MONTHLY UPDATE

After checking out and commenting on some of fellow modeler Rodney Walker's efforts on Flickr, he suggested I join The Weathering Shop's Rustbucket forum. Tons of great inspiration and examples of all kinds of weathering techniques. Just for fun and "street cred" (hopefully...), I added this photo of IMRL 232, completed in 2013 by CMPS and eventually sold off on Ebay. I'm really, really regretting that decision.

The unit was an undecorated Athearn/RPP shell that I assembled per prototype photos. The cut levers were custom formed out of brass wire, probably .012", to suit my own pedantic requirements. She was painted using Polly Scale UP colors and weathered with the standard chalk/Dullcote method, all the white ensuring that the windows stayed squeaky clean. A simple NCE decoder was then installed for maximum operating ability and lighting control. 

 

If the headlight and ditch lights look a little odd, that's because I used inset smd LED's set into the housings for maximum brightness and output. Running all the wires can get a little tedious, especially when putting the shell back onto the frame, but the results are worth it.