one of my customers, who primarily models her railroad after the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad, or simply ET&WNC nicknamed the Tweetsie.
as per her request, she wanted her a LGB 0-4-0 locomotive with it’s powered tender based upon a European locomotive that was modeled from a locomotive that runs in the Harz Mountains of Northern Germany. The majority of the European locomotives are overall in black with red under carriages.
I started with an early generation of the LGB 2015 locomotive, it sort of looked like this:
the neat thing about this locomotive, is that LGB made several different locomotives using the same basic motor chassis, wheels and plastic parts. So, with some research I found some parts that I could use to help Americanize the locomotive.
then the whole locomotive was dis-assembled, cleaned. and along with the base parts being painted, using a combo of different paints, which includes some specialty paints, that contain metal, and allow for buffing out, but providing a very realistic look of metal.
the side rods were cleaned, and painted, the wheels cleaned and painted. the boiler painted two tone using the metalizer paint. the base green was mixed and with the body painted. using acrylic paints.
Here’s an early build with the chassis, side rods and boiler painted, the tender shell and it’s chassis, also note the wheels and cylinders are now green
that’s just an overview, the Tender, has been modified expanding the side supports of for the load with real coal being used to create the load.
aside from the brass details, I finished the green with a glossy varnish and have been designing some decals – the ones on the tender will be replaced with a transparent decal, then another layer of varnish applied over the decal. but here’s some overall views of the locomotive
Prestige Garden Railroads 