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Description

Just put the final touches on this one. Other then the addition of a few small details later on, such as a rack of deer antlers on the lamp, she is more or less finished. Since I model a fictionalized Western & Atlantic, it was only a matter of time before I turned to making a model of the stupidly famous “General”. However, I used a good chunk of artistic liberty with my version in order to keep in line with the fictional history of my railroad.
This incarnation is built atop one of the New Tool 4-4-0s produced by Bachmenn. It started out life as a stock “AT&SF loco”. I swapped tender shells with a donor “York” model, re-lettered her, and cut off the stack and old pilot beam. A new pilot beam was built from styrene and balsa wood, with a brass vertical slate pilot attached to the new beam. I decided to do partial ankle rails, with a short section of running board over the drivers to give the hint of a much older locomotive that has been updated. The domes where replaced with Baldwin domes from a set of spares for the Bachmenn Richmond 4-4-0. New piping made from brass stock, with the new check valves and cross-head pumps obtained from Eight Wheel Models shapeways store. Brake-piping was made out of brass stock, and an air-compressor from Keystone was added to the fireman's side.

The cab was repainted to a color that was more representative of polished wood, and an engineer and fireman figure from P.K.'s 1800's range placed in the cab. A new whistle and new stack and a new coal load made from crushed coal rounded out this build completing the conversion to a coal burner. Like all my 4-4-0's she has a set of switchmen steps on the rear of the tender. Like most of my 4-4-0s, the General is “barefoot”, having air-brakes only on the tender. The nameplates are decals applied atop styrine sheet, then cut to size and applied to the boiler. Funny enough, the camera didn't pick up the golden lettering on them, but they do read “GENERAL” in block letters.

The locomotive is DCC equipped and has the standard sound system as supplied by Bachmenn, with the “Crosby” whistle activated.

Description

Just put the final touches on this one. Other then the addition of a few small details later on, such as a rack of deer antlers on the lamp, she is more or less finished. Since I model a fictionalized Western & Atlantic, it was only a matter of time before I turned to making a model of the stupidly famous “General”. However, I used a good chunk of artistic liberty with my version in order to keep in line with the fictional history of my railroad.
This incarnation is built atop one of the New Tool 4-4-0s produced by Bachmenn. It started out life as a stock “AT&SF loco”. I swapped tender shells with a donor “York” model, re-lettered her, and cut off the stack and old pilot beam. A new pilot beam was built from styrene and balsa wood, with a brass vertical slate pilot attached to the new beam. I decided to do partial ankle rails, with a short section of running board over the drivers to give the hint of a much older locomotive that has been updated. The domes where replaced with Baldwin domes from a set of spares for the Bachmenn Richmond 4-4-0. New piping made from brass stock, with the new check valves and cross-head pumps obtained from Eight Wheel Models shapeways store. Brake-piping was made out of brass stock, and an air-compressor from Keystone was added to the fireman's side.

The cab was repainted to a color that was more representative of polished wood, and an engineer and fireman figure from P.K.'s 1800's range placed in the cab. A new whistle and new stack and a new coal load made from crushed coal rounded out this build completing the conversion to a coal burner. Like all my 4-4-0's she has a set of switchmen steps on the rear of the tender. Like most of my 4-4-0s, the General is “barefoot”, having air-brakes only on the tender. The nameplates are decals applied atop styrine sheet, then cut to size and applied to the boiler. Funny enough, the camera didn't pick up the golden lettering on them, but they do read “GENERAL” in block letters.

The locomotive is DCC equipped and has the standard sound system as supplied by Bachmenn, with the “Crosby” whistle activated.