The thread title says it all. Please share your best accomplishment with us. Post photos of it. Feel free to include more than one mod or enhancement if it's difficult to narrow your choice to just one. This is the thread to brag about and show what you've done and motivate us.
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Up-grade EVERYTHING to Kadee body mounted couplers!
I installed ERR sound commander in the infamous Lionel 18003 Lackawanna Northern. It has always been an OK engine but the mighty sound of scratch ruined the experience of this beast chugging down the rails. I am the least tech savvy person you will meet so to have accomplished this and have it work just fine was a very big deal for me.
This one turned out better than I hoped for. I fixed the pilot, reduced the coupler opening, added a scale coupler, added new brake hose, added full length handrails, opened steps with handrails on front right, moved in the trucks, added truck details (piping, eg. sand pipes), added a beacon light, and weathered it.
before:
after:
I was able to replace my traction tires on my Acela! 
I cosmetically bashed a Lionel starter set 0-8-0 into an approximation of a Great Western 2-8-0. I used RMT Budd car chasses, shortened or lengthened, as platforms for kit built gas electrics, two of them, a La Belle kit for a Rio Grande car, built in their shops with a "kit" powertrain out of Wisconsin, and an Am. Std. Car Co. kit for a Missoui Pacific EMC gas electric. This in a wasteland in which there are no three rail power or truck components available except what you can cobble up. Other similar kitbashes, for steam, and rail car, are in my head.
Here's my postwar Marx 898 that I modified with more of a prewar vibe to pull prewar Lionel cars.
Then there's the observation car made from a rusty AF 1122 coach for the Copper Cannonball...
Built a Santa Fe Gp7u and slug from Lionel, ERR, Atlas and K-Line parts. The two powered trucks have the "in the truck"
can motors and are the two center trucks on the Geep/slug set. The GP7u will run by it's self, but the slug needs power from the GP7u to run. The GP7u/Slug set has 3 sets for center rail power pickups so it will go over any type of switch at any speed with no problems. The cables between the GP7u and the slug are from model airplane control cables. These cables are for the slug's motor, front coupler, lights and center rail power to the GP7u.
Bashed a few Marx cars for my Lionel consist. The gondola is here, got a hopper and a caboose as well (sold caboose at one point, orange NYC with MPC frame. Looking for it again)
Tinplate boxcab diesel.
Too many leftover fireworks. Did what any serious pyro would do....
the Handy Andy Locomotive and Car Works does fine work.
I'd say the one I'm most proud of is my Gunmetal 225E I rebuilt from a bare shell, and the Vandy tender that came form a 1682 caboose frame,PVC pipe, and a 1666 shell from a junkbox.
My Polar Express Heavyweight observation car lighting and custom built rear...
This custom paint job by Jeff Sohn which was done a few years ago. A favorite Rock Island livery done on an ES44AC.
Larry
Correcting the K-line MP 15 to Conrail MP 15's
added OMI short brass fuel tanks
Even a full cab interior!
The car works N5 cabin car with lighted marker lights via reed switch!
Williams F7 a-b-a with LEd marker lights front and rear! PSC Fuel tank too!
and a P& D Hobby cab interior!
Corrected lighting on my K-line F 40's This shot shows all lights when in neutral but lights are directional!
In reverse!
Arrived "new" but broken. Sent for warranty repair but ran properly only two days after it came back.
Replaced all the TAS electronics with ERR stuff. Runs fine now. 
I updated an old Atlas Strasburg RR Bobber Caboose. Here is the result:
Here is how it looked before (borrowed picture from the web):
Body shell before:
Repainted roof and frame black. Painted grabs yellow. Added window glass and Kadees:
Shaved off molded on roof grabs and made wire grabs, painted end rails and roof grabs yellow, added marker lamps:
Bob
I highly modified a Lionel N5b. Before:
After:
I stripped this to a bare shell and cut off all the cast in details. I added over 140 brass pieces (the handrails alone are made from four separate pieces), changed to wood roof walks and end platforms, added Prototcraft couplers with operating cut levers, inserted glass windows and moved the marker lights outward. I stripped, repainted, relettered and weathered it. I added brass trucks, lowered with new bolsters, and added new airlines
John Sethian posted:I highly modified a Lionel N5b. Before:
After:
I stripped this to a bare shell and cut off all the cast in details. I added over 140 brass pieces (the handrails alone are made from four separate pieces), changed to wood roof walks and end platforms, added Prototcraft couplers with operating cut levers, inserted glass windows and moved the marker lights outward. I stripped, repainted, relettered and weathered it. I added brass trucks, lowered with new bolsters, and added new airlines
Now THAT is nice!!!!! You are aware that those "special" Cabin Cars had steam heat conduits for use on express trains.
I most proud of my hog warts set. I add cruise, rails kinds, backup light, engineer and fireman and coal to the engine. And then I added audio clips to passenger cars. The link below sums up how my hogwarts is now
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qrwrPOmKh3k
Hot Water posted:Now THAT is nice!!!!! You are aware that those "special" Cabin Cars had steam heat conduits for use on express trains.
Of course. That's why, if you look closely, you will see I built in two hoses hanging out the back: One is the standard brake air line, and the larger diameter steam line.
