Scratchbuilt Boxcab

beautiful work

Magnificent! 

Mitch

Absolutely fabulous. Great work there.

I'm a big fan of the K-Line S-2 which is the most populous locomotive on my "027 scale" layout. The slightly smaller proportions of the S-2 looks good on a small layout with tight curves and with the smallish 0 gauge cars I chose to run for similar reasons.

Looks to me by your photos, you went with a more scale measurement on the height of your cab. Hard to know without either measuring it or seeing it next to some other train items. The height though, in my eye, gives it a more boxy look. Well, it is a box cab . But if it were me, I would have made the height a little lower. Years ago there was an article about making a box cab loco utilizing a K-Line S-2 frame, but using their caboose bodies as the basis for the shell of the box cab.

I haven't done any scratch building of a train loco like you've done here. But I have done kit bashing. As seen below (not finished when the photo was taken), I took a K-Line MP-15 chassis and chopped down in length and height, a Lionel U36 shell for a "modern appearing" locomotive that would fit the same criteria I like about the K-Line S-2. I added the "D8-40CW" below the cab number which no doubt would annoy the scale purist. I'm not a scale purist though.

Also wondering why you went with frame mounted couplers? Yes, the couplers for the S-2 are now the hardest part to find for them. But with the narrow opening on the pilot, I'm assuming you don't use 027 curves.

As seen in the second photo below of one of my S-2 repaints I also make simplified front and rear pilots. I originally tried making the coupler opening narrower, but found it caused derailments on my tight 027 curves, so I had to extend the coupler opening.

Anyways, not criticizing your work. My observations are based on what I might have done. Still, like I said at the onset, great job. As a joke, you could have numbered it the "521" since you definitely one upped the original 520 and also the later reissue of it.

Great job!

Incredible scratch build. You are extremely talented.

Many years ago, after reading an article, maybe the one referenced by brianel above, I was determined to scratch build or kit bash whichever is the appropriate name for my plan, a boxcab on the same K-Line S2 frame.  I planned to use a security car shell so that my boxcab would be different.  I had never seen a Lionel 520 and the re-issues by Lionel and K-Line had not come out yet.  Once I had procured the major components I realized the shell needed to be lengthened, to span the K-Line trucks and widened to reach the edges of the S2 frame.  I spent a long time planning how to accomplish what I needed to do,  I would cut off the roof, cut all four corners of the shell, use plastruct angles of sufficient size to move the sides out to the edge of the roof which would be even with the edge of the frame.  Re-attach the roof using styrene strips, cut the cab in half, make louver vents for each side using plastruct or evergreen stairs, HO scale I believe, to gain the additional length I would need, piece the roof back together using styrene sheet and then use my very limited painting skills to create something wonderful.  Long before I could get up the nerve to actually start the project with my limited skills the 520 re-issues hit the market pretty much killing my desire to undertake the project.  Years later that SP Black Widow S2 did get a repaint into USAF colors with some minor detailing modifications.

Now the desire for a boxcab may be rekindled.  Once again, that's a wonderful build.

Wow! That looks great! Awesome job!

Jonathan

Super great job.  Looks much superior and way more detailed than my Lionel 520.

Charlie

Speaking of S-2s, I'm reminded of this:

https://ogrforum.com/...cab-for-only-pennies

Mitch

Outstanding modeling! Congrats on the job ...

Amazing scratch build, love it!

Great work. Let's see more projects from you.

Great build!

Great work!  To obtain performance that will complement the realistic appearance, be sure to rewire the two motors in series (factory wiring had them in parallel.)  Doing this won't hurt anything but it will net you smoother starts, a more realistic top speed, and a wider usable voltage range.  Thanks for sharing!!

Ted S.

Already done! That's one of the first things I do to any of my K-Line S2 locos. Makes for much better slow speed performance.

-Jonathan V.

Coach Joe

As a retired career Air Force veteran, I'd sure like to see that loco painted in USAF colors!
-Jonathan Vincent

Coach Joe

My original plan was very similar to yours - get a spare 520 shell, cut it apart and then glue it back together, but just bigger! I bought a "parts" Lionel 520 off of ebay, thinking I would just throw the mechanism back out on ebay, and recover my cost. That all changed when it showed up. Not only was it complete, other than the pantograph (which is easily gotten), but it was BEAUTIFUL! The frame was flawless, with no rust or corrosion whatsoeever, but also, the shell still had both "tabs/hooks/whatever" intact. I couldn't in good conscience cut apart a flawless shell, so that's when I decided to go the scratchbuild route. I had scratchbuilt a boxcab in N scale years ago (fittingly numbered 520), so I figured it could be done. Working one day a week at my local hobby shop made acquiring any needed supplies easy enough, so all I had to do was turn a bunch of white styrene into a locomotive shell. Once I got started, I had the entire shell done in a couple of days, and I didn't even slice off any fingertips this time around!
-Jonathan Vincent

Well done!!  Very professional looking.   I'll bet you are the only kid on the block that has one of those!

Jack Smith

JSmith

Thanks, and you're probably right!

-Jonathan Vincent

Outstanding work! You should really have an article published!!

Jonathan, I'll post some picks of my USAF S2 over on your S2 post.

The 520 cab and the security car cab are similar, but not identical. They took the 520 cab and made it skinnier to fit on a flat car chassis. The windows on the ends are narrower, too.

I wish I had known.

@Jonathan V. posted:

Coach Joe

As a retired career Air Force veteran, I'd sure like to see that loco painted in USAF colors!
-Jonathan Vincent

Thank you for your service.

@Jonathan V. --Jonathan, that is a pretty nice looking Boxcab. A+ on your craftsmanship skills. When you have time, please post a video of it running.

Tom

Absolutely beautiful, Jonathan V

PRR 8976:

Thanks! Too bad you didn't send that message yesterday. I work one day a week at a local hobby shop, and had it running on our store's O scale layout. I don't actually have an O scale layout (my layout is a 25'x30' N scale layout), but can set up a loop of track on the floor. Our store layout has O-36 curves, which were no problem for the frame-mounted couplers.

-Jonathan

Jonathan,

No rush, whenever you get around to it. I second what others said that you should do an article...if not that unit could use a sister unit and you could do it here on the OGR Forum...as I offer to waste more time in your life, paraphrasing from what O. Winston Link once told me.

Tom