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

In this new series, I'll be embracing the joy of kitbashing rolling stock in HO scale for my Alta California Railway.
The first project was bringing a "close but not quite correct" model into being a perfect match for its real life counterpart. This RS-1 did double duty in Mexico hauling passenger, mixed, and freight trains all across the country for a few decades since it was built in 1957. For my 1968 era model railroad, it's 11 years old, and still in regular service.
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#ferrocarril #hoscale #mexico #ndem #alco #train #locomotive

[@InterurbanEra]

My companion article for the NdeM RS1 build is live for ALL of you to enjoy! It includes parts lists and how to get them. LINK BELOW www.patreon.com/posts/joy-of-ndem-rs1-82706259?Link&

[@whiteknightcat]

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.

[@InterurbanEra]

@@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.

[@johnrobertfox7775]

KITBASH , KITBASH , KITBASH ! 😎 Beautiful Model Dude ! 😎😎

[@therailfanman2078]

I love these types of videos!

[@InterurbanEra]

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!

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

I’m doing some kitbashing on an rs-1 myself. I’m modeling one of the US Army 6-axle rs-1s, and it’s coming along rather well. I’ve already got it lettered and painted. I just have to get the new trucks and trim back the fuel tank area.

[@just4funTrains]

Excellent job!! Is very difficult to find someone outside Mexico modelling NdeM, my channel is in spanish with many NdeM models.

[@Dawsonsrailfanadventures74]

You gave me inspiration to put a bike on my Freelanced GP10R that works the old line infront of my house today the real tracks are gone but its fun to model what’s gone

[@InterurbanEra]

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

[@w.rustylane5650]

Very nice job. Cheers from eastern TN

[@vincenthuying98]

Beautiful video, love how you’ve shown the different stages of the tweak of your locomotive. Awesome kitbash. Cheerio 😊

[@Ce-acatl7704]

Beautiful 👍

[@4449John]

Mighty fine model, looks amazing really.

[@InterurbanEra]

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

[@sernajrlouis]

Awesome

[@Tauschung]

I really want to do this, but with an NYC 4-4-0. This video has given me a ton of inspiration.

[@InterurbanEra]

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? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqaufaSwm9J2ndU Hopefully this will be a more specific inspiration for your build!

[@Jeff.LeBarron]

Beautiful. ❤

[@Eduardomd54]

Nice surprise, to see this video. I am precisely figuring out a repaint in the Livery of NdeM , an old Atlas RS-1 in HO , made by KATO in Japan. Is a DC model, that has no electronics . I wish to transform it to DCC, w/ sound. Recently I took the original Santa Fe paint off, with isopropyl alcohol. I already painted the orange part. (I did the same masking of the yellow border in the frame) Which green color- brand is your advice for the rest of the model ? I enjoyed your work. Thank you.

[@InterurbanEra]

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!)

[@caldwellbutler236]

I've literally wanted to make videos exactly like this and haven't been able to! Could I ask what your camera and lighting setups are like for your workbench overhead shots? EDIT: Also, sorry, this is absolutely phenomenal work! Fantastic job, I love seeing people on KZbin finally posting high-quality kitbashing videos!

[@InterurbanEra]

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.

[@caldwellbutler236]

@@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!

[@InterurbanEra]

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

[@InterurbanEra]

@@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?

[@caldwellbutler236]

@@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.

[@StocktonSubber]

I’ve been searching for a Limited Edition RS1 from Atlas in a CCT Livery. I’ve seen it a couple times before, but it’s really hard to come by. The only inaccuracy I can find with mine is the use of an A200 compared to the prototype model having an M5. Hopefully one day I can find one for sale, as I doubt Atlas will rerun somethin like that.

[@InterurbanEra]

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.

[@TheDutchMitchell]

7/1000 of an inch?Ddamn the US measuring system is so weird. Nice video though, perfect for a lazy Sunday morning with toast and a coffee :)

[@InterurbanEra]

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