Locomotive Shells

[Ted G]

I was interested in getting a new locomotive shell for my HO engine. How do I figure out the correct size to get.

[richg]

I was interested in getting a new locomotive shell for my HO engine. How do I figure out the correct size to get.

How about telling us which loco you have? HO tells us very little.
Which loco shell would you like to install?

Rich

[Ted G]

It is a train set that was made for a supermarket. It was made in Slovenia, I believe the brand is Hehno.

[richg]

It is a train set that was made for a supermarket. It was made in Slovenia, I believe the brand is Hehno.

Still does not tell us much of anything. Steam, diesel loco?

This is beginning to sound like a quiz program.

Post a photo of the loco.

RIch

[Ted G]

Diesel

[Ted G]

I was able to find the correct name, it's Mehano.

[blwfish]

I hate to be a jerk, but you're going to have to provide more information or else nobody's going to be able to help.  A little googling turns up the fact that Mehano is apparently a manufacturer. It would seem that their only current HO trains are of the French TGV, so you obviously have something older and out of production.  Just what that might be is anyone's guess. Clearly they have made models for the American market in the past as there are clear references to Alco Centuries and some others that almost certainly are mid-60s EMD prototypes.

Translating what you've asked into automotive terms, I'd say is something like "I'd like a new body for my Ford." There are SO MANY possibilities!

As Rich says, a picture will help a lot.

And also, you're wanting to put a new shell on - are you just wanting to replace a damaged original, or do you want to make a different model entirely? If the latter, what are you wanting to make?

[Ted G]

I wanted a New York Central Limited. I am just a novice in this hobby. I did not realize it was this complicated. I will just keep what I have. Thank You for your help.   Merry Christmas to you.

[Doneldon]

Ted-

Please don't get scared off by the questions and suggestions that you are deficient with the information you provide. This site gets lots of people with no interest in trains who have inherited something or made what they hope is a killing at a garage sale and they want us to tell them what they have and that it's worth a bundle. So nerves get a little frazzled sometimes. Your posts don't strike me like that at all. Let's see what we can do.

If I understand correctly, you have an old Mehano HO diesel locomotive which you would like to convert to a (modern, I presume) New York Central loco. That might or might not be possible, but it is highly unlikely that it will be as easy as popping your existing body off and dropping another one on. Mehano is an eastern European manufacturer which didn't make a lot of North American models and, frankly, wasn't, shall we say, the highest quality company at the hobby shop. It is possible that you have a Mehano model of an American prototype (the real thing upon which the model is based) in which case you might be able to do a swap. Whether it will be an easy one we don't know yet but we'll hope so. We do need some more information, though.

First, what railroad is depicted on your model? If the name isn't spelled out just give us the letters like B&O or AT&SF. Then, describe what you have. Does it have two trucks with wheels? (probably yes) How many wheels per truck? (four or six) Are there walkways along the length of the loco? Are the ends the same or different? Does one end have a cab similar to an automobile or is the engineer's station somewhere other than near one end? What is the color scheme? Does the engine have a number painted on the side? Do the couplers look like couplers you've seen on real trains? If not, do the couplers look like they have hooks which will go together horizontally or vertically? What is the arrangement of doors in your loco? How about the arrangement of round ventilators in the roof?

With a little luck, somebody on here will be able to figure out what you have.
                                                                                                                 -- D

[blwfish]

I wanted a New York Central Limited.

Actually that might not be so bad.  If you simply want to change the paint job, there may be a number of relatively painless ways to do that.  First, you could simply paint it and put new decals on. That might be a little challenging for those with no experience, but we were all there once, and it is definitely not a rare thing to do that.  Some of the paint/decal jobs are a little more challenging than others, but none of them are really "out of this world."  You could also have someone else do the paint job, although that might get a tad expensive.

Since you want New York Central, there is a reasonably good chance that the model was originally offered painted for NYC, and it could be as simple a matter as finding a shell painted that way and swapping. But we'd need to know which one you have, since some were probably painted that way and some were not. My guess is that this is what you were thinking, but please understand that there are quite a few possibilities.

A picture would help a lot.

[jward]

i would try a little different direction. paint and decals cost money, for just a little more you can find a bachmann ft-a online already in new york central. you'll have a much better quality locomotive as well.

[Ted G]

Went to the local train hobby store that just reopened and he told me I could not put a new shell on this loco.

[Doneldon]

Ted-

He may well be right. Or, he may mean that he doesn't have a
replacement shell to sell to you. Why not fill us in on the
information and see if we have some ideas?
                                                                  -- D

[Ted G]

Im not going to pursue it now, just got a Williams O-Guage Keystone Express Passenger Train. It's a beauty and I love it. Thanks for all the help. Maybe when I get more knowledge I will give it another shot.