Custom work/painters for/on HO brass locomotives

Hi Y'all,

Today I received my first brass locomotive. It is a United/PFM Baldwin 2-6-2 Oregon Lumber Company #105. I'm very excited about it.

(I know it's not a Frisco, but I'm working on getting a Russian.)

First, I want to have it upgraded with a can motor, gear box, and flywheel.

Secondly, I would like to have DCC installed into it, with sound.

Third, I need to have it professionally painted.


On the first, I know to go to NWSL for the parts.
On the second, I am going to contact Tony at Tony's Trains and see how much it would be to have DCC and sound installed. I also want an operating headlight and backup light.
On the third, I'm clueless.

Does anyone know:

A) Anyone who does all the above?
B) Anyone other than Tony's to recommend for DCC installation?

C) Custom Painters. Who do you recommend?

The brass is very clean. I cannot see or find any tarnish.

Thanks. I tried to search but nothing came up.

Manny

 

Beautiful little lady, Manny!

Did you get a good buy?

I am at a loss to provide you will a custom painter as well. Andre Ming does beautiful work but won´t paint for anyone but himself. A pity because he could get rich off of me alone!

The prairie would sure look neat hauling lumber in Arkansas interchanging with the Frisco much like the shay powered Graham County did with the Southern in Western North Carolina in the 1970s!

Yet another way to protolance or freelance such operations onto a model railroaders layout and run a favorite model.

Joe Toth

 

Thank you for the compliments. I got her for $250.00. Not bad. I really want to get into brass, but it is still outside my world for the most part. I did find a painter and have contacted him. Blake Tatar is his name and he has a web site. Just Google his name. I've contacted him and am awaiting his response. Still looking though.

 

John Vandenburg in KC does nice work on steam but he always has a backlog of work. Larry Tiffany in Topeka does a lot of brass work, some for Overland. Let me know if you want contact info.

 

Rick,

Please do and thank you. I really want a great paint job and am willing to pay for it. I trust you when you refer these folks. Your word is good enough for me.

Thanks!

Manny

 

From the Dumb Department: What roadname will the little lady receive?

With all the Nice Price Brass on consignment at Caboose Hobbies it is tempting to pick up some HO brass myself. Getting ready to turn onto "Route 66" on this upcoming 4th of July I still think S is my best bet though. I can construct a real nice switching terminal railroad along my 18 ft. long livingroom wall. I still plan to freelance a generic location and not follow a specific town.

I really like the Custom Trax track products that I have found and thankfully they make it in S scale too. Just right for my Ten Thumbs!

Joe Toth

 

She will get a Frisco coonskin on the smoke box front. This engine will be assigned No. 17. The road will be "San Antonio, Fredricksburg & Northern Railway".

( Because I am exercising some licensing, this is a fictional locomotive. )

 

It is a real loss to Frisco fans that our favorite road didn´t expand into South Texas. Additional track was lost when the Frisco sold off the Ft. Worth & Rio Grande line to the Santa Fe as well. My first HO layout was based on the Simplicity & Great Plains which was in an Atlas HO layout book. "Simplicity" was the name on my depot and the railroad was a freelanced Frisco subsidiary in West Texas much like the QA&P, which WAS a real subsidiary of course! What inspired me was an early 60s Trains Magazine artical. 1962 was a fine year for a teenager to convert from Lionel O27 to HO other than there were so few Frisco models on the market at the time.

An Athearn HO scale Hustler starter set with circle of brass Atlas 18" radius curve track and a hand size MRC power pack got me into HO for around $20.00. Ho Ha, I was in Tall Cotton, I was in HO! Try that today! I believe the Atlas HO layout book was a buck, purchased from Chester "The Most" Holley´s train shop in Tampa, Florida, in 1962.

I do love your little lady! She is, as the late great Miss Bobbye Hall of Dallas used to say, "CUTE"!

Joe Toth