Sunset 3rd Rail NYC J3a "Super Hudson" #5453 - Cosmetic Upgrades

Nice work Nick.  it's amazing how the littlest changes can make such an improvement. 

 

That is something that has never failed to amaze me either. Taken separately, any single one of these little alterations I've done isn't all that big of a deal. Take them all together, and you've made a $1,000 model look pretty darn close to a $3,000 model.

 

One alteration I completely forgot to mention is the builder's plates near the front of the boiler. They came from the factory with some pretty weak glue, so by now all the models I've seen are either missing them or they're completely crooked. Take another look at the eBay photo in my original post and you'll see what I mean. Initially I tried to fix them on my model, but then I realized at this late stage in the Hudson's life it looks like the builder's plates got removed. Below I have attached photos of both sides of Super J3a #5343, and the Kohs model. I couldn't see builder's plates on any of them, or at least where 3rd Rail had put them, so I removed them from my model and cleaned off the residue.

 

Very nice upgrades you made to that Hudson definitely does make a difference and I would agree she sure looks good.

Your personal record is awarded ten merits for inspiring me to get to work on my own 3rd Rail engines.  Very nice work.

Nick,

Can you share the contact info of the person who is re lettering your tender? I would love to have mine done as well.

I've sent you an email Greg.

 

Here's a couple more quick fixes. According to prototype photos the two large connected pipes coming down the side of the firebox should bend at a neat 90 degree angle at the bottom, head under the cab, then dump straight down to the ground. On my model these pipes had sustained damage from shipping that I hadn't even noticed until now. They were bent and twisted upward. If this has happened to yours it's a simple matter of pushing them down. Here's mine after bending it back and touching up:

 

 

 

Another small item I'm evaluating is the cab figures. They are...questionable. If they don't give me too much trouble getting out of their seats I think I'll install some nice Artista figures.

 

 

Finally for tonight I thought I'd invite some discussion on the #7 used on the model of 5447. I obviously do not have this issue to contend with, but it's still worth noting what appears to have happened is the old Roman font got mixed up with the later sans-serif font. This occurred in all 6 areas of the model where the number appears. Would be very interesting to know how this happened, and would love to know if anyone out there has found a fix.

 

Below are more photos from the eBay listing I referenced earlier that clearly illustrate the slip-up:

 

Finally got the tender from the custom painter today, and unfortunately it will be heading back out tomorrow. He had forgotten the NEW YORK CENTRAL fonts changed to sans-serif modern style on PT tenders. The clear coat was also a little too dead flat to match the engine; it will be toned up on the second try. Paint job and new coal pile is flawless otherwise. It was a neat "what-if" had the NYC stayed with the classic Roman serif fonts.

 

Nick,

 

Looks great! A shame you have to send it back. My 5451 has got the same factory big lettering, but it will be a while before I send it off.

 

Ron

A shame indeed, since the quality of the paint itself was super, one wrong font just got traded for the only other wrong font unfortunately. At least it does give the opportunity to re-do the clear coat to better match the engine.

 

This time around I included a packet of color comparison and font example photos. Should come back perfect this time.

Great re-building and detailing!

Did you make a claim at the Post Office since they had caused the damage?  if so, what was their response?

Thanks,

Ed

If there were enough interest I would order decals from Microscale. Last time I checked into this (MDT reefer decals) they said their minimum order would be 250 sheets at about 4 bucks a sheet. Normal retail is north of 11 bucks. Even if you sent your engine out to have it painted, you would save the painter from having to make or find some to use.

In three years of searching I have yet to find late NYC steam decals.

 

Pete

 

Pete, Allegheny Scale Models carried the Champ E-10 set required for this project. I just checked and now they're not listed there anymore. They were $20. Try giving them a call to see if they have a line on any others. Here is the HO version of the same decal set on eBay. Notice the product number EH-10. The O Scale version is just E-10.

 

For my project I got lucky and had a very generous friend send me a set he had squirreled away. I did send it to the painter to use but he apparently forgot about it. Hopefully he still has them for the second attempt.

Thank you Ed! I did not end up pursuing the Post Office about it since the damage was all repairable. I think they also demand the damaged items be turned in and destroyed if a payout is made.

Nick,

You have a beautiful locomotive and tender set.

Lots of Luck and Enjoy them.

I can't get over the length of both, especially the length of the tender!

GREAT!!!

Ralph

If you look carefully at the builders photo of the Dreyfuss engines, you can see that the builders plate and the rectangular plate immediately above it were originally mounted on the streamlined sheet metal. (By the way, the rectangular plate above the builders plate is a different shape than "The Superheater Company" plate, so it MIGHT be an equipment trust plate.) When the streamlining was removed from these ten engines, my original conclusion was that the two plates were not reapplied to the smokebox of these engines. By carefully inspecting several photos of these engines after they were destreamlined, most and possibly all of these plates were reapplied to a higher location on the smokebox and a little further "forward", and some of them are partially obscured by piping. This FYI.

Thanks for that info, although I still cannot find them in my photos of 5453. If they are indeed there they must be completely obscured by piping, so I'm comfortable leaving them off my model for now. They would probably fall off and get lost anyway, they were aggravating little pieces and even with a dab of JB Weld they just didn't want to stick. I have them in a little baggie in the original box for safe keeping.

Tender came back from round 2. Font and sheen are correct this time, although the "L" on one side is crooked. There's always something  I'm happy with it, will post photos of it with the engine when I return from NY (had the tender shipped there to inspect while away).

 

It would look soooo much better if it had a scale coupler on the rear

Very nice job.

Looks great...but the "L" should not be crooked...

 

Alan

Finally, the properly lettered tender mated with the engine. Still saggy on that one bad spring, that's next on the list. Otherwise the sheen is a perfect match and the new coal pile and lettering look great. Even the crooked "L" on the other side can't really be noticed from more than a couple feet away and certainly not in motion.

 

Tried a crude fix on the spring. Just "froze" it with a thin layer of epoxy. Still not perfect, but better. Here it is pulling the GGD 1948 20th Century Limited. Pulls all 12 cars without a hitch thanks to the newer truck design that reduces friction.

 

Nick,

 

You so need to write a article for the NYC historical society for their model section of the Central Headlight.  Mostly HO stuff, time for some O scale and your upgrade of the J3 would be a perfect topic.