Purchased in 1952 after parent company Ann Arbor Railroad had experienced success with this model, Manistique & Lake Superior Alco S3 #1 was the official end of the steam era for this Upper Peninsula short-line. The venerable Moguls and Consolidations that had served the first 60+ years of the railroad's existence were scrapped, and Alco #1 took over all duties as the sole piece of motive power on the railroad. 

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My N Scale model started as an Arnold S2 in Chesapeake & Ohio livery, which I then stripped down and painted engine black. I am indebted to Hugh Hornstein's book The Haywire: a Brief History of the Manistique & Lake Superior Railroad, as he included a number of good pictures of the #1 that I used for modeling reference purposes.

 

Using the prototype information gathered from the book, I commissioned my friends at SoliDesign to make decals, including the end sill striping, side chevrons, stripes, and even the small "D-6" class designation for the cab side. Additional upgrades include replacement of the original wheels with NorthWest Shortline low-profile geared wheelsets, replacement of the Blunt-style sideframes with appropriate AAR Type 1 sideframes from an Atlas SW-9 donor locomotive, DCC and a functional cab roof beacon.