(EDIT: see updates beginning on page two, re-posted photos that were lost when I changed ISP accounts last year)
I recently started construction of three 'Durante Motors' Twin Schnozzers from Boulder Valley Models...two for friends, and one for me. Here are some photos of the first loco off the assembly line.

The shop crew and everyone around the Sonora Grande yard came by to get a look at the new critter.

I added a simple styrene floor and frame side sills to enhance the appearance and make the locomotive easier to handle. The cab and steps are relatively fragile, so the frame gives my clumsy fingers a better handle for grabbing the locomotive.

I added headlights and details on the frame, grab irons on the cab and pilots, and brake hoses. I also added mufflers and exhaust pipes made from brass tubing and styrene tubes for the muffler bodies. They are held on with wire brackets pinned to the cab walls.

There is room for sound in the cab, or an engineer and control stand can be added. Bachmann provides space in the underframe for a 1/2" speaker, I do not know if there is a plug and play sound decoder available for this critter...but it would be easy to add sound.

The rusty, crusty paint was done using the old sea salt method. I moistened the model with a finger dipped in a dish of water before applying the salt over the rusty undercoat.

One of the things I love about modeling in 1/48 is the texture you can achieve on models, which isn't possible in smaller scales.

The kit is easy to put together, and makes a great little loco that looks funky and pulls like crazy (many of the parts in the kit are weighted castings, adding to the loco's pulling power). Highly recommended!
I will post more on the following two models, with some variations in their construction.
I recently started construction of three 'Durante Motors' Twin Schnozzers from Boulder Valley Models...two for friends, and one for me. Here are some photos of the first loco off the assembly line.

The shop crew and everyone around the Sonora Grande yard came by to get a look at the new critter.

I added a simple styrene floor and frame side sills to enhance the appearance and make the locomotive easier to handle. The cab and steps are relatively fragile, so the frame gives my clumsy fingers a better handle for grabbing the locomotive.

I added headlights and details on the frame, grab irons on the cab and pilots, and brake hoses. I also added mufflers and exhaust pipes made from brass tubing and styrene tubes for the muffler bodies. They are held on with wire brackets pinned to the cab walls.

There is room for sound in the cab, or an engineer and control stand can be added. Bachmann provides space in the underframe for a 1/2" speaker, I do not know if there is a plug and play sound decoder available for this critter...but it would be easy to add sound.

The rusty, crusty paint was done using the old sea salt method. I moistened the model with a finger dipped in a dish of water before applying the salt over the rusty undercoat.

One of the things I love about modeling in 1/48 is the texture you can achieve on models, which isn't possible in smaller scales.

The kit is easy to put together, and makes a great little loco that looks funky and pulls like crazy (many of the parts in the kit are weighted castings, adding to the loco's pulling power). Highly recommended!
I will post more on the following two models, with some variations in their construction.
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