B&LE 407

[keith]

I have started a winter project trying to do a DRS 6-6-15 That I have a picture of my grandfather standing in front of in Albion. It is of course in black and white and the road number 407 looks to be in black. I'm basing my platform on a undecorated Stewart AS-616. I was lead to believe that the cosmetic differences between the AS-616 and the DRS 6-6-15 are pretty much unnoticeable in HO scale so if anyone has a couple picture or confirmed differences between the 2 it would be greatly appreciated

[URR566]

Stewart actually produced B&LE 407 with the correct black numbers and nose wings, you can occasionally find them on ebay, in fact there is one on there right now. The problem with painting the 407 would be acquiring the black unit numbers, nobody makes those in decal form (they are the same numbers as the traditional white numbers, the only difference is the color) and finding the nose wings (Champion Decals made them, but the sets are hard to find nowadays, although I did see a set on ebay a few nights ago).

However, if you do want to paint the 407 yourself, let me ask this, do you have a newer version or older version from Bowser/Stewart? The newer ones look to be accurate, I know the older Bowser/Stewart units had incorrect detail on the firemans side cab sub base (remember they were long hood forward). Secondly, the DRS's had their headlight up higher on the nose than the AS-616:

DRS 6-6- 1500 headlight up higher:

www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble406gea.jpg

AS-616, mounted lower:

www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble408n.jpg

[KAD]

I bought up about 50 of Champs Bessemer's decals before they closed as I was doing a run of all the F units. I didn't want to drop a couple thousand buying up all the Athearn Genesis so the wings will not be a problem. I'm assuming the zero I need in 407 will be a 8 sided zero and the 4 and 7 will be of that same style not the thicker more modern style like the 900 series correct? Is there any other road that used the same style of the older Bessemer units? It's getting tougher and tougher squinting at some of these pictures as the eyes are starting to go. Would air brushing the decals work? I guess I could scan 407 into my printer and print those black





I seem to have the unit with the lower light as it looks like there is a indentation for what looks like the bell attachment..I'm assuming this as the loco is still sealed and I don't break factory seal in case I decide to sell it. I still have the 6 RSD-15's factory sealed the 9 SD-38's and 11 tunnel I did open to change the road numbers and to start the detailing. I noticed in the picture of 406 the short side light seems to be higher than the long end of 403, 404, 405 is that the way it was? higher on the short lower on the long?





I have 2 of the later Bowser's 409 and 404 there are no difference between the 2 which leads me to believe maybe 404 should have been lettered 408?





from what I can see without opening the box the light in the undec loco might split orange/black paint 50-50 as in 403





I'm not sure what you mean about the wrong detail because you didn't explain what it was for me to look





Thanks

[URR566]

The number font is the traditional old style font found on all units back then. Off the top of my head nobody used the same font, you would have to scan the decals on a computer color them black and print them out on waterslide decal paper.

Here is a color photo of the real 407:

www.sd45.com/ble/pages/ble407.htm

Yes, on 403-407, the headlight on the short hood was higher up than the headlight on the long hood end.

Yes, the newer Bowser units you are referring to should have been 408 and 409, those were both AS-616’s.

When I said the “wrong detail” I was talking about the detail on the original 1988 produced Stewart AS-616, which came with an Athearn drive. On the raised portion of the walkway on the short hood end, it features small rings which I guess are supposed to represent latches of some sort, if you were using that particular body you would have to remove those rings as the B&LE DRS 6-6-1500’s and AS-616’s lack that detail. If you don’t have that body then you don’t have anything to worry about. Here is a photo of one of these Stewart locomotives to show what I mean:

tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/uploaded/Redwoods/sp5203.jpg

Of course, you don’t have to do anything you don‘t want to do, its personal preference as to how much detail you put into your models. Hope that sums everything up.

[keith]

Thanks!!!


That explains it much better and now we seem to be looking at the same thing. The ring detail you described is found on both sides of the newer Bowser loco's which of course will remain...I'm college educated with a minor in art and I was pretty good with an air brush back in the day but I would never want to try to remove those ring and try to repaint them. I don't see those rings on the undecorated unit I have so maybe I should just buy the 407 on ebay and paint the one I have 408, and leave the 404 alone! At least it not as bad as MTH doing a B&LE F3

By the way.... I have, according to the inscription on the back, a picture of the 1st diesel leaving Greenville in 1950. It is a F7 but because of the reflection I ca't see the road number.

Do you think anyone would be interested? My Grandfather and Uncle are in the picture along with Roy Beaver and I think Robert Rossell but I have no clue who the other 7 are. Obviously a few are the crew

Thanks again for your help...now to find the elusive Bessemer font in black!!!

[URR566]

I’d hate to burst your bubble but I think Bowser/Stewart did the 408 too, in an older run, it can be found on eBay just like the 407 from time to time. At least I think they did it I’m not 100% sure.

Now I remember you, you once posted about that photo as a guest here. I was gonna reply but forgot all about it. Sure, I’d like to see the photo. Its pretty historic if you ask me, the first F7 leaving Greenville. There may not be a glare hiding the locomoyive number though, in the early years of dieselization the Bessemer considered an A-B-B-A set of F7’s as one unit, and would blank out the number boards of the trailing A unit.

[keith]

believe it or not I got a zero response about the picture. maybe the best way is to take a picture with my phone and send it to you and if you like what you see I can figure out how to scan it into my boat anchor and you'll can walk me through posting it here. It is truly a cool picture

I bought the 1st run bowser did of the AS616's and I haven't seen the 408. I bought another 404 on ebay about six months ago and I haven't seen any since

[URR566]

Keith, check your private messages.

[james]

let me know which champ decal you need , I may have them, James