Lionel inspection locomotive project

I've always liked the inspection locomotives, I would be interested in a step by step photo shoot of your work.

Melvin

I would like to see Lionel making an inspection engine in the Vision Line. (Hopefully in NYO&W )

That looks like a very interesting and feasible project! Have at it! It should turn out just fine.

Chris

LVHR

Looking good.

I built a steam coach, using a Marx chassis, and l thought of doing an inspection engine,  as very similar in construction. Except maybe a Marx "Civil War" chassis might work, as they are often found with plastic cabs and bodies (severely) damaged.  I will bet somebody has done one, although l haven't seen another steam coach posted, either.  Have seen some interesting inspection locos pictured, some with steps and seats up from the pilot.  Different is good.

Looks really good.  Are you going to raise the smoke stack through the roof?  In your first post, the picture of the inspection engine shows it going up above the roof.  

Hey bro it's looking good 😎 save some of the bodywork for me to do!! 

Looking forward to the next photos

Phrase one is complete!

Next step is the electrics for the locomotive 

Finished the wiring to the bridge rectifier for the locomotive! It took about an hour to wire it. While I did wire the loco to run on with ac, I didn't add heat shrink tubing because it's not complete. All I need a lamp for the locomotive. 

More work being done to the locomotive body. I've shorten the cab to fit better on the locomotive 

Testing cab fitting

The front and back the locomotive 

Looks Great!  Can't wait to see it running!  

C&O Allie posted:

Looks really good.  Are you going to raise the smoke stack through the roof?  In your first post, the picture of the inspection engine shows it going up above the roof.  

Sorry for the late reply. But yes. The funnel will go through the roof.

Porter09 posted:

C&O Allie posted:

Looks really good.  Are you going to raise the smoke stack through the roof?  In your first post, the picture of the inspection engine shows it going up above the roof.  

Sorry for the late reply. But yes. The funnel will go through the roof.

Can't wait to see the finished project!

A new smokestack for the locomotive! My bro make the stack from the barrel of an old pen and top is from the original funnel. I had also painted the boiler with black spray paint to get rid of the brown color.

Work being done to the roof. The gap was filled with a piece of wood plus model filler to get rid of the seams.

Some process done to the tender. As of now, the tender is mostly complete. All that need is the decals.  This project is nearing completion. 

ALL of the building is now complete! All it's needs now is some decals!

Looks great. Can you post some more pics from different angles.  Looks awesome. 

E-UNIT-79 posted:

Looks great. Can you post some more pics from different angles.  Looks awesome. 

I post some pictures later. I apologize for the late reply.

Here is more pictures.

The first picture is a side view. Decals were attempted but failed to the small space. Trust me, it was a pain. I'm decided to make them on the computer.The cab was painted with Tamaya Spray paint Dull red(TS33), the closest color to maroon that I could find.

The second pic is the front of the locomotive.The headlamp is from the K line Porter locomotives. Only thing missing is a led. 

A view under the cab. Other the funnel being cut off and lamp bracket slightly modified , nothing has really been done to the body shell other then it being painted.

A close up shot of the smokebox. As I stated before, the lamp bracket has been modified. There was a clip which the lightbulb in place (and held the original lamp on the locomotive).The peg and bushing are Lego pieces.

Here's a short clip of the locomotive running backwards.

New pilot braces! When this locomotive was purchased, it's pilot braces have been removed.  The replacements are made from garden wire and then painted black.

So I am curious as to how the seating inside the inspection engine was arranged. Was there a bench seat running across the top of the heated boiler or did inspectors essentially stand on the boiler's running boards?

Whose car body was used? A celestial roof is one of the few things that has kept me from beating you to this 👍

The later Lionel Overton style passenger cars came with a clerestory roof attachment.

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

So I am curious as to how the seating inside the inspection engine was arranged. Was there a bench seat running across the top of the heated boiler or did inspectors essentially stand on the boiler's running boards?

For seating, it's depends on the locomotive being used. Most inspection locomotives (if not all of them) were usually rebuilt for older equipment.

Adriatic posted:

Whose car body was used? A celestial roof is one of the few things that has kept me from beating you to this 👍

The passenger car body is Lionel, typically used in the general sets. I bought one direct from Lionel for this project years ago! They started adding a clerestory roof a few years ago first with the nutcracker set (its simply a seperate piece screwed to the top) As seen in the pics it took a long time and work to widen the body and the clerestory! 

Thank you both.

  I have older cars. I knew MTH had one, but hadn't seen a reasonable price (unless they are cast🤔); the Lionels never once came up in Overton or celestial search results. I was eyeballing my Baby Madisons at times 🔪🤡

  I wonder if the part alone is available?

new steps for the front of the locomotive! Made by my brother. 

Adriatic posted:

Thank you both.

  I have older cars. I knew MTH had one, but hadn't seen a reasonable price (unless they are cast🤔); the Lionels never once came up in Overton or celestial search results. I was eyeballing my Baby Madisons at times 🔪🤡

  I wonder if the part alone is available?

The word is clerestory, not celestial. That might help your search.

It's just an add-on to the roof of the old cars originally made for the General back in the late 50's, but it completely changes the look of that cars. If you have a catalog number of the cars with the clerestory, you can look at the parts list on the Lionel site to see if it is available separately.

Look at eBay auction number 333187050864 for an example.

I've nearly given up on fighting spellwreck & predictive text.

  Google knows best..you you wrong....(sees ee,t said "you're" 2 seconds... but obviously you you in now correct and "you're" s.o.l. on ever being right again if they can help it 😵)...😤😬

Above mistakes are also the compose..and now the "is" after "you you" has changed to "in", and "sees ee,t" had also said "see, it said" a few seconds ago.   ( This time it withdrew "has changed" above, as I typed the paragraph below.) 

Android/google composer makes a spellwreck mistake ever third line on average. The interface is only really worse on google very own platforms than here.   Spellwreck and predictive text are also shut off fyi....google google doesn't even have that much respect, they remain on despite settings.

It's why I don't post as often. Android is a toy os that doesn't work at the moment, or for long when it does.    Every "new feature" just screws up the basics more.    I've loaded 175 apps I consider failures and 6 decent ones asin you can work around any issues. Not one app is glitch free and stable enough it has never crashed or froze....not one ...a"toy os".

But thanks

An inspection engine is on my "to do" list...some of those shorties shown look like steam dummies  such as Hercules on  display at Mammoth Cave National Park.  I built a model of Hercules on a Marx #999 chassis, and a steam coach which l decided l wanted worse, before, an inspection engine.  My brother and l used to climb on and in Hercules as kids, before it was fenced off.  Any inspection engines in museums?  I'll get around to building an inspection engine.

The steps have been painted. Matching the body and the steps platforms have painted black.

colorado hirailer posted:

An inspection engine is on my "to do" list...some of those shorties shown look like steam dummies  such as Hercules on  display at Mammoth Cave National Park.  I built a model of Hercules on a Marx #999 chassis, and a steam coach which l decided l wanted worse, before, an inspection engine.  My brother and l used to climb on and in Hercules as kids, before it was fenced off.  Any inspection engines in museums?  I'll get around to building an inspection engine.

As far as I know, there is Black Diamond. She was built in 1889. I didn't know there was more than that survived. You learn something new everyday.