It's not my usual style to tackle such a difficult challenge in a first post but I am excited to find this place and wanted to share. I know it's not an Accucraft, but it's still fun and it gave me a reason to display it proudly rather than have it sit in it's box in storage.

I'll try to chronicle along the way. I'm nearly finished with it about 80%.

First let me introduce myself. My name is Dave. I'm a GA dentist. I collect Star Wars movie props and costumes and of course my favorite locomotives.....most of which are large scale and HO scale 4-4-0 circa 1860s to 1890s.

My Spectrum 4-4-0 began as the South Pacific Coast loco which has undergone several minor changes thru the years. I bought this loco to go around my Christmas tree when they first came out. I immediately removed the tender headlamp. I hated it from the beginning.

Next I replaced the smoke stack with a balloon stack. I liked it much better and replaced the coal with wood load. I always loved the way it ran on the track. Very smooth operation and it made me happy to chase the cat around the tree.

My next upgrade was a sierra sound system. I installed it in the tender and had the switch and recharge port in one of the toolboxes on the tender. Completely hidden. I was so proud and it sounds fantastic.

Then I got tired of the putting up and taking down the train and track after my cat attacked the loco and broke the steps off the tender and loco on one side. So since that time, she's been in storage until I found this board a few months ago. I joined the CP Historical Society and started researching the Disney locos. I immediately recognized the CK Holliday and friends from visiting the Disney parks both in my youth and in recent years. I've only ever been to the Disneyland park once in my life mainly because I live on the wrong coast.

Then Accucraft released the Lilly Belle and I fell in love at once. Unfortunately I was too poor to afford it when it was readily available for a nice price and so it came and went. I've been trying to find a seller for 2 years at least. I'm always too slow on Ebay or some guy is showing the accucraft but selling the HLW. I don't hate the HLW, it's just not the Accucraft.

So a month ago, I decided to dig the SPC 4-4-0 out of storage and compare it to the original CP-173 in my reference photos as well as the CK Holliday and of course Walt's coveted Lilly Belle.

I decided that it wouldn't be too much of a bear to at least approximate the Lilly Belle in G scale and still have a better result than the HLW loco.

So without further discussion, I'll show you where I started and where she sits as of last night. Then I'll go back and do more of a step by step.

The SPC #3:


Getting closer:

Very nice. Are you modeling the CK Holliday or the Lilly Belle?

I'm gonna name her Lilly Belle, but it will be sort of an "in between" the LB, CK and Proto CP-173. I like the larger headlamp for example because I want the stag/water fall graphics to show up larger than on the smaller headlamp, I like the fat brass ring on the headlamp ie the CK. I also like the builders plate on the smokebox, which is why it's still on there. Of course that isn't found on any of the protos.

I've been trying to decide whether to paint the red panels on the tender and add gold decals to that or if I should hold off and do the entire panel with a decal??? The decals worry me. I don't like making them. I'm not very good at it.

Sam Towler has a thread on his HO Holliday and he posted a good picture of the tender side panel so you could crop it and use it for your decal. you have made an excellent start.

I'm gonna dig through my archives for a higher res, should you want it (and if I can find it!).

Thanks fellas. I would like Hi rez images of the CK for future use, but I am planning the Lilly Belle graphics for this project. If you guys know someone who has good artwork for Lilly, please lead me to them.

Dave

I'd have a hard time altering that pretty loco....you are a brave man!

Believe it or not it was an easy decision. The front plates on the steam cylinders were damaged by the lead trucks (common with this model) and the gold paint was just too dull. Several broken items like steps etc made the decision for me. Again, she was just sitting in storage and she wasn't the pretty Lilly Belle. I've converted HO models in the past to different road names etc..........mostly just upgrades of the same road names, so I am somewhat familiar with it, but I have to say, taking it apart and putting it back together is the real challenge. The painting etc....not nearly as daunting as the mechanical aspect of the rebuild.

Actually, the C. K. Holliday has had builder's plates since 2005. They are "Baldwin-esque", so the round plates on your model are very similar.

I like your model, BTW!

Cool, I think I was there in 2004, but don't have photos of the plates on CK. Most of my references come from the web.