# Making a HLW Big John look more proto.



## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

At a recent train show I purchased a brand new big john in the box for 200 bucks. I have had my eye on the engine for a while since i've heard it was a good runner. it's a rough interp of a Dunkirk Class B near as i can tell. I took the engine apart and peeled off all the shiny brass pin stripe tape, lightly sanded the lettering of the headlamp, cab and tender and painted the red parts satin black. Painted the side boards and stack ultra flat black and it looks MUCH more like a logging engine now as opposed to a circus train engine. Looks a lot better to my eye so far.

I shaved the hook and loop couplers off and I'm thinking of mounting some Ozark link and pin couplers on it to pull some of my logging cars. I plan to airbrush some more weathering to it.

I was wondering if anyone else has attempted to make the Big John look more like a prototypical model. I would enjoy hearing how they did that or seeing some photos of their efforts.

Scott


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott.... The Big John is one of my favorite locomotives. I have 2 weathered and bashed and another that I made using the Big John trucks.. They are wonderful runners...

The first one (#3) was done over 12 years ago and runs on the layout all day 2-3 a week... 










A couple of bashes using Big John Trucks and other pieces and parts... This one started out pulling a logging train but now is at the head end of a scenic passenger train similar to the D&SNGRR










The bash works utility duty for everything from ore cars to a construction consist..


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for the photo ideas Stan. I plan to weather it further and just enjoy it for what it is rather than try and add the pipes that ran alongside the boiler to the cab and other details to make it look more like the Dunkirk.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

SRW;

You may also try to email snowshoe (he participates mostly on the Live Steam forum) via this site. He has a battery powered Big John that he made look very convincing, but without doing a lot of heavy modifications.

Except for Kadees, custom decals and a few minor "tweaks," my own HLW Dunkirk is pretty much stock.










Best,
David Meashey


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Dave, 

I've got the basic satin black painted on it now. I plan on using link and pin couplers. I remember seeing Shawn Viggiano's big john loco in GR magazine and I think there was a youtube of it a while back and i liked the engine when it was painted flatter more weather beaten colors. 
Here it is with red paint gone and waiting for weathering... 

http://s1065.beta.photobucket.com/u...aint/BigJohnpaintedblack_zps661cf00a.jpg.html


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Will these help? 
http://www.gearedsteam.com/heisler/images/F_A_Addington-willie-12.jpg 
http://www.mrollins.com/Images/dunk2.gif 
http://www.gearedsteam.com/dunkirk/images/blaisdell.jpg 

Just removing those boards on either side of the boiler, and adding air brake stuff would go a long way towards increased realism.


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

I repainyted mine and added some details, air tank, piping etc.... I still want to do something with those cyclinders in the center. 








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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks Mik and Shawn. I've gone back and forth over keeping or removing the side boards. The Class B dunkirk didn't have exposed cylinders. They were mounted in a V just inside the cab. It also didn't have connecting rods but was geared and had Archbar trucks like a Climax. As I said earlier though. The Big John isn't really a proto model of anything so...anything goes. In some ways, I like that about this engine and you have the freedom to make it look any way you want it to. You can tack on other tanks, compressors, tubing and just have fun with it. I'm mounting four pocket link and pin couplers on mine right now. I'll use link and pin to pull cars I've built that way and make a coupler adapter to hook up to my Bachmann narrow gauge cars so i can pull both with it. 

S


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