Motive Power (with new photos)

The major discrepancy in my model railroad layout was that I didn't have a "realistic" locomotive for it. When I bought the N-scale starter set, it came with a ATSF GP-20, which I figured was "close enough" to the GP-39s that Willamette & Pacific were running to start with. In fact, most of WP's locos were previously ATSF units and retained such artifacts as the blue/yellow paint scheme until such time as they made it into the paint shop.

I had obtained a set of MicroScale decals several years ago, but hadn't been brave enough to try a conversion. The gift of the "DARE" car, and the subsequent upcoming video shoot was enough to spark me into action. (The engine was not part of the display at the Model Logger's Conference.) The first step was disassembling the engine:

Here it is after painting. I used an airbrush and GN orange for the body, and Testor's flat black with a brush for the top.

The decals realy make this sharp. They are the same type I used on model kits as a kid. You soak them in water and "float" them into position. After they dry, a couple of coats of matt clear coat protect the decals and make them look painted on! I selected WPRR 2302 "Adair Village", because that is where I live. I've never seen the real "Adair Village" in action. WPRR 2310 "Monroe" would have been perhaps a more appropriate choice, being geographically closer to Dawson, but hey, I'm the boss of this railroad.

For the perfectionists, or "rivet counters" as they are known in the modeling world, here is a picture of the "prototype". The Willamette & Pacific (WPRR) name is confusingly synonymous with Portland & Western (PNWR), but you can see the latter on the current specimen (the decals were made in 1995, and I think the name switching started in about 2000). I've also got my logo set too far back on the body, but hey, sometime "close enough" is close enough!

Prototype WPRR-2302

WPRR-2313 "Lake Oswego" Switching at Dawson in 2007

(photo courtesy Joel Ashcroft)