Big Blue has inspired some purchases

[TMo]

Many thanks!

When I first started, I thought it was almost a trivial project, but the little nuances have certainly kept me thinking. I set out just to make something useful out of an old Athearn blue box unit. I think there's value in saving old stuff (there's a lot of it out there and for "bargain" prices) and maybe making it a little better along the way. One thing I have discovered is that the little stuff adds up, and it all has to be shipped to you. Paint, decals, bell, plow, grab irons, DCC decoder, a new motor, window louvers, a longer coupler... the list is fairly long and I know I've now spent more than $100 (with a good bit of leftovers), which sort of explains how a nice, new locomotive goes for $150 on up. I'm hopeful that I'll have humpty dumpty complete sometime soon (I would have thought today, but the bride informed me that we're going out to dinner with my son and his fiance for his birthday this afternoon and he's an hour away)...