Athearn BB GP60

[luislopes]

Hi all. 

Fiest of all, I want to apologise for my English. Sometime I can make some spelling errors, but I'll do my efforts not to.

This is going to be my first detailing project, so I ask you to be gentle with me

Here is the girl who is going to be my first try at detailing:

An Athearn BB GP60.

So, I am going to detail the thing without many preocupations, because the paint will be stripped (it is on an alcohol bath at the moment), and I am going freelance. I am starting my own company, based on Indiana.

Nevertheless, I would like to add some bits and pieces to it. What do you think about assing a snow plow, some sun shades and some grab irons? What else do thing it would be great for a first project?

Thank you so much for your help and time.

Best wishes.

[m a y o r 79]

Basic details that I always put on my projects (no matter if they are simple dress up jobs or full out super-detailing) would include the following:

Plow
Grabirons
Coupler lift bars
new horn (the Athearn plastic one is terrible)
antennas
AC unit
mu hoses
underframe bell
ditch lights (depending on the era you're modeling)
windshield wipers (and window glass)

If you want to take it farther there is almost an unlimited list of things you can do including: undeframe piping, see thru steps, Cannon fans/grills/cab/sub-base, underframe piping, working lighting, truck details (air lines, speed recorders, etc.), deck plating, etc.

Look thru the message boards for inspiration. And don't be afraid to ask questions, chances are someone here has done what you are trying to do and usually are more than willing to share how different techniques work.

[luislopes]

Ok, thank you for you answer.

How do I know that I am getting the correct detail parts?

Best wishes.

[m a y o r 79]

Best is to look at prototype photos. Even though you are doing freelance, seeing what other roads did for their GP60's would give you an idea of what's 'typical'. Though it's your own freelance road so you can do whatever you want in the end.

[enginseer]

Well, you've come to the right place for anything locomotive focused.

The amount of knowledge in this forum borders on the obscene.

As has been noted earlier, the best source of good information are the many sites devoted to housing archival photos of particular locomotives.

In addition, there are many companies that produce many after market parts allowing you to detail to your hearts content simply by matching the item to what you've seen in the picture.

Some folks are able to reach a nice, happy medium called "just enough" where super-detailing is concerned.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to find it.

There needs to be a book written called "Zen and the Art of Model Locomotive Detailing"

[railfansd40t2]

The only thing I can say is I have always been satisfied with adding the stock handrails and painting them up correctly for the unit I am working on then adding a plow and changing out the couplers. The last thing is some light weathering with chalk dust.
Recently I have had to learn how to bend my own handrails for some projects and still have a few more to do.
That being said I am now taking baby steps to start improving on those regular details by adding the see through fans and bending my own grab irons. The beauty of this hobby as well as this site is you can start off slowly and build up to the what I call the " Pro Builders" because there are many people here that have a wide range of knowlage and experiance to help the rest of us get to the next level.

Your plans for this unit sounds to me like a good start for getting a feel for how much more you want to do.
Take your time and do the research so you get the results you are after but above all don't be afraid to ask questions. I have asked a few that I thought maybe were kinda dumb but got great answers back and it helps keep me motivated and moving forward with my projects.

Good luck and take lots of photos as you go along so we can see how the project is progressing.

Paulie