Advice sought from experienced Bachmann modelers on project

[Matt Bumgarner]

Hi everyone-

I am finally tackling my long-planned project of converting the Baldwin 2-4-4T Forney into a semblence of a Porter 0-4-4T that served the Lawndale Railway in rural North Carolina. I have two engines (one for practice, one for my model) and a print out of the exploded diagram. Now, I have some questions that might be rather simple for some of you, but are relatvely new for me and I *REALLY* don't want to screw up these gorgeous engines. OK- jumping into it:

a) The hardest part is modifying the pilot. I removed the pilot truck (easy) but want to shorten the pilot deck in front of the boiler by about 3/8". This means cutting the diecast frame. Will a Dremel cutting disk do this effectively, or should I use a small hacksaw?  If I end up having to glue metal to metal, or metal to plastic, will JBWeld two-part epoxy suffice?

b) Easy question- how to remove the builders plate decals- I'm guessing Solvaset or the like? I guess I could gently scrape with an Xacto but would rather not.

c) I have to remove the air pump and air tanks under the walkways along the boiler, fabricate new walkways, and lower them. This leaves two holes on the boiler that need to be filled in. What sort of putty should I use??   What color (black) and manufacturer matches the Bachmann paint best (have I heard simple Krylon ??)   What finish- flat? satin?

Thanks!

Matt

[NarrowMinded]

When I bashed my forney into a 2-4-0 I used a dremel with the diamond disk to cut the frame, it got a little hot, if i had to do it again I would likely clamp it up and use a saw. I suggest cutting a little shy of your mark and then filing or sanding to you line.

for the paint I used krylon flat as seen in the picture,(flatter then the original paint, since then I lettered it and gave it a coating of testors Dulkote which gave it a closer finish to the original, not exact but very close.

as for gluing the metal Ive never done that nor have I tried to remove the builder plates hope someone else can pipe in on that. Good luck and have fun!

NM