Frisco Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 SLSF 239

Our model railroading hobby - or in my case, better defined as a "railroad modeling hobby", is always fascinating to me in terms of the enjoyment it delivers. I greatly enjoy building kits, and modifying RTR models to better represent the prototype, although I am in no way a rivet counter - I often deviate from the prototype for various practical reasons.

Anyway, I continue to build kits right and left, but then I stall, often setting aside the built model waiting for my paint shop, AKA "the paint & decal shop", to finish off the model. I must have ten or fifteen partially built models sitting around here waiting to be finished.

With the help of an adult beverage or two, I got the motivation last night to get caught up on a few of these projects, and broke out the decaling hardware, decals, and setting solutions.

Attached is a pic I just took, showing my efforts to finish up Frisco DS-4-4-1000 SLSF 239, built long ago from the Athearn Blue Box Baldwin S-12 model. This model has been SITTING HERE SINCE 1986! I started on it back at our previous house in 1984! Good heavens!

My SLSF 239 won't be as nice, or accurate, as the Stewart/Bowser model of SLSF 238 that I also have, but it still looks good. The ancient Athearn drive is horrible, so I'll set it up as an unpowered dummy.

The thought that drove me to do this posting is ..... I am realizing again that the decaling work is the most enjoyable part of the hobby for me! I'm really enjoying it. It makes the model come alive. Given that, why does it take me so long to get to this part of finishing up the model? Anybody have any answers?

When I get it finished, I'll post a pic. I really like the exhaust stack I put on it - it is the tip of an old ball point pen, and it is darn close to what the actual stack looked like. You never know where you will find a detail part.

A fascinating hobby!

Ken

 

I like your photo. It shows a very nice still life image of what many of us see at our own workbench area. Isn't that a Jordan vehicle kit in the upper left? Your decal work looks real nice as well.
There's probably no good answer to your question but in my own experience I find that my modeling ebbs and flows along with my other hobbies. But railroad modeling is my favorite hobby by far.
That's a nice looking airplane model. 1/72 scale?

 

Jim - Thanks. I did some more decal work on the Baldwin, and then some more painting on the Messerschmitt after I did the posting.

The car is an HO model of the 1935 Ford sedan, by Mountain States Modelworks. It is like the Jordan kits, but not as well done. I don't know that they ever did another model - it's all full of flash, but will turn out OK I'm sure. I can't do any more work on it until I get a #55 drill bit somewhere.

Yes, the airplane is 1/72 scale, by Heller, a Messerschmitt Bf-109E, the version that gained fame in the Battle of Britian. I still enjoy doing an airplane model now and then - that was my original passion before HO scale railroading. Given the current world tension, I've decided to add to the air cover for my railroad layout, now being provided by three other Messerschmitts - a Bf-109B, a Me-109F and a Me-109G. I've always been interested in the German Messerschmitts, even if they were flown by the bad guys, and have built several models of the various versions. It was a hell of an airplane. (Yes, I'm joking about the air cover!)

The Athearn BB S-12 will make a close approximation of the Baldwin DS-4-4-1000's that the Frisco had, SLSF 238-241. As I said, it will be unpowered, and will either just sit around, or I might cheat and run it together with another switcher as if it was m/u'ed. I started it long ago as I said, long before the nicely done Stewart models of the Frisco VO-1000's, VO-660's and DS-4-4-1000's were introduced. As with all the early Athearn BB models - the hood width is wider than prototype. This was necessary to accomodate the large diameter open frame motor they used to use, a real current hog.

Ken

 

Thanks, good suggestion. But, I don't think I will want to repower it as I have the Stewart DS-4-4-1000 (SLSF 238) which runs super. Since it is a better model than the Athearn BB, I think I'll just let the 239 sit around as something to look at. It does look very nice (so far). I'll probably let it sit for a while, then sell it as I am overwhelmed with locomotives here!

Ken

 

That's great work Ken,
When you detail these old BB's up they still look pretty good I think.
Who's decals are you using for this project?
Thanks for posting!
Tom Holley

 

Tom - The lettering decals are Microscale, the stripes are Walthers, trimmed to fit.

Craig - Hang in there. I have more distractions than I have locomotives, and that's a lot!

Ken

 

Sherrel - Will do with the 109's. Let me finish the Bf-109E first.