What I modeled is prototypical for my era, where the cabin heat was provided by a stove, and the steam lines were just through connections. Later (> 1956) modifications added radiators, dispensed with the stove (and smokestack) and had the standard Pullman designed steam connections that look like an "L"
John Sethian posted:Hot Water posted:Now THAT is nice!!!!! You are aware that those "special" Cabin Cars had steam heat conduits for use on express trains.
Of course. That's why, if you look closely, you will see I built in two hoses hanging out the back: One is the standard brake air line, and the larger diameter steam line.
What I modeled is prototypical for my era, where the cabin heat was provided by a stove, and the steam lines were just through connections. Later (> 1956) modifications added radiators, dispensed with the stove (and smokestack) and had the standard Pullman designed steam connections that look like an "L"
Well OK, you are more of an expert on that PRR time frame/era, than I am. However, the photographs I've seen of that Cabin Ca,r had the standard passenger car Barco Steam Conduits, and not a "large diameter hose". I believe if you checkout the PSC brass steam conduits, as used on the rear of tenders and all passenger cars equipped with steam lines, you see what I mean.
jrmertz posted:I most proud of my hog warts set. I add cruise, rails kinds, backup light, engineer and fireman and coal to the engine. And then I added audio clips to passenger cars. The link below sums up how my hogwarts is now
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qrwrPOmKh3k
Well done! The sounds and upgrades make it a wonderful set.
Hot Water, yes, those PSC Barco Steam conduits are very nice. If they fit my era, I definitely would have used them!
I wouldn't call them enhancements or modifications, but I try to restore all the Post War Lionel engines I find. For some reason I just can't leave them broken and neglected.
I took this K-Line S-2 in Sp Black Widow paint
And made it into this USAF switcher
I shaved off all the molded in grab irons and replaced with add-ons made from mini staples, removed the battery box and replaced with a fuel tank on one side and air tanks on the other. I cut off the stairs that are part of the frame and added Atlas-O GP-9 pilots to the K-Line trucks, with air hoses and home-made uncoupling levers. Also added a crew and winterization hatch.
The mech that locks platform of the On30 pusher-tender motor, is the old F-7 motors field magnets, pulling steel within the black tank tank down and forward, into the frames 2 nail-head's slots. Strong enough to lift and shake, but pulls off with your fingers. Still not done, or proto, but runs nice.(next to ho Clinton Dewitt)
This was easy, I'm just very happy I did it.
This looks easy but was very hard as bending stainless without a brake isn't easy. The thick stainless roof was "stupid hard" for a simple curve with end flair. And cutting and "unwrapping" a can and cutting it, while still keeping it flat and straight, was no joke. Glue was epoxy and JB with shallow dovetail slots on the stainless's glued areas. My 1st CV got a Rustolium paint job cured in a freezer to haze the gloss
ADRAITIC,
No images!
I've done some cosmetic upgrades to all of my locos. All but two are Williams locos and they have lots of room for improvement in the looks department. My favorites are my U33C's. I added diamond plate to the frame walkways, firecracker antennas, end railing chains and drop steps, modified the pilots and added hoses to them, painted the cab side windows, scratchbuilt new fuel/air tank assemblies, added mu receptacles to the frame ends, painted the exhaust stacks, installed windshield wipers, painted and weathered the trucks, decaled the top of the noses and I replaced the factory brake wheels with brass parts and painted them to match.
I took a Railking USRA 2-8-8-2 and made it into an N&W Class X 0-8-8-0.
Scott Smith
Hot Water posted:ADRAITIC,
No images!
Must have been too soon after the post, I see them. Thank you.
scott.smith posted:I took a Railking USRA 2-8-8-2 and made it into an N&W Class X 0-8-8-0.
Scott Smith
Dibs if you ever decide to sell it....
Adriatic posted:Hot Water posted:ADRAITIC,
No images!
Must have been too soon after the post, I see them. Thank you.
Nope. Still not there.
I took a Lionel Legacy Prewar PRR K4s and gave it a long haul tender from parts I purchased at Lionel for the TMCC PRR M1a. The finished product running can be seen in the following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZio4rrQEQ
This is one of two derelict postwar FM Trainmaster shells that I converted to N&W units for a friend. The original crosshatch plastic grills were damaged so I covered the areas with some more prototypical pieces of fine mesh. My runnerup? Successfully installing a "Super Chuffer" board in my Lionmaster Class A!
Some of my Custom MTH Autoracks!
I suppose my favorites are my fixed pilot modifications and additional detailing. Some examples:
OK, maybe I am not proud of this modification, especially amongst all the previous serious and talented mods posted before this, but I am stoked that I was able to create a powered freight train without a locomotive. This is a favorite of many of my layout visitors.
TJ
Hot Water posted:Adriatic posted:Hot Water posted:ADRAITIC,
No images!
Must have been too soon after the post, I see them. Thank you.
Nope. Still not there.
Ok, they show for me, but I now see the attachments aren't listed at the bottom?
I reloaded the photo's. If they don't show again, please let me know, as I can see them fine, but can't tell if you can too.
(thanks again HW)
Wow, such amazing efforts put forth by so many members of this forum. Great work by some very talented and skilled craftsmen and modelers. Truly impressive and awe inspiring efforts setting the bar high to perfection. Imho, the fantastic and superlative results achieved by many of the posters challenge, and for some, surpass what was previously done by the original designers and engineers of the some items.
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