Kitbashed Donohue S2 Switcher

[sailormatlac]

This one was bashed late last year and will be the main switcher locomotive at our Donohue paper mill. It tries to replicate this ex-CP MLW S2 as it looked in the mid-2000s. This particular locomotive was acquired second-hand from Merrilees who shopped with a lower cab roof to fit tight clearance at the mill circa 1986. In the early 2000s, the engine had to be rebuilt after a serious incident (I believe a piston went through the headblock... sorry my understanding of motors is minimal at best!). When it returned from the shop, the hood Alco-style fan was replaced with an EMD GP one, giving it even more character.

It was a fun built and I weathering a black engine was quite a challenge. Since this unit was always extremely well maintained, I had to exercise a lot of restrain. In fact, the locomotive isn't painted black but rather a brownish grimy black so details can pop. Color pencils were also used to highlight panel lines, door handles and grilles. Once again, subtlety was primordial.


While the locomotive is completed, I'll need to take apart the truck sideframes and clean electrical contacts. Even if I was careful, it seems paint ended up there and kind of ruined the electrical pickup. Except for that, this Atlas locomotive is an excellent runner and equipped with a factory installed Loksound decoder.

For the anecdote, when I purchased this locomotive, it came painted in CP paint scheme and sported exactly the same roadnumber than the real locomotive when acquired by Merrilees. It was a pure coincidence!















Matt