Photo Gallery: Diesel Locomotives

Diesel power comes to Hoogerland National Railways! Don't worry, steam fans, the HNR is committed to its steam program. However, I do want to keep up with the times.

Amtrak set

This was a big project that I made for Russ' third birthday in 1998. The Amtrak Carolinian goes through Raleigh twice a day, and I wanted to make him something that he could relate to the "real thing". I don't know how successful I was on that part - I've seen "Thomas the Tank Engine" and "Passenger Train" having conversations. Anyhow, it included a "Genesis" or "AMD-103" or "P-40" engine, (depending on who you talk to), two Amfleet-type coaches, and a baggage car. The pieces are about six inches long with four-wheel trucks that swivel. It works okay except on the steep "ascender" ramp tracks and tight curves. Then it has minor problems. Minor problems can be major problems when you are dealing with three-year-old boys. I'm not going to attempt anything that big and complex for a while. If I do, I think I'm going to use smaller wheels and make some other changes.

I don't have scanner images of the set, but I did take some "builder's photos". The pinstriping is plastic tape, usually used for R/C airplanes. There's a large thumbtack representing the cooling fan on the engine, and a couple small nails are the headlights. All other details are paint, ink, and patience.

The "Geep" is the first of what I call my "4x4" locomotives - four inches long with four wheels. I've already mentioned the problems I had with the Amtrak set. So, for future diesel projects, I settled on the simpler "4x4" scheme. A single pair of wheels represents each four- or six-wheel truck, and everything is foreshortened to fit a four-inch format. I guess they're caricatures of real locomotives.

I have an Alco RS-3 in the shop, and plans are underway for another AMD-103, F40PH, F-7, GE "U-boat", and others.

This is a work in progress that has been sitting for a while. The Alco RS-3 was one of the first "Road Switcher" locomotives, and was a classic locomotive of the 40s and 50s. I guess I'm satisfied with the design; I just haven't gotten wheels, details, and decals on it. It will be in the Southern green-with-gray stripes scheme.

Another work in progress. The diesel that was probably most responsible for steam's demise was General Motor's Electo-Motive Division (EMD) F-series, starting the late 1930s. The rounded "bulldog" nose pretty well defined what a diesel locomotive looked like for a generation. The longer E-Series locomotives were designed for passenger trains, and initially had more sharply slanted noses. It would be hard to tell an E from an F in my 4x4 format, so I'm just calling them "E/F units", unless it has a sharp nose. It takes a bit of work to carve the compound curves for the bulldog nose, but if you use cherry and take your time, the results are good. Cherry is such wonderful wood; it almost seems a shame to paint over it. The prototype is bass and maybe poplar.

My first 4x4 diesel was based on pictures and drawings of EMD's "General Purpose" GP-38 Locomotive, but I guess it could also be a "Special Duty" SD-38, because the major difference between a GP and an SD is that the SD is longer and has three axles (six wheels) per truck instead of just two axles (four wheels). If you don't worry about the number of fans on top, it could also be a GP-35, SD-35, GP-40, SD-40, blah, blah, blah. Let's just call it a "Geep" and leave it at that. Because the black Norfolk Southern scheme doesn't show any details, I also have a "builder's photo" of a prototype. You can also see the plans. The Norfolk Southern markings are from a MicroScale HO-scale decal sheet.

Another project that got started and then went back in the shop is the NC-DOT scheme. The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in conjunction with Amtrak, runs two "GP-40R" locomotives in a paint scheme that resembles the North Carolina flag. The 1792 is named "The City of Raleigh". I made custom decals for the 1792, and it was going well, but then the clearcoat turned yellow and it really needs repainting, and the GP-40Rs have a slightly different profile, so it will probably get stripped and repainted NS black.