custom freelance rr locos

[KevinKrey]

My layout is based on a freelance railroad operating in northern Minnesota. It's going to have two locomotives so far, a GP38-2, and an SW1500 both ex southern Pacific units. I'm new with the whole airbrushing thing and figured this could be my chance to try my hand at some painting as well as detailing. The SW1500 only has sunshades thus far. The geep got a plow, mu hoses, a new bell and sunshades as well. The geep is partly in primer but hopefully in paint soon. Got a few more parts I'd like to add but so far it's been really fun! I always find posting photos motivates me to keep making progress.

[Catt]

Kevin ,ya got to start somewhere.It looks to me like you are off to a good start too.

[torikoos]

That's how I started too. I used to have a freelanced 'road', and for that matter, my first detailed and freelanced loco is still alive and well.

Keep us posted, looking forward to see how these develop.

Cheers, Koos

[doctorwayne]

Yeah, unless I'm trying to depict a specific prototype, and working from photos of the real thing, pretty-well every locomotive I've ever built/detailed/painted was freelanced.
If you use various real locomotives as examples to put detail parts in places where they would logically be, you can combine the features of many favourites to create something which looks convincingly prototypical. Another method of freelancing is to use a prototypical paint scheme on a loco which that road never owned - Norfolk Southern did that for real with their "Heritage" paint schemes.

Wayne

[KevinKrey]

Since I'm not following any one specific real world counterpart I figured I really can't mess up per say, just make whatever I want. Not a bad way to get some practice.

[KevinKrey]

The switcher has mu cables now, and the geep has a horn and mu receptacles. I think I'm gonna call it quits on the details an start painting. I was gonna do coupler lift bars but I don't have the patience for those at the time. Since they are older blue box locos my only real decision I haven't made yet is if I want to use the old handrails or get something nicer.