Make your own US Army modern-day locomotive

emrlaw,

Well done, a military kit bash is always in good order.

MTH did an Army GP20 model.

@Mike CT posted:

MTH did an Army GP20 model.

I've never seen that. Do you know the model number?

The MTH GP-20 model number is 30-20092-1.

emrlaw - that engine came out great! Always more satisfying to create your own models. Nice modeling! JohnA

Also did some GP40s

Peter

@John A posted:

emrlaw - that engine came out great! Always more satisfying to create your own models. Nice modeling! JohnA

Thanks John. It sure isn't perfect, but it really was rewarding to do. Fortunately, I keep my expectations low!

Ethan

@Putnam Division posted:

Also did some GP40s

Peter

Those look great. But I'm still glad I made my own. Plus it only cost me a few cans of paint and some decals.

I love kit bashing (but only with building kits).......I applaud your skill......re-doing engines is not in my skill set.....and, yours is beautifully done!

Peter

Nice job EMRlaw.  Looks great as well as the GP20 and GP40s others posted.  I might try painting a few spare engines as well in the future, since your sd-40-2 came out so good.  However, for now, I'm definitely picking up one of the new MTH Army Gensets for my collection   -

https://mthtrains.com/20-21665-1

The main reason I posted my SD40 was because I was surprised how easy it was to do. I don't have any great modelling skills. I can't even use an airbrush. So as long as you don't need perfection, it's a great way to save a few bucks to get an engine you want.

Ethan

I believe the Navy has their own engines too, but am not sure how they are painted

And MTH just announced a run of Genset switchers, among which are two road numbers of...you guessed it, US Army (who is actually using these today)

2022 Premier O Scale 3GS21B Genset Diesel Locomotives Announced | MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS (mthtrains.com)

---PCJ

I saw the MTH Gensets and they look nice, but I didn't want to spend $500 and have to wait a year to get something. Plus I wanted to model an SD or GP because my son was stationed at Ft. Sill and that's what we saw there.

emrlaw - Did you strip the original paint? Or paint over it? Thx.

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

emrlaw - Did you strip the original paint? Or paint over it? Thx.

Mark,

I just stripped off the markings (name and logos, etc), did a little very light sanding where the markings were, and then primed the whole thing with Tamiya primer.

Ethan

Looks great. Always thought stripping old paint was mandatory for good results. Guess it’s not factual.

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Looks great. Always thought stripping old paint was mandatory for good results. Guess it’s not factual.

I used to think stripping the old paint was mandatory also. Never again. This is my first engine, but I've done a lot of rolling stock. I used to waste tons of time stripping the old paint. Now I just remove the markings using whatever it takes (Testor's ELO, lacquer thinner, etc). I spend quite a bit of time with masking tape (Tamiya tape). Hit it with one or two coats of Tamiya primer (which is super thin), then paint. I don't see any loss of detail whatsoever.

Here's a photo of one of my display cases housing U.S. Army motive power. (Pardon the glare from the Plexiglass doors). Another similar case displays Army steam locomotives, and a number of other Army locomotives are on the layout or still in boxes (several Weaver models, for instance). I also have some locomotives that are in need of another display case if I can ever find some space to mount one, and at least one more Army steamer on preorder. I obviously like U.S. Army railroading (all eras).

@Allan Miller posted:

Here's a photo of one of my display cases housing U.S. Army motive power. (Pardon the glare from the Plexiglass doors). Another similar case displays Army steam locomotives, and a number of other Army locomotives are on the layout or still in boxes (several Weaver models, for instance). I also have some locomotives that are in need of another display case if I can ever find some space to mount one, and at least one more Army steamer on preorder. I obviously like U.S. Army railroading (all eras).

Wow! An impressive collection. Can you post a photo of your Army steam?

@emrlaw posted:

I couldn't find a modern-day Army locomotive, so I thought I'd try to custom paint one myself. It turned out to be a lot easier than I expected.   I just took an old Lionel SD40-2 (which I don't think the Army ever had) and repainted it using nothing more than Tamiya spray paint, Tamiya acrylics for the handrails, and Microscale decals. It's obviously not perfect, but I'm not a rivet counter and it looks good enough for me, especially from a distance!  (I just realized I forgot to take the masking tape off the windows.)

looks great emrlaw! Interesting that they are red and not OD!

@k-liner posted:

Interesting that they are red and not OD!

Contemporary U.S. Army diesel power in the U.S. is red, and has been for some time.

@k-liner posted:

looks great emrlaw! Interesting that they are red and not OD!

I thought the same thing! I just assumed all Army railroad equipment would be OD. I was surprised to find out the engines are bright red. And their flatcars are yellow.

@Allan Miller posted:

Contemporary U.S. Army diesel power in the U.S. is red, and has been for some time.

How long have they been red?  Were they OD before that?

@emrlaw posted:

How long have they been red?  Were they OD before that?

From what I could find the Army started to paint locomotives red in 1990.

Rusty

Go Army...

Very nice emrlaw.

Back in the eighties I was a Army reservist with the 1151st transportation company.

MOS's were locomotive mechanic and engineer.

I remember the loco's being black but it seems so long ago now I may have forgot.

Never pursued a career in railroading. Not sure why.

                                                                                   Dan

@fast freight posted:

Very nice emrlaw.

Back in the eighties I was a Army reservist with the 1151st transportation company.

MOS's were locomotive mechanic and engineer.

I remember the loco's being black but it seems so long ago now I may have forgot.

Never pursued a career in railroading. Not sure why.

                                                                                   Dan

late  70's and I remember Black

@Emeritus posted:

Go Army...

Wow! That's an incredible collection.

Ethan

@fast freight posted:

Very nice emrlaw.

Back in the eighties I was a Army reservist with the 1151st transportation company.

MOS's were locomotive mechanic and engineer.

I remember the loco's being black but it seems so long ago now I may have forgot.

Never pursued a career in railroading. Not sure why.

                                                                                   Dan

Thanks Dan. I'm going to do some research and try to do a black one. Who would've thought the 80s would seem so far in the past!

Ethan

@emrlaw posted:

Wow! An impressive collection. Can you post a photo of your Army steam?

Sorry to be so late in replying. Here's a photo of part of my Army steam roster. I need another display case to show the remainder. Apologies for the less-than-ideal photo quality (Plexiglass doors).

@Allan Miller posted:

Sorry to be so late in replying. Here's a photo of part of my Army steam roster. I need another display case to show the remainder. Apologies for the less-than-ideal photo quality (Plexiglass doors).

These are fantastic. Are they custom painted?