Clyde King is building two HO scale Southern Pacific Alco RSD-5s units. The shells are Stewart RS-3 Phase II, which also work for the RSD-5 Phase II units such as these. The drive is from Hobbytown, which actually sounds like Alcos when you run 'em... no need for a sound system. The tall "garbage can" type spark arrestor stack is made from a brass etching Clyde had made, with Kemtron screen material used on top. I also have a part casting available for the stack, see https://pbase.com/espeef5/alco_stack for photos.
I'll post photos of the units as additional work progresses. Meanwhile, the pilots are not yet affixed, several other things are also "work-in-progress". Both will be painted in Espee's sharp looking Black Widow paint scheme, based on 8x10 b&w Stan Kistler photos Clyde has of two RSD-5s with the spark arrestor stacks.
UPDATE 5/13/10: The units are nearly finished and will soon be ready for paint. See photos #22-40 for most recent progress images.
UPDATE 1/1/11: Added photos of the two painted units #5295 and 5301. Note there are slight differences in handrail painting between the two... these based on actual photos Clyde worked from. The locos will be lightly weathered and have glass installed in the windows to complete the project.
Hi, Clyde. I'm building a similar project using the same Stewart shells. I'm trying to build a set of ATSF RSD 5's. Where did you get the dimensions for the dynamic brake blowers on the top of the short hood and what did you use for the "flaps" that covered them? Those details have been near impossible to track down. Please advise. Thanks.
Alan Vivanco
23-Feb-2012 04:08
Hello Clyde... My name is Alan of Grass valley, CA, and I have just found your photos of your work on the two Espee Alco RSD-5... by golly I find this absolutly fantastic and beautiful to my modelers eyes! The reason I found it is, I am interested in the SP narrow gauge during those final years when diesels were the standard. In fact the Alco RSD-5 was the loco that brought the standard gauge trains up from Mojave, CA for the interchange with the narrow gauge. I am interested in modeling these RSD_5's in O scale, using the Atlas Trainman RSD_4/5 as a starting point. From the photos I have seen in books the Atlas engine is very far off from this prototype. Your work looks very "spot on". Maybe you could help me find these Stan Kistler photos you spoke of... and anything else you could help with. If you can, thanks in advance, Alan Vivanco.