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Post by Christian on Sept 19, 2016 12:07:39 GMT -5
Good day all,
A little history first; CSX 4363 GP35 was my first weathering project, my first DCC project, my first loco detailing project, so, you can say it was my FIRST overall loco project! It turned out ok, but I had to fiddle with a few things like the positioning of the 28mm speaker, and it didn’t fit properly in the end (you could see the shell wasn’t positioned properly over the chassis). Over time, I started having issues with it (mostly grinding noises and speed dropping whenever I could hear the noise, bulb lights burning, etc.) and since it was my only weathered and working loco, I decided to keep it until I could find a replacement. This has happened in the form of an Athearn GP40-2 (not a true GP40-2), HLCX 3857 and when it started its active duty, out of duty went CSX 4363 and, you guessed it, in a bath of alcohol! Well, it got out of it and work has begun on it. I'm going to model it as QGRY 2500 GP35E, an ex-SP GP35.
I gather some information, pictures, etc. and I added as much details as I could possibly do. I know this may shock the most purist modellers around, but this model is based on the proto version, and not meant to be an exact replica!
I added: front and rear ditchlights, front and rear plow (different front and rear as per prototype), cut levers, air and MU hoses, moved the headlights, modified the rear headlight, scratchbuilt the electric cabinet, re positioned the airhorn, added the antennae, added various missing plates on the model. A before the "bath" picture:
Pictures of her as she was before painting:
And pictures as she stands today:
Here is a link to a proto pic (for inspirational purposes only!): www.railpictures.net/photo/166646/ Comments are welcomed! Chris
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kcw
Road Foreman
Posts: 60
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Post by kcw on Sept 19, 2016 15:20:03 GMT -5
Cool that's turning out nicely
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Post by Christian on Sept 19, 2016 19:17:57 GMT -5
Thanks kcw, that's what I'm thinking too. I thought it would be a pain to strip the paint off the shell, but no, was pretty easy! :-)
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kcw
Road Foreman
Posts: 60
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Post by kcw on Sept 19, 2016 22:46:25 GMT -5
Thanks kcw, that's what I'm thinking too. I thought it would be a pain to strip the paint off the shell, but no, was pretty easy! :-) Yes the newer RTR are really easy to strip the paint from. Can't wait to see the finished model kudos on an interesting build.
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deez
Chairman
Midland Belt Railway
Posts: 949
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Post by deez on Sept 19, 2016 23:31:51 GMT -5
Nice job Christian. Always good to see other 35 line builds. Did you see the front bottom step in the proto pic? Looks like some big boys have been for sure, stompin on and off that thing for decades lol. That step is banana-ed.
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Post by Christian on Sept 20, 2016 7:56:34 GMT -5
kcw: I'll need to order a decoder with the right sound first, I'm thinking Tsunami 1 or 2, got to check availability first. But in the meantime, I'll be able to finish the paint job and weathering, LEDs install, speaker install, etc. deez: Thanks for your comments. You have an eye for details, my... I never noticed that!
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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2016 19:52:19 GMT -5
Hey guys, A huge update... shell is all painted up and will need a few touch ups on the orange and black (I sprayed the yellow till last!). Next up, decals and ditch lights LEDs. Still need to paint the frame black and the trucks have had their base camo brown color. Comments are welcome! Chris
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kcw
Road Foreman
Posts: 60
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Post by kcw on Sept 22, 2016 22:16:24 GMT -5
Looking good there
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Post by Christian on Sept 23, 2016 7:29:19 GMT -5
Thanks kcw, it's getting there!
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Post by Christian on Sept 24, 2016 10:42:54 GMT -5
Another big update! Decalling is mostly done but IM missing some warning labels! :-( Just another protective coat of Future and a flat coat. Next is the LEDs installation and right after, the weathering can begin! Again, your comments are welcomed! Cheers, Chris
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kcw
Road Foreman
Posts: 60
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Post by kcw on Sept 24, 2016 18:59:58 GMT -5
Great looking model was about to ask what happend on the nose but see the proto is like this.
Please take this as a positive the proto shows much less primer or whatever it is on the nose than what you have on the model.
Other than that looks good
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Post by Christian on Sept 24, 2016 19:21:48 GMT -5
Will do kcw... I'll double check my pics. I usually get carried away... a bit! :-)
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Post by ironstef70 on Sept 24, 2016 23:38:55 GMT -5
Very cool project Christian. I see these locos around town at their yard in Quebec City, near Duplessis highway.
Keep on posting. She's on a good start.
Stephane
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Post by Christian on Sept 25, 2016 12:28:53 GMT -5
Merci Stephane... and lucky you! I wish I was around them more! But living in the Ottawa region means I can railfan so much! We don't see much action around here! I was lucky enough to catch QGRY 2007 as it ran back to Thurso about 2 weeks ago.
À + :-)
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sgoti
Chairman
Posts: 459
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Post by sgoti on Sept 26, 2016 21:18:30 GMT -5
Beautiful job, sir!
This was an Athearn R-T-R? Wonder why they did a funky job on the inertial screens behind the cab...
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Post by Christian on Sept 27, 2016 9:50:31 GMT -5
Beautiful job, sir! This was an Athearn R-T-R? Wonder why they did a funky job on the inertial screens behind the cab... Thank you sir, it's getting there rather rapidly I should say!
It is an Athearn RTR. Not too sure about the real grill behind the cab, but a wash will make it stands out real nice! Honestly, I never noticed something was wrong with it.. until you mentioned it! Oh well! I still love it like a mother can love her ugly child! :-D
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Post by Christian on Sept 27, 2016 20:53:47 GMT -5
All right everyone, Here is another update. Weathering has started... Don't forget, this is based on the proto... but it's freelanced! I love my engines dirty! ;-) The roof is definitely missing some grime. kcw : I didn't change the primer patch at all. After looking at the proto pic, I thought it was that far off... and besides, it's proto-freelancing at its best! lol... But, I'll say that I appreciated your comment on it! And a small close up on the DL from my latest HLCX 3857 project. As always, your comments are very welcomed and appreciated! Chris
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Post by Christian on Oct 4, 2016 19:25:57 GMT -5
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Post by ironstef70 on Oct 11, 2016 18:07:06 GMT -5
I agree with you, I also like my locos as prototypes, and weathering makes a huge difference in regard to realism. Your unit looks great, and would probably look even better under day light (outside pictures) as pictures do not always do justice to models. One question: what decals did you use for Quebec-Gatineau logos? Highball graphics?
Stephane
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Post by Christian on Oct 28, 2016 8:44:31 GMT -5
Hi Stephane,
Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy with RL lately! Thank you for your compliments, they are much appreciated.
As far as taking pictures go, I'll be experimenting with focus bracketing a little more... so far so good though! If weather can permit it, I'll take outside pictures too and see the difference.
The decals are Highball Graphics because at the time I embarked on this journey, Microscale version were not available. They work good, a bit thin in some area so you have to be extra careful when you apply them (I tore one or two apart).
For you r information, a friend an I have ask someone to make us the "0 Blessures" logo in French, if you are interested, let me know and I can get you a set or two. They come 6 to a sheet.
Cheers,
Christian
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