compliment 

HO scale decals work well for O gauge flats.

This isn't home made but I modified it.First picture is how it comes out of the box.  i fabricated pilots, added windows, engineer, fireman and hand rails to the door.  Safety stripes on pilot were individually applied. 

These are prelim photos of a current project. 

As an adaptation from childrens’ literature:  “who will help me obtain a Frisco MO/W F unit?  ‘Not I said said Lionel. Not I said said Atlas. Not I said MTH.’  Then I will do it myself said the old Frisco switchman.”  And he did. 

The trouble is, nobody makes O gauge decals for this Frisco paint scheme.  It may be a while finishing this one.

Mike Condren photo included.

The Bungling Brothers Circus train.

Yep! That's a mighty nice circus train you've got there .... docked

coach joe posted:

HO scale decals work well for O gauge flats.

This isn't home made but I modified it.First picture is how it comes out of the box.  i fabricated pilots, added windows, engineer, fireman and hand rails to the door.  Safety stripes on pilot were individually applied. 

Nice job! Joe, I like those air tanks up on the hood

 Here is my  piggyback car on the layout 

Lee according to another thread Lionel put those air tanks on only 3 switchers, this Alaska 8154, it's predecessor, Alaska 614, and orange tanks on a DT&I switcher.  they do give this switcher a different look.

Good job on the flat.  i knew I wasn't the only one using HO decals on O equipment.

Rob Leese posted:

These are prelim photos of a current project. 

As an adaptation from childrens’ literature:  “who will help me obtain a Frisco MO/W F unit?  ‘Not I said said Lionel. Not I said said Atlas. Not I said MTH.’  Then I will do it myself said the old Frisco switchman.”  And he did. 

The trouble is, nobody makes O gauge decals for this Frisco paint scheme.  It may be a while finishing this one.

Mike Condren photo included.

 The on

Rob,

Great start!  As far as decals go, try making your own printing them on clear decal paper (or even on white decal paper in your case).  I use a series of fonts from "railfonts(dot)com" to make my own.  "Frisco" font looks a LOT like Great Northern's lettering, which they have (and which I downloaded for a project).  They also have a font called "heralds" which will give you with one keystroke a herald of almost any American railroad (Frisco included).  You download their program and install it in your word processing program, and type away.  Complete instructions are on their site.  I highly recommend it.  The only trouble is, printing ink isn't completely opaque and lighter colors may need two decals to bring out the color.  The Frisco red is nice and vibrant but still may need one decal on top of another to bring out the color.  But it's red lettering and herald on a white background, so try it.  I used that technique on a yellow decal over dark blue and the results weren't bad.  So red over white will turn out even better.  The signature below was made using the Chesapeake and Ohio font.  Good luck and let us know if your mission (should you decide to accept it) is successful!

I couldn't find a photo of the yellow on dark blue that I did, but here's dark blue on yellow.  The boxcar is made in S, but not in C&O colors, so I copied the O gauge and prototype placement using the railfonts program:

coach joe posted:

Lee according to another thread Lionel put those air tanks on only 3 switchers, this Alaska 8154, it's predecessor, Alaska 614, and orange tanks on a DT&I switcher.  they do give this switcher a different look.

Good job on the flat.  i knew I wasn't the only one using HO decals on O equipment.

Thanks for the information on those. I use HO decals a lot on O scale stuff