PRR BP 20 Balwin Passenger Shark build

[Lemosteam]

I came across this shell on a Facebook sale group and purchased it.  I believe it to be a cut-n-shut of two or more Aksarben RF16 shells.  despite its flaws up close, it caught my eye and I decided to power the thing.



I started with a leftover first generation plastic frame LifeLike E8 chassis, and retrofit first gen PA trucks.  This took a little clearance grinding for the gears on the truck, but otherwise dropped right in, PA trucks on the bottom, original E8 trucks on the top of the photo:



Here is the initial chassis to shell fit-up:



Next I took the E8 fuel tank and snipped off the air tanks, filed them smooth and added a brass strap around the tank to simulate proto photos:



interesting Proto photo of the bottom of an overturned unit, and the 1:1 PRR #5772 unit, credit to the original photographers:



Next, I turned down a 5mm Christmas light LED to fit inside a scrap thin black tube, added a 1k resistor and shrunk wrapped the assembly after adding some thick magnet wire down to the contact strips on the frame and mounted it to the lead weight. This really concentrates the LED output without light bleed.



when the chassis is installed, the tube slides over the interior end a heat-mushroomed (THANK YOU Max Magliaro for that trick!) fiber optic strand that fit perfectly into the light opening in the shell and was glued in place.  This provides a really nice output on the front of the locomotive.




Here is and underside view of the chassis mounted to the shell.  Some styrene beams were added across the shell at the front and rear to accept 00-90 screws that hold the shell to he chassis.  Mt Z-905's were added to the front and rear of the loco, and here is a layout shot on the Lavis Junction RR:





A small added bonus is some faint light seepage, that kindal looks like the engineer's console lighting!





Next, I decided to add the oversize side number boards like the ones on the proto image above:






Those number boards are made from simple black and white images printed on glossy photo paper in max res print setting, sprayed with glosscoat to protect them before I cut them out with a knife.  Then I shave as much of the paper backing off of the photo paper and glue them in place.  I seal them with a smooth thick coat of brush-applied glosscoat at full viscosity.  The numbers came from the proto image above that I simplified in MS Paint to a black and white pixel-by-pixel clarity.  printing them on photo paper allows the ink to smooth out the pixellation for a pretty clean result.  This trick was also used on my Polar Express drumhead with (IMHO) great success.  No need for custom decals either.


I still have to add trainphone antennae on the left and right side of the roof...     ... and will take completed pictures then.....  Hope the SPF's like her and thanks for looking!

[u18b]

I thought about doing one of these for ages.

If have a bunch of V-Line shark shells if anybody wants to try to kitbash one.

I'll let them go very cheap.

Ron

[chicken45]

What are your thoughts on repainting it? 

[sd45elect2000]

Everyone takes nice pictures , without fail, mine always suck. Nice pictures BTW.

[peteski]

Nice kitbash John!  The shell, as you eluded to,  is not quite top-quality, but as log as you had fun doing the kitbash that is all that counts.

Everyone takes nice pictures , without fail, mine always suck. Nice pictures BTW.

Maybe it is, ahem, your equipment? 

[Lemosteam]

I thought about doing one of these for ages.

If have a bunch of V-Line shark shells if anybody wants to try to kitbash one.

I'll let them go very cheap.

Ron

Go for it Joshua!  Your turn anti shark man!

[pnolan48]

Nice, John!

Ron, PM'd you. I can do some nice new sides out of styrene.

[Lemosteam]

What are your thoughts on repainting it? 

Not a chance, good enough for me.  Pulls like a monster, smooth as glass.  All  parts and work total: $40.

[Lemosteam]

Everyone takes nice pictures , without fail, mine always suck. Nice pictures BTW.

sd45elect2000, thank you.  There is nothing special about my photos.  They are taken with a phone or iPad.  It is the amount of light I use.  6, 5000k cfl bulbs directly overhead.  Nothing special.

[Lemosteam]

Nice, John!

Ron, PM'd you. I can do some nice new sides out of styrene.

Thanks Paul.  You make sides and I might just be interested in doing this all again!

[chicken45]

Honestly, I'd probably leave it alone, too. You just gotta weather that sucker now.

[Lemosteam]

Aye, that'll be my first weathering job!

[ChristianJDavis1]

Nice kitbash John!  The shell, as you eluded to,  is not quite top-quality, but as log as you had fun doing the kitbash that is all that counts.


Maybe it is, ahem, your equipment? 

Even if it is not the highest quality, it is closer to one than a lot of us SPF's have. That being said, I actually really like it. Maybe I will try and make one eventually, as I really enjoy the more obscure prototypes. I wonder if it would be better to use the Bachmann/ER Models shark nose diesels rather than the V-line shells. I would figure the details would be a little crisper.

[muktown128]

John,

Nice job!  I've always wanted some PRR passenger sharks.  They plied the rails near where I grew up on the NY&LB.  Too bad I was born about 20 years too late or I could have seen K4's, PA-1's and Sharks on a regular basis at the terminal in Bay Head!

Definitely need some train phone antennae!  The roof top is looking pretty bare without them.

Nice job on the large numberboards on the nose!  Thanks for sharing how you did them.  Another small detail that makes it say PRR!

Scott

[chicken45]

Yeah that number board stuff is pure gold. 

Have fun with those trai phones! There's drilling templates out there somewhere.