Cab Forward fun

[BrianMoore]

I picked up an MTH Southern Pacific AC-6 Cab Forward a couple of weeks ago, in a swap for 6 Trix UP 40' boxcars. The owner of the AC-6 was happy to part with it, as the smoke generator and headlight had stopped working, and also because, despite what MTH claims, their own-brand non-DCC decoder is not really compatible with DCC systems.

I ripped out all the MTH innards (which was a bit like opening up a Dalek, but slightly less disgusting), added a plow, made a few detail changes and gave it a full renumbering job into SP 4133, one of two AC-6s assigned to the LA Division, and a Coast Line regular in the year I model, 1954. I used three pictures of the actual locomotive as it was in that year. The weathering is done, and other than getting a Loksound Select decoder and train indicator numbers, it's good-to-go.

The AC-6 was the first Cab Forward to have the air pumps on the smokebox front (with the distinctive and constant air-release sounds), but they didn't have the air horn that later models received.

I took a couple of pictures of 4133 in company with AC-11 4251 (with the larger tender) and AC-5 4120 (with the air pumps on the loco side), and then, most indulgently, lined up the whole AC fleet:

Three flavours of Articulated Consolidation. by bxmoore, on Flickr
Three Cab Forward locomotives. by bxmoore, on Flickr
A Caution of Cab Forwards by bxmoore, on Flickr
Thanks for looking.