This brass Schorr RS-2 model is one that came to me in great shape overall, with a very nice paint job and couplers mounted, but it had no drive and only one truck mount (under the long hood–and that mount with a truck still in a raw brass finish).

I have had this model for a while now and have mulled over my options a few times. I was thinking to try to power it, but I finally decided not to. I was working over two of my dummy diesels with better trucks, and realized this model would also make a great dummy engine. I have a bunch of extra Schorr metal bolsters and they fit the model perfectly for mounting the truck under the cab. A bit of paint on the trucks and the model was good to go! A quick fix that turned a model that looked a little sad with its one unpainted truck into a real beauty.

With the model in the photo is a matching Schorr caboose. Both were beautifully painted by William Gilbert for his road. These were both part of the Schorr line of Japanese brass imports in American OO. 

And another RS-2 came to me from William Gilbert with this model, which has a drive but needs a lot of work and the paint was partially stripped. Be watching the blog for more; I am stripping the paint now and have begun working out a new drive based on Athearn parts. My goal is to turn that model into a smooth-running approximation of an ATSF RSD-4 in American OO. A summer project; more on that another day.

UPDATE: And I found this photo, not the sharpest, but showing the engine on his layout. Several of the cars seen are also in my collection today.