At the modelers meet, I gave a small clinic on the Readings Alco S1. Below I have a pic of the finished model.



The model is equipped with DCC and sound and I will cover the entire build here.

Well done model, looking forward to your updates.

My S1 model is a first run Proto 2000. My original intentions for this model was to make a Western Maryland slug out of it. I had no particular reasons for that bash other than "just because"! I do like the Alco S1 and S2 models, these little brutes served the Reading well up until retirement.

After I test ran the model before I was to cut it up, I had a slight change of heart. These Proto models run great and I just liked the way it looked. But my main problem was, I don't model the Philadelphia region where the S1 presided. But that burning desire to turn this model into a much better rendition, overcame any objections that my mind created not to do this S1. I had no purpose for this model, but then I really didn't have a true purpose for the slug build other than something to chop up.

Then I thought, maybe a small switching layout could be in my future where I can model a city scene and operate this model! But whether I do or whether I don't do the switching layout, I'm not sure which side of the brain lost the argument for the green light to go forward with this S1 project, I'm sure that side was a little peeved.

I will say the Proto S1 is a fine model. It matches up nicely to prototype dimensions. There are minor flaws in the model but your going to get that with any mass produced model. My biggest thumbs up with the model was it had plastic walkways and pilot, not metal like the Atlas S2. This was one part of the model that made me happy. So I went ahead and did my research of the S1. The Withers book was a great resource with some nice pictures and good data on the Alco. There's not allot of information or pictures of these models available. No one really took allot of pictures down in the city. But I had found just enough resources to proceed with the project and quite my objecting part of the brain.


The upcoming article here will describe what I did to this model much like my SD45 article. The clinic I did at the modelers meet on the S1 was the watered down version due to time constraints. I hope you enjoy this and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

It is interesting you considered making an S-2 booster, then changed your mind (excellent outcome - BTW!).

As they say, "Great minds..." because here is a link to a project for a Frisco S-2B starting from an Atlas S-2.

www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/...ter.7417/#post-56361

Clicking on the link will send you to the thread on Frisco.org. Third post from the top shows a thumbnail of the model. Unfortunately, you must be logged-in to see the full-size image. Nonetheless, the first post discusses the conversion process.

George

So to get the ball rolling here, below is a pic of the Proto S1 before I started the project.




There was only 1 major thing I disliked about the model, that was the frame. The frame is of the same design as a Kato. The frame stretches out towards the side sills and angles up into them. The frame was also thick. Proto had to cast quarter moons under neath to allow the wheels to swing without creating a short. You can see these humps from the side of the model.
You can clearly see the bell hanging on the prototype, but it is missing on the model. To add it to the Proto model would mean drilling a hole in the angle and then setting the bell in the hole. The problem with that is the bell would disappear in the hole if you take that route.

So I laid out the ground work to aid in my approach to improve the overall appearance of the model.

After putting some thought into this project, my to do list was put into action.

1. Strip the body in 92% alcohol.
2. Test run the model, strip it down and degrease the trucks.
3. Replace the axle gears with new gears from Athearn.
4. Upgrade all details on the body, cab, walkway and pilots.
5. Improve cab interior.
6. Mill the frame to improve appearance and add details.
7. Mill the top weight to fit the DCC sound decoder.

#3 is important to do. These older Proto 2000s have a knack for cracking the gears. My guess is as much as everyone else, cheap plastic. So these should be done before final assembly.

Looking at what others did to modify and fit a sound decoder in their Proto models wasn't satisfactory for me. They removed that top weight and added a strip of brass to hold the decoder in place. I wanted to keep as much weight as possible, so this route was not an option for me.
I also didn't like that the speaker was placed in the cab eliminating the cab interior. Some drilled a hole into the bottom of the air tanks and mounted a speaker there. This also wasn't an option for me.

So I had to also come up with a way to fit the sound decoder and speaker inside a very tight body as room goes. I will cover this later in the article.