Post by shinobi on Feb 22, 2016 22:34:21 GMT -5
So this will be a little unusual since this forum (and diesel detailing in general) doesn't really get a whole lot of N scale stuff, but I hope you all enjoy this anyway. I've been holding off posting until I got to a reasonable state of completion. I actually started this project a while ago when I purchased a LifeLike Great Northern SW1200 in the empire builder scheme. I dismantled it and stripped it, but then couldn't decide what I wanted to build it into. Inspiration struck when I came across a TT scale SW1200 in CN wet noodle colours.
I had always liked the idea of having a CN SW1200RS in N scale, but didn't exactly like the idea of tackling the flexicoil truck sideframes or those number boards. CN gave their standard SW1200 units the same 'optional extras' as their roadswitcher version, which was the 3 chime horn, the spark arrestors, handrails, and rerail frogs. So although they lack the beefy flexicoil trucks and aggressive looking number boards, they have much the same charm as their RS counterparts.
The little lifelike switcher actually came apart pretty nicely. I kept the smaller details stored in the box, they'll find their way back onto the model in due course. In the mean time, I ordered parts from Miniatures By Eric. NE1 spark arrestors, NB17 bell, NH12 3 chime horn, NR2 rerail frogs, NA1 sinclair antenna.
Once my parts arrived, I removed the exhaust stacks. They leave behind a convenient hole in the hood that happens to be just the right size for the MBE spark arrestors. These parts needed to be trimmed and filed to remove flash and generally improve the surface finish, as well as to avoid fouling the chassis when reassembled. It's actually pretty tricky to mount the spark arrestors so that they line up correctly. It took a lot of fiddling and checking before I was able to get a result that I was happy with. Once they were in place, I was able to figure out where the bell should go. They're mounted further forward than a standard SW1200 to give clearance to the spark arrestors.
For the cab front mounted 3 chime horn, I had to make a small L bracket using 0.5mm styrene. This gave support allowing me to superglue the horn in place, and also fairly closely matched the bracket on the prototype (not that it's really visible). The sinclair antenna took a surprising amount of tweaking and filing - this part is tiny! I have no idea how Eric makes the masters for these little parts. After a lot of filing I managed to get it to sit good enough.
The rerail frogs were also a challenge. They straddle the jacking pads over the front trucks, which happens to be where the contact wipers are. In order to get these to fit, I had to sand the detail off the back side to give the wipers clearance to flex without catching on them. I also had to carefully file the mounting lugs so that it'd sit right.
One of my pet hates with N scale is that it's still wallowing in the ancient tradition of molded-on grabs. I judiciously removed them, and drilled the 10 tiny holes for the 5 tiny BLMA 18" N scale wire grabs. It's actually not as fiddly or difficult as you might imagine. Probably the hardest thing about doing wire grabs for me is that I think I have probably the most godawful pin vise ever made, so loading the actual bit so that it stays centered and doesn't slip in the chuck took more time than drilling the holes and putting the grabs in. It's no different to installing wire grabs on HO equipment, the holes are just spaced closer together. Quite why separately applied wire grabs haven't made it into N scale yet I don't know - the improvement is enormous.
That's all I have for now. I have Microscale Decal set 60-567 Canadian National Diesel Locomotives ready to apply once the paint is done. I'd been holding off doing the paint until my wire grabs arrived, which as you can see arrived today. I'm now just waiting on a set of Athabasca SW1200 handrails to arrive before I can paint and decal the walkway.
I had always liked the idea of having a CN SW1200RS in N scale, but didn't exactly like the idea of tackling the flexicoil truck sideframes or those number boards. CN gave their standard SW1200 units the same 'optional extras' as their roadswitcher version, which was the 3 chime horn, the spark arrestors, handrails, and rerail frogs. So although they lack the beefy flexicoil trucks and aggressive looking number boards, they have much the same charm as their RS counterparts.
The little lifelike switcher actually came apart pretty nicely. I kept the smaller details stored in the box, they'll find their way back onto the model in due course. In the mean time, I ordered parts from Miniatures By Eric. NE1 spark arrestors, NB17 bell, NH12 3 chime horn, NR2 rerail frogs, NA1 sinclair antenna.
Once my parts arrived, I removed the exhaust stacks. They leave behind a convenient hole in the hood that happens to be just the right size for the MBE spark arrestors. These parts needed to be trimmed and filed to remove flash and generally improve the surface finish, as well as to avoid fouling the chassis when reassembled. It's actually pretty tricky to mount the spark arrestors so that they line up correctly. It took a lot of fiddling and checking before I was able to get a result that I was happy with. Once they were in place, I was able to figure out where the bell should go. They're mounted further forward than a standard SW1200 to give clearance to the spark arrestors.
For the cab front mounted 3 chime horn, I had to make a small L bracket using 0.5mm styrene. This gave support allowing me to superglue the horn in place, and also fairly closely matched the bracket on the prototype (not that it's really visible). The sinclair antenna took a surprising amount of tweaking and filing - this part is tiny! I have no idea how Eric makes the masters for these little parts. After a lot of filing I managed to get it to sit good enough.
The rerail frogs were also a challenge. They straddle the jacking pads over the front trucks, which happens to be where the contact wipers are. In order to get these to fit, I had to sand the detail off the back side to give the wipers clearance to flex without catching on them. I also had to carefully file the mounting lugs so that it'd sit right.
One of my pet hates with N scale is that it's still wallowing in the ancient tradition of molded-on grabs. I judiciously removed them, and drilled the 10 tiny holes for the 5 tiny BLMA 18" N scale wire grabs. It's actually not as fiddly or difficult as you might imagine. Probably the hardest thing about doing wire grabs for me is that I think I have probably the most godawful pin vise ever made, so loading the actual bit so that it stays centered and doesn't slip in the chuck took more time than drilling the holes and putting the grabs in. It's no different to installing wire grabs on HO equipment, the holes are just spaced closer together. Quite why separately applied wire grabs haven't made it into N scale yet I don't know - the improvement is enormous.
That's all I have for now. I have Microscale Decal set 60-567 Canadian National Diesel Locomotives ready to apply once the paint is done. I'd been holding off doing the paint until my wire grabs arrived, which as you can see arrived today. I'm now just waiting on a set of Athabasca SW1200 handrails to arrive before I can paint and decal the walkway.
