Lanes Trains Current Projects

PRSL Baldwin AS16 # 6007

A One Of A Kind S Scale Model

Click on the photos to make them larger.

I may be the only person that models the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines in S Scale.

I won about 20 PRSL Builders Photo copy negatives on eBay. Builders Photos are my driving inspiration. It is all there to be seen and modeled. Since I model the 1956-57 era my model would have to be completed as shown in the Builders Photos.

As noted on the Diesels Page I got this locomotive as a shell only. I acquired it in a “no holds barred” buy and trade deal about 15 years ago. It was scratchbuilt by a contract builder whose name escapes me at this point. It took him 5 years to finish it and the intended customer died waiting for it! It wound up in the hands of a friend who completely and totally taunted me for 2 years and said I would NEVER own it. I offered to buy the shell only on the spot for $500.00. It was not for sale, not ever, especially to me. It drove me absolutely NUTS which was the intention. Well, never actually did come one day when I found something for sale that HE wanted, an Overland SD40-2 with Anti-Climbers (Production was about 20 models). I fully returned the abuse in spades and was so ruthless that I actually got the shell for free by the time the trading and buying was done! I am not overly proud of it, but I got the shell and the story is one of my all time favorites.

I knew the completion time would be extensive but so worth it. It had been about 8 years since I last worked on it. I took it then from a shell only to a running locomotive with a very reworked Brass GP30 drive I won on eBay as shown above. I started making items then like the air tanks and long sign boards. I started installing all wheel electric pickup when I discovered phosphor bronze wire. That is very time consuming but necessary especially now with DCC. It was probably the intimidation of how to get the sign boards around the carbody hump on the fireman’s side that sent it back to the box for an 8 year nap. Decisions like that have proven to be good for me. When I get the itch to work on it again, the results are significantly better because I have improved as a modeler and now own tools I did not back then. The internet was not available to me then as well. I can now blast out a question and hopefully get an answer. That was the case here for a few details. I bought a Baldwin PRSL Lettering drawing that was a great find. The original signboards were discarded in favor of brass channel.

4-17-07 Update

My resurrection of the PRSLHS has caused me to work on my AS16 steadily for about the past month now. I just might get it done this time. I have the fuel tank made. I mounted air tanks I made years ago from the last time I was working on it. I now have the long sign boards installed. I was eyeing how to make the cab interior. None of it is dead perfect but it will due over what is in second place which is nothing.

6-28-07 Update

The fuel tank is made and painted. The new MU stands are almost done. I ran it for a night on DCC. It ran VERY well! I was surprised in early May with the fact that Loksound makes a Baldwin sound unit. I now have to go back and rewire everything for sound.

7-20-07 Update

After another 1 month side project of reworking an Overland PRR FA FB Set, I am now back and more focused then ever. There will be NO distractions now until it is done! (:->) The sound unit is in. Wiring DCC and sound can be a challenge in the narrow hood units like the AS16 and GP9. I try to fit in the biggest speaker possible. While the sound is not going not straight out of the top of the shell because there are no fan openings etc. as I usually prefer, I am taking advantage of the large screened openings on the sides. Since I am currently using Loksound units, their 100 Ohm speakers really limit the available speaker variety. I really wanted lit numberboards, but after a very close call with slightly melting and almost ruining my GP9 I decided against it. I have put a lot of additional time in making sure the model stays together. Major brass detail parts like the signboards are getting bolted on with 00-90 screws being used as studs. Other parts are being pinned with wire when they are glued together. After all of this time and effort I do not want to have to repair it and do touch up. This is the very reason why I model almost exclusively in brass. A good solder joint is forever.

I co-opted a Train Control box from a parts K4 pilot. As shown in the Builders Photos, there is an up and over walkway. I made the walkway part pretty easily. The biggest anxiety attack was when I was drilling the holes through the deck to mount the parts. I got pretty close but still had to make a little wiggle room to get them lined up perfectly

On 7-24-07 I took the biggest leap of faith so far when I stripped the paint. After working on the shell for a few months now I was pretty sure it was made from Evergreen styrene. In spite of getting $45.00 of Chameleon Stripper, I actually had visions (no make that nightmares) of pulling a sagging goopy blob of plastic from the soup when I dunked it. I can now attest that the Chameleon Stripper was safe for at least this shell and another one I stripped yesterday. I did a little test on the inside before going for the big dunk. The paint did not fly off but there were no signs of damage or crazing. 2 hours later after some pretty steady scrubbing with a small stiff paint brush it was pretty good. A few steps got knocked out in the fray but they will be repaired.

I have made some good progress. The handrails are pretty much done. I have an OBSCENE amount of time in making them. I remade the pilot steps from Plano etched material. The steps were redone with HO roofwalks for the rectangular grid material.

2-2-08 Update

So much for getting it done! I am very fickle when if comes to projects. My interest and drive fades at about 1-2 months. I will get back to this project at some point.

I switched to finishing my 2 PRR I1 in the beginning of 2008. I am close enough to finishing them now that it will probably happen.

Look for photos of them on the Steam Locomotives page about 3-1-08

Updated 2-2-08