The Joy of Kitbashing: NdeM ALCO RS-1 in HO scale 

There is a manufacturer I've not heard of before called KV Models who carry detail parts for Alco's, even down to matching up parts to fit different production runs of Atlas models. They carry the extended stack KV-310H that even includes the spark arrestor grille as well as several versions of radiator fan housing with separate fan blades.

@@whiteknightcat GREAT suggestion. I added in a link to their products on the companion article. I almost forgot about them despite having ordered GP9 grilles from them a year or two ago.

Well, there's going to be a bunch more of these as I finish off literally dozens of more rolling stock and building projects, stay tuned!

So glad to hear this! It's a fun detail that adds so much life to a model.

Thank you so much! I've got 3 more NdeM engines to build, 2 more diesels and one 2-8-2, so stay tuned!

I'm so glad it fired up your imagination! That's what I enjoy most about making videos like this. Have you seen my 4-4-0 build? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LuKLqzfmCgs.html Hopefully this will be a more specific inspiration for your build!

So, I'd recommend using Trucolor SP Dark Olive with some black mixed in. That should get the right shade. I'd also buy a bottle of PRR Brunswick green to experiment with to see if that looks correct. Knowing that all colors of the period were off-the-shelf Dupont industrial colors makes it easier to narrow down the color to get it just right. If you need to stuff a decoder into it, I recommend an NCE DA-SR for a motor decoder. If sound, probably Loksound V5 + a Scale Sound Systems speaker, which they make to fit an RS1 www.scalesoundsystems.com/product-page/atlas-classic-kato-rs1 That'll sound best, be affordable, and operate without fault. LMK how the model goes and post a link to the photos when you're done, I'd love to see it. (Also make sure to subscribe!)

It's not the equipment, it's the ability to write a tight script, learn how to edit, and have good intuition about what information people need to not only DO a project, but be inspired. A lot of people mistake the equipment as the reason why a piece of media is good. Take notes on some of your favorite channels and how they not only hold your attention, but how they inform you. also look into what DOESN'T work too, and think of ways to improve upon what you watch. That's what I've been doing, and it's been a fun learning process I think you'll enjoy too. Learn what makes for an ok, a good, and a memorably excellent video and then see how to translate it into showing the world what projects YOU are working on and let us know what ignites your passion for them (in a concise way.) Setup is nothing fancy. Good "daylight" spectrum high CRI lightbulb in gooseneck lamps, a cheap phone holder and a smart phone with a clean lens and the ability to have decent resolution and focus. I'm so glad you enjoyed this! Stay tuned for more kitbashes BTW, I've got a bunch I'm working on right now.

@@InterurbanEra Thank you so much, this is excellent advice and I appreciate it greatly. I'm not up and running yet but I absolutely want to make a channel soon. If you're interested when you're not occupied on your own projects, I was recently published for the first time detailing a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 kitbash and am currently working on a second one. If you're ever looking for collaborators on steam locomotive projects, let me know! I'd love to work with you on something! Also, I took your advice and got my heralds and roadnames printed at Circus City Decals, the results are excellent!

@@caldwellbutler236 I'm so glad the decals worked out well. Which magazine/issue did you get published in?

@@caldwellbutler236 that article came out so well! A very fun kitbash too in very similar style to my own approach. What's your next locomotive project going to be?

@@InterurbanEra Right now it's #385 as a sister engine to #384! They're very similar but also different in a few key ways. I'm going to write an article comparing them once it's done. I've got a bunch of other projects half-finished: a bunch of MDC Roundhouse HOn3 2-8-0s I'm kitbashing together, a Proto 2000 0-6-0 I want to convert to a 2-6-0 similar to a B&O prototype, an MDC Roundhouse boiler I'm putting on a Spectrum 2-8-0 chassis that I'm converting to a 2-6-2, and then there are all the (several dozen, lol) projects that are just ideas and drawings! A mallet-boilered 2-12-0 is probably the #1 project I want to work on that I have no parts for yet.

Top suggestions: save it as a "saved search" on eBay. I've managed to snag some super rare things by having it email alert me when listed. If you live in California, I've regularly seen this engine for sale at regional train shows, so I don't think it'll take more than a few months to grab one. Athearn makes a gorgeous Nathan M5 casting in brass in a 3 pack for ~$25 which is worth it.

Hahaha, no. Seventy thousands (0.070”) or the similarly obtuse 1.778 mm