Mexican Alco kitbash

[Catt]

Built this in 1979 when I was just getting my first HO layout together.The prototype was a kit bash by a Mexican railroad to repair a wreck damaged Alco locomotive.Other thanthat it was totally freelanced and admittedly rather crude.When I switched over to N scale in the mid 1990s I thought I trashed this monster,but while doing some cleaning in the basement storage room I found it.

In tried searching for proto pictures tonight but it has been so long I do not remember the name of the railroad.At the present time it is pure TYCO but I am thinking of replacing the cab part with a Athearn blue box part.Most likely it will require a custom chassis.but I figure I can take my time and just work on it every now and then .Anyway here's a pic.



I really hate to get rid of those classy couplers but I think I will survive their loss. :mrgreen:

[cnrglen]

I remember hearing of that loco, haven't seen the prototype though

[Catt]

Bought this one at a local trainshow today for the princely sum of $12.00.It had 3 things going for it.
1. I've been looking for a decent one for the last 10 or so years.
2. Except for the horns it is all there .
3. Screechingly noisey but it does run.
I will most likely build a chassis for it and incorporate a Athearn flat can motor with flywheels and 8 wheel drive (maybe DCC)
A paint job and corrected fuel tanks are also on the list.

[Catt]

Just to satisfy my curiousity I slopped some acrylic paint on my two Alco beasties.Since they are both up for rebuilding and need to be stripped I didn't bother removing the previous paint yet.

[Tyson Rayles]

That's a couple of strange critters you got there Catt!

[Catt]

The red one is a stock TYCO Alco C 430.The blue one is a very incorrect kitbash of a Mexican railroad prototype kit bash to make some wreck damaged Alcos usable again.This was done I believe sometime in the early 1970s. The only thing I can verify is that the loco was a Alco. I did this in 1979 and it is quite crude but I hope to improve it this winter. :mrgreen:

I have been searching for Mexican Alco locomotives,but so far I have not found pictures of this unit.After all these years I have no clue as to the railroad name and the magazine the picture (s?) were in was gone by 1982.The only part of that I can remember is Railroad was the first word in the mag title.

[twilight]

Catt, try the May 1979 Issue of RMC if this link doesn't work. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thread/5074/gp-9-wide-cab">http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thr ... 9-wide-cab</a><!-- m -->
You 'll have to scroll down a little bit to see the pictures.
Mark

[Catt]

Mark that is the beast! Looks like I need to do more work than I had planned.



I wonder if that is a Baldwin cab.

[sailormatlac]

ish... it doesn't lack personality!

RS11 it seems.

Matt

[Catt]

If I could find a shell I would swap out the cab for the correct one. It would still be a C-430 but at least the cab would be correct.

[Tyson Rayles]

And I thought CF-7's were ugly!

[Catt]

It ain't any beauty contest winner,but it is definitely different. Before I rebuild mine I need to find a model of that cab.So it may be a loooong time coming.

[Catt]

I bought this tomuse for repowering the stock TYCO C-430.



Then I cleaned the electrical contacts put it on the test track and discovered how nicely it ran.So then I noticed that under all the grub it was all there (which can be rare on a 40 year old blue box loco). So I did this . :mrgreen:



This U 33-B is now a CATT powered tier 3 rebuild and will be used as a test bed for modifications to other GE units \on the MTS/GVR loco roster.The ALCOs will just have to stay in the dead line awhile longer.

[Catt]

Here is the start of the re-bash of the "Mexican" Alco locomotive. Still not the correct cab,but this time she is all Alco. Shell is in thev strip tank to see how much of the old paint I can get off before I go any further.

[Tyson Rayles]

Biggest trick will be altering the windshield to match.