Ken

 

My longest lasting project - completed! (*)

For what it's worth ..... per the old posts above, back in the early 1980's I wanted to add a Baldwin switcher to my all EMD & Alco Frisco switcher fleet. My favorite Frisco diesel switcher has long been the Baldwin VO-1000's, SLSF 200-237. However, no good (ex-brass) model of the VO's existed then. So, I settled for an Athearn "Blue-Box" undec Baldwin S-12. The Frisco had no S-12's, but they looked very much like the Frisco's DS-4-4-1000's (the follow-up model from Baldwin after the VO's), SLSF 239-241. The DS-4-4-1000 was in turn followed by the S-12 in the evolution of Baldwin's 1000 HP diesel switchers. I started working on the S-12 conversion in 1983-1984, but after many starts and stops, it still sat here, incomplete, in my "gotta finish these some day" box. Well, last week, I decided to go forth and finally finish the darn thing just for the record - only decal work remained. As an original Athearn Blue Box model, it has a slightly too-wide hood, and as it is a S-12, not a DS-4-4-1000, it has a few details that are different from the DS-4-4-1000 (both were 1000HP 606-engined, 6-cylinder, turbocharged switchers - while the VO-1000 had an 8-cylinder, unboosted VO-engine to get to its 1000HP). Interestingly, the old Athearn wide frame motor, plus the noisy Ernst gearing I added to it way back when to make it run better at slow speeds, make such a racket it almost sounds like the thing has sound! I think I'll just set it in the background somewhere - it would need to be re-powered to use it.

Anyway - the thing is finally finished, 1984 to 2014 (30 years)! It has a few differences from a true DS-4-4-1000, but it does have the Frisco look. Attached are three quick pics I took. Looks a bit dusty in the pics, but looks real good to the eye. These high pixel cameras are unforgiving!

Ken

(*) This is my oldest duration railroad model project. A few of you are aware I am also working on some 1/72 scale model aircraft models. Those were all purchased in 1973-1976. Two of them (both German WW-1 fighters, an Albatros D-3 and a Fokker D-VII) were actually started back then, and are now being finished - one completed, one 98% (needs four struts added, and some paint) - 39 years! They look great. I don't know why I do this, but there are about 7 or 8 other partially completed models in that box spanning a few decades.

PS: The Baldwin S-12 actually had an improved 606A 6-cylinder turbocharged engine, rated at 1200 HP, a 200HP increase over the 1000HP DS-4-4-1000.

 

Ken, that's an epic modeling saga! All that time and patience paid off. By the way, my two favorite WW1 aircraft models that I built were the Fokker Dr-1 and the Sopwith Camel.

 

Thanks Jim. I also bought the Fokker Dr-1 kit at the same time I got the Albatros D-3 and the Fokker D-VII kits. That one will be next. Two Dr-1's came in the kit as it is a very small airplane. So, naturally, I'll do one of the triplanes in the bright red scheme favored by Der Rittmeister, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, although most of the Baron's victories came while he flew the Albatros, not the Dr-1. I'll probably do the other as a generic version with different markings.

I hope the Dr-1's don't take several decades to finish! To maintain the prime topic of this post - I'm also working on GE 44t SLSF 8, and an early tank car in UTLX markings, based on the Roundhouse "Old Timer" kit. I have some good pics of that t/c. I also want to do another Pullman car, and then there is that unfinished Frisco E8B I've been talking about for 15 years or so.

I like to slide in an airplane or two into my model building now and then as a refresher. That's how I got started way back when. My first kit model ever was a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star my dad brought back to me from a business trip. That had to be around 1950-51. I was already well into trains back then, as Santa blessed me with my first Lionel set in 1949. I remember many a holiday season night as I was falling asleep in my bedroom, I could hear my dad running the train. We added to it several times through the years. Then, in 1964 while I was in Texas on a plant start-up, he and I made a tragic mistake. I was getting into HO and the Frisco then, and we sold ALL the Lionel stuff to some guy in St Louis for $25. Can you believe that?!!!!! I really wish I still had it all now - setting up that train before Christmas was one of the best days of each year.

Ken

 

Great to see you got it done Ken. Although I dont have any 30 year old projects, I do have some that are nearing the 20 year mark.