Mystery Box From Rusty 'Cuda!

I recently ordered a couple locomotives from one of my favorite vendors.  He's a gentleman who goes by some version of "Rustycuda" on various railroad forums.  He buys bulk lots of locos, gets them into working condition and them makes them available at excellent prices.  I've probably bought a few dozen locos from him since I reentered the hobby.

However, the box that arrived was significantly larger than the two locomotives I had purchased... 

Whatever could be going on here?   Truthfully I'm not surprised.  He often includes bonus goodies. Let's dig in.

First there was an Athearn thrust washer that I desperately needed taped under the lid.

Below that 5 were carefully bubble-wrapped items. 

The first two such items were a pair of Amtrak Bullet Train locos.   

These are the same models as the Lima Shinkansen set I reviewed earlier except that they have a fantasy Amtrak scheme.   One powered, one dummy. They seem to be complete except for couplers and one wheelset.  These bullet trains are getting harder to find and I figure what I've got here is some excellent backup parts for my set, especially as the powered version works.  However, it'd be tempting to break out the saw and try and build another coach....

Then I pulled out this AHM hopper.  CB&Q is a bit earlier than my era, but Rusty knows I do BN.  I thought this would need to be patched for BN but a bit of research shows this unpatched scheme in service as late as the the 90s!  Just needs weights, a couple stirrups and a truck.  

Finally after these sweet freebies came the items I had actually ordered.

This first is an AHM SD40.   I've been curious about these for a while.  Some friends of mine have spoken well of these as being good locos and excellent choices for re-motoring.  The body is a bit loose in back, but that was figured into the low price.  I'll build the rear mounting tab up with a bit of epoxy.

I am not a fan of the stock thick plastic railings on these models.  However, this one had broken railings so Rusty replaced them with Athearn-style metal stanchions and railings.  Metal railings are my favorite compromise between durability and realism.   I don't collect PRR or PC so this is very likely going to end up patched for the Chicago Valley Railroad. 

The second is this Athearn SD45.  I've been wanting a more modern NW to pull my Illinois Terminal consist and ironically I had just purchased an Athearn NS SD40-2 and decals to back date it to make a NW.  However, this was such a good deal that I just jumped on it.  NW SD45's had high short hoods but I'm ok with the low hood on this one.

As expected, both locos run, but need a clean and lube.  Visually, I think they just need a bit of paintwork on the railings and some horns and they'll be ready to go.

 

So there you have it, a boxed bucket of fun from Rusty. 

Thanks Buddy!

Karl