Seaboard GP40-2

[SCL]

I picked up a brand new Athearn RTR GP40-2 on eBay for about $25. Not bad, considering this is a later run with grab irons installed.

Here is just one shot of the unit, I will post plenty more when I get some details on it. At this point the unit is practically naked:



The very first thing I noticed - The color is wrong. The stripes are caboose orange instead of yellow!

Although Athearn has come a long way since the BB days, this unit is clearly not perfect. The paint appears to be a little thick, there is a cab-fryer light instead of working headlights, etc. The motor ran nicely on my test track after being "broken in".

That being said, I plan to bring this unit up to Seaboard Coast Line standards as it would have been in 1974 - the era of my next layout.

This particular roadnumber, #1654, was built in April of 1972. At the time, the SCL was using these for mainline through freight service, as the wheelslip technology of the day had not yet reached a point that these would be useful in local service.

While I have no photos of this specific unit, I dug up one on RRPA:

www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1172430

The date is 1982, a couple things you will notice is Athearn's correct manufacture of white numberboards with black letters. However, this is not correct for the original numbers, it would have been in around 1978 before the change was made:

www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=209039&nseq=0

Another shot of the later version:

www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=48731&nseq=3

Here is what I plan to add to the model:
-Drop Steps
-SCL Style MU stands
-MU and air hoses
-Nose light
-Bell
-Diamond tread walkways and steps
-Uncoupling lever
-Fuel tank details
-Reverse numberboards (white letters on black background)
-Light weathering to represent a couple years in service
-Wipers
-Couplers from Proto:87 stores

And, these are under consideration:
-New decals to cover orange lines (need to be yellow)
-Mount the coupler to the frame so I can fill the gap below it
-Operating head and nose lights
-Full interior
-Removing motor and replace with Genesis drive (if possible)

This will be my first project in a very long time, hopefully I can share everything I do here as a step by step process. This way, anyone else who models the SCL (yeah right!) can correct their own units.

As the first step, I am searching around for the best parts for my project. I would like for this unit to be detailed without damaging the factory paint (I have no airbrush!).

Any suggestions are welcome!

[SCL]

Well, I have been searching around trying to put together a parts list for this locomotive. I have about $55 to finish this project, and I will try to avoid taking my new Bay Line GP38-2 out of the box until I finish.

I searched around for more prototype photos of this unit, and when I came out empty handed I contacted a well known SCL photographer, Warren Calloway. I am not going to post the photos without his permission, but the photos he sent were a big help. And, to my surprise, Athearn did get a lot of the details correct on this unit.

Here are some shots of the basic 4 parts of the locomotive model. I brightened them up with a photo editor to bring out the details.






I removed the shell from the unit, but I accidentally broken one of the clips that holds it to the frame. Hopefully it won't cause any problems. I then removed the 'cab fryer' and couplers.

The last frame preparation work was to cut off and file down the molded on fuel tank details. These parts will be replaced with the Cannon fuel tank details.

For the time being, I cannot do much else with the chassis.

Moving onto the shell... If anything I have learned about Athearn RTR units, it is that the handrails are flimsy. As such, they need to be removed before I can work on detailing. They popped right off with no problems. I considered replacing the handrails, but it is not a priority. It all depends on how much $$ is left over.

Does anyone know how to remove the cab without damaging the factory paint? Or if it isn't possible to remove it, how can I pop out the clear lenses on the front?

Anyways, the first job I need to do is find the correct head and nose lights. I should probably get the nose light cut out, that way if I permanently screw up the model, it will be before I apply the details. One of Athearn's mistakes was putting the SCL logo too far up on the front, I will have to remove the decal to install the light.

Now, what is the best way to cut the space for the light itself? I am a bit nervous about cutting into the shell.

[antlorch]

If the cab is the old one the it has tabs on the front and rear underside of the cab,just push those back and up and the cab will pop out.The window glass,or so called, slides down.through that away and use the American Model Builders lazer cut windows for the Athearn cab...
Now the nose all you should have to do if file the area where the nose light is going to go flat and then file a small taper to the top and bottom after you have the light fitting just right.

Looks like you will also need the new Details West S-5 horn with 3 bells forward and 2 reversed

[SCL]

Well..

I do not have an update to share, but I believe I am going to strip the paint off this GP40-2 and start over. That way I can give a Cannon cab a try, and Athearn's paint job looks way too thick. The decals are the wrong color, and the prototype for this unit doesn't have a lot of photos available.

I suppose I have been away from the hobby for too long, but I am a perfectionist and now I think stripping the paint off and repainting when I get the details on will be much easier. It sure would make me feel better when I file away a slot for the nose light.

Should I use alcohol? I read some older posts on this forum and it seems like the general consensus is to use alcohol to remove the paint.

Also, it seemed like a good idea so I removed the 4 tabs that hold the shell to the chassis so I can model the traction motor cables. Hopefully it won't be a decision I will later regret.

[SCL]

Jan 21, 2009 16:34:58 GMT -5 @nbec said:

91% alcohol will do the trick.

It sure does... I am going to leave it in the stuff overnight, there were a couple spots left that were not coming out.

Tomorrow, after the rest of the paint comes off, I will look at finding a way to mount the couplers so it doesn't interfere with the pilot beam I am putting across the bottom. Should be quite a challenge, and I don't even think it is possible

Money is a little tight right now, so I can't buy all the parts I need at once. I have no drills or files, and those will need to be purchased before I can add the nose light and other details.

On a further note, Athearn did a great job with this GP40-2, but I suppose the motor probably killed the popularity of this unit. The shell alone is worth the $25 these things usually go for on eBay.

[SCL]

That was easy..

I am using the dummy chassis from another Athearn unit on this project, because of all the underframe details and such, the shell will be permanently attached. Plus I will not need to remount the couplers to make room for the pilot beam.

The next step of course is to remove the remaining grab irons and to file the nose light into place.