RS 3's

[NW Modeling List]

 Howdy Bill Smith,

 I plan on building a correct version of  RS 3 # 307. If you have a cpy of Withers and Bowers book, N&W First Generation Diesels or can borrow one, on page 187 is a drawing od RS-3 # 300 -307. However, if you turn the page to 188, you can see a photo of the origonal # 300 and it does NOT have the stack on the short hood. The biggest differences that I can see from the photo is that #300 has a double tool box on the left hand side of the locomotive. Also there are no louvers as on the Atlas model. Instead there is one large door that takes the space of two smaller ones, and then the next two are replaced by a set of three screens. In the center of the middle screen there has been added a steel strip so that the full name of Norfolk and Western can be painted across the long hood. There is also another set of screens ( two in total ) above the leading edge of the first tool box. Also on the short hood, there appears to be a set of screens for the dynamic brake. According to the
caption, it featured the RSD 12 -style dynamicbrake grills on the short hood. 

 There is what appears to be a Nathan 5 chime horn mounted on the forward leading edge of the roof of the cab. Since they ran the long hood forward, the horns are on the side of the cab facing the long hood. There are also window shades. If younwanted to model the # 300 these are the things that are most noticable that are different from the Atlas RS 3. You would also have to change the hand rails where they go across the shop installed tool boxes. They are roughly the same size as the boxes that are on the rear of the cab. The drawing of the Alco's on page 187 is not accurate enough for building the model. One last observation on the Alco, the base of the front stack is different. There appears to be a flange around the base of the front stack. 

 In my humble opinion, RS 3, #307, comes closer to the Atlas version than the earlier units. That is why I have chosen it to model. The screen grills still have to be modeled, and the shop added tool boxes, but it is far and away the easier one to do. Even modeling it isn't a walk in the park! N&W number 307 was on the roster longer than any other N&W Alco RS-3. On page 269 of the same book is an excellent color shot of #307 taken at Norfolk, VA, on November 5, 1978. 

 Hope that helped you out a little. 

 Ken McWilliams