dale
Superintendent
Posts: 157
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Post by dale on Mar 31, 2017 21:44:10 GMT -5
How much of a project was it to get rid of the cast steps and add the etched steps? Dale
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Post by corsair on Apr 1, 2017 12:15:05 GMT -5
How much of a project was it to get rid of the cast steps and add the etched steps? Dale Not bad at all. I used a triangle file to open a notch to work in and a couple of needle files to finish. The steps are for a P2K GP7/9 and have to be trimmed down to fit. You get 4 extras to screw up in the process so it's pretty forgiving. That's the good news. The bad news is that the casting isn't 100% straight right there and the result isn't 100% prototypical. The front pilot in particular is pidgin toed, and the whole step area on a SW1 is solid, without the 'gaps' between one step and the other. That said, it's a vast improvement over the stock steps. It took two evenings to do the whole process, including filling down the pilot faces.
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Post by corsair on Apr 2, 2017 17:46:14 GMT -5
Got some work done over the weekend, handrails and intake screens for the DB. The side rails are cored Kato stanchions with brass wire. The intake screens were cut down from Plano SD60 winterization hatch inserts. LEDs should be here in a day or two, then I can get the light package together. I personally love Mars lights, so I have some parts to play with to try and make a sensible looking arrangement for one front and back.
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Post by rbmn1547 on Apr 2, 2017 18:07:29 GMT -5
That looks a lot better! I won the eBay auction for the NW2, so it should be here in a few days as the seller lives pretty close to me. I'm planning to do the same thing with the pilot as you did, except I'm going to put on a British Columbia Railway plow. The explanation for it is that my railroad's management wanted to spruce up the engine and make it unique, so they bought the plow from a scrapped engine. It will also have DB's, and maybe an SP light package on the cab end. I think I'll blank over a cab window then mount the SP light sideways over the window. As of now I use DC so it won't be lit up, but if I switch to DCC later I'll probably add working lights if there's space. Do you know if the metal Details West parts attach to model plastic with regular model glue?
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Post by corsair on Apr 3, 2017 11:40:08 GMT -5
Congrats on winning the NW2, should be fun! The bigger plow will even save you some work as it covers up the area I made the pilot plate for. If you want to do the handrails like this, order a set for an SD40 or the like. The sill of a switcher is narrower than the walkway above. The big peg mounting pins on the Kato stanchions do a decent job of looking like a welded pipe extension