The Great Bear Railway

[Skyfarer]

Hi everyone, as I said in my introduction thread I’m entirely off the deep end with my TLD obsession and the world building Hinterland have been creating and I’ve long wanted to make a replica.

So I’d like to introduce my project building the Trans Island Line in HO scale. 
 

I like making models of trains and locomotives from pop culture from a Thomas to the nuclear abominations from Fallout 4 and the in game locomotive has been a more manageable project. Or was I should say as building the locomotive in game is what’s triggered me wanting to model Great Bear on a whole.

The locomotive seen in game is a funny little thing but surprisingly accurate to some real world North American locomotives, the wiki suggests it’s an EMD SW1000 a type of switcher from the 1950s although I would argue the locomotive found in the Broken Railroad region is it’s replacement, an EMD MP15 the AC variety specifically. And to get even more particular an ex Southern Pacific locomotive or the Devs at least used photos of them. SP modified the noses on its MP15s to feature the same headlight arrangement of the Broken Railroad locomotive and it also features the machinery cabinet on top of the bonnet just before the cab. 

So I’ve gone and tracked one down, unfortunately not an SP one so I’m having to make do, I bought this back in June and it’s an Atlas HO CSX liveried MP15AC 

A bit difficult to find in this country so I’m making do, with a few false starts I dismantled the loco and stripped the paint with chloroxylonol which works great as a fantastic plastic safe paint stripper.

And then sprayed the body with a can of Fiat Legends Blue from Halfords to try and get close to the sun bleached blue of the in game loco.

I regret not taking photos of the rest of the process from here but the nose was painted with Games Workshop Khorn Red and many of the details picked out with Standard Mechanicus grey and then weathered with a lot of dry brushing. Being in such a wet climate I imagine the GBR locomotives stay pretty clean but they’ll build up rust in no time especially if the walkways are salted.

The locomotive is still not entirely finished, I’m yet to weather the frame and trucks the locomotive  runs on and I have printed a whole heap of junk to hang off the loco; spare Jerry cans for fuel and antifreeze, our favourite .303 Enfield No.4 to hang off the railings and some portable jacks and rerailers to get it and the rolling stock back on track when they fall off.

I hope you all like what’s going to be a big project and I’m ever grateful for input and feedback.

Skyfarer

 

 

[Leeanda]

Wow. That looks great.🙂.  Nice job👍

[stratvox]

Nice work! I'll look forward to seeing more of this

 

[Sgt Socks]

Bloody hell you've got a talent! The detail is incredible. And as a fellow TLD obsessive (my obsession started in 2016!) seeing it brought to life like this is wonderful.

I can't wait to watch it develop

👍😊⭐️

[Skyfarer]

Thanks everyone, glad you like it.

A bit of a smaller post while I’m on break showing some more rolling stock I plan to use. 
 

So far I’ve collected the shown MP15AC but also a Bachmann Trains spectrum 4-6-0 Baldwin steam loco and an Atlas GP7. I’m modelling the railway some time in the 1960s to 1980s when steam would still be clinging on and plenty of money was pouring into the island from the mainland, construction trains to the abortive Carter Hydro scheme, trains of timber out and merchandise in. Tourist traffic that’ll probably be steam hauled and a few mixed trains for the benefit of the islanders. 
 

So far I’ve built up a small stud of wagons and cars, mostly box cars but also a tanker car for the Orca fuel company, some refrodgerqted box cars for Last Resort Cannery and a few beaten tools vans that will belong to Hibernia Processing, the last Canadian whaling station shut in 1968 in Coal Harbour on Vancouver island so I figure Hibernia stops whaling a year before at the latest. So I think dismantling trains would be interesting with attempts being made to refurbish the site or salvage what there is. 
 

 

The GBR roundels were made for my by a friend as a commission from the opening PNG I have at the top of the thread, and are waterslide transfers and sealed with varnish. In time these will be adorning all the stock and probably some buildings too!

Thanks.

Skyfarer