I've been bitten by the urge to go bigger. Without having seen any P48 models in person, and with only the memory of the impressive physical heft and aural magnificence of an O scale modular layout at the Springfield train show a couple of years ago, I think I'm going to give P48 a try. Dip my toes in the water, so to speak.
First order of business is of course obtaining a locomotive. Browsing the web, in particular the P48 Yahoo group, I quickly settled on a Red Caboose GP9 model. It's seems to be the perfect candidate for a kitbash/detail upgrade into either a CN or CP rebuild. After some research the angled face of the CN GP9rm is perhaps more than I'm willing to bite off for a first try, so something along the lines of Ontario Southland's ex-Chessie GP9 #175 or ex-CP 8235 look more feasible.
The Red Caboose model as sold by Des Plaines Hobbies is the plastic body only, lacking trucks or a drive train. That will be taken care of with Des Plaines' brass trucks and can motor drive kit. My first goal is to complete the locomotive in standard O scale, testing it on a few lengths of flex track. If the bug takes, I'll upgrade it to P48 with the kit from Protocraft and build a switching layout.
In fact, I've already determined that a good representation of Elmira, ON in P48 could fit along the side wall of my basement. It's so hard to pick something and stick to it, there are temptations all over in model railroading!
Well, this summer will be about collecting those parts, building some models of the Fraser mill on my HO scale Pine Street Spur modules, and perhaps even getting out to watch some trains during our roadtrip vacation to Florida.
