Large Scale Central

Kid-zilla vs. USA Trains NW-2

Modeling Motive Power
#1

Kid-zilla recently opened a birthday present to find an unpainted NW-2, an item he’d pre-named Ricky in hopes for matching unit for Rocky who arrived at Christmas ( Minimum Curve Radius – Arsitocraft RS-3). Both are family gifts to our resident train nut and the result of a serendipitous find very generous terms of sale!

Ricky took to the rails yesterday in what Kid-zilla calls our “first real doubleheader” to pull a military supply train. Kid-zilla offered the following shots:

20250301_174031
20250301_1740311920×1440 545 KB

20250301_173941
20250301_1739411920×1440 334 KB

No one likes Ricky unpainted. He is considering inventing a Triple O color scheme. He also thought we might be able to match Rocky.

20250301_174043
20250301_1740431920×1440 487 KB

I am dubious about making the war bonnet mask…

My idea for U.S. Navy lasted both seconds. For some reason, he came up with this, too:

20250301_174042
20250301_1740421920×1440 475 KB

Updates as progress merits!

On behalf of Kid-zilla,

Eric

3 Likes
#2

I’ve vote for the primer on the switcher over the paint splashes on the model.

#3

1 Like
#4

Dang Kidzilla has 2 and I cannot find a decent one!! Jealous !!!

1 Like
#5

Update. He has settled on AMTRAK, no doubt due

Don’t worry. He assured me that the digital paint was an issue with the editing software and not a final proposed paint scheme! :wink:

We had fun perusing prototype pictures. We even found an example working a quarry that had a separate roof running the lenght of the locomotive! I think he was overwhelmed by the widespread employment of the NW-2 in terms of owners and types of operations. I am trying to nudge him towards something that is both credible and doable, and, as we’ve discussed the prototypes, where economics also played a role, he is discovering that credible and doable are also prototypical.

He gets the final vote, however, subject to local capabilities (his and mine) and equipment. Learning through failure is fine, to a degree, but failure from the outset by not accounting for resources at hand, practicality of desired end state, and value of the model is counterproductive. I am helping him to collect some lower value items for a project he is weighing where I can just let him have at it. This is not that project!

Eric

1 Like