Well now, this isn't exactly what I was hoping to post next in my gallery. So to speak, but last night while browsing the interwebs I was struck by sudden inspiration! This is VERY different for me as I almost exclusively draw and design steam locomotives, so drawing/designing "Critters" is venturing out into unknown territory for me.

I was browsing through the Discover Live Steam website as my interest in 7.5 inch gauge continues to grow. As much as I want to have a working steam engine, I'd still like to have something to "fiddle" around with until I have my own live steamer. I then found my way onto the Plum Cove Studios web site and began prowling around it, when I came across an adorable little electric locomotive, the Plum Cove "Generic Electric", or "GE Boxcab" for short. (Get the pun?) :D
The proportions of the thing are adorable and I almost fell in love with it on the spot. A friend of mine has a similar engine and my even use the same chassis, but I'm not certain off hand.

Anyway, So I kept looking into it and I may end up investing on one in the near future, but there was one little thing I didn't like about it. It's small. The rough dimensions of the cab, in inches, are 12 wide, 24 long, and 19 high. Seeing as I lean more towards the "Slim Gauge" side of modeling I thought about building my own cab to set on the stock chassis. So from 10 at night till about 1 to 1:30 am I cobbled out this rough sketch. I did put some effort into it, but I was still fairly lazy in drawing the thing. Mostly due to the time it was when I finished.

I basically took the original dimensions and multiplied them by a factor of 2. So 12" wide then became 2ft. The only real exception to that was the length. To make things simpler I made it 3ft long, and it give the engine a more chunky appearance. The height of the engine was rounded to 30" so it would have the look and proportions of a narrow gauge backwoods critter, rather than the projected 28". The body will be made of wood, just like the original Plum Cove boxcab.

The radiators were inspired by RGS Goose #1. I've seen some castings available for 2.5" scale for the radiator and hood, so I may look into getting a pair of them. As for the headlamps I would ideally like them to be real oil or kerosene burning lamps. But I'll settle for electric if that's not easily feasible. I hope that I can make the doors of the cab open and close, and the roof will simply open up on one side similarly to a car hood for easy access to the interior.

Despite the look the model will be entirely electric. The Plum Cove chassis is powered by two marine batteries that can be picked up as Sears. It's a simple system and works very well for its size. With the larger cab I may be able to further enhance its performance. I'd like to add radio control to make it easier to operate, especially when switching.

I'm still playing around with the design and details. I added marker lamps for added interest and have considered adding a ladder to the side of the critter next to the door. I've also though about adding some tanks, either "fuel" or "air", and perhaps some tool boxes. I'm not even sure how I'll color this thing yet. I'm thinking of either oxide red or brown, perhaps forest green and yellow/gold, or white lettering. :shrug:

Anyway, I hope you guys like it. I'll draw a more finalized version once I'm satisfied with all the details I want. Also, please comment if you fave! Thanks again!