The Tyco General is a very good kit to begin one's ventures into superdetailing because the metal cab is installed with screws, which enables you to paint and detail it easily without risking damage to the boiler assembly. Taking Kemtron handrail posts (Kemtron 1720), which come in packages of 12, I drilled holes into the rear of the cab, epoxied in two per side, and added short lengths of brass wire. Filing away the cast-on protuberances provided by Tyco on the boiler, I then redrilled holes for the additional handrail posts and added brass wire for rails, thus greatly changing the locomotive's profile.
Old-time railroading books showed the almost infinite ways that various railroads modified their 4-4-0's, and since the Tyco plastic headlamp and bracket seemed particularly crude by comparison, I replaced them with a Cal-Scale headlight and a Kemtron bracket. Since I could not get the bracket to fit in its original form, regretfully cut off some of the filigree on the supports, soldering the shortened supports underneath the bracket. The rest of the modifications, which include a bell and braces, were very easy to add.
The greatest effect was probably created by painting and striping. Af- ter I had completed this locomotive and run it more than a year, I came upon Micro Tape from Walthers in a 1/64" wide strip. It was easy to apply and a coat of DDV will protect it.
Another view: three-quarter front view of locomotive.
A number of black-and-white and color photographs of this locomotive appeared in my 1978 photo-article "Details Make a Difference."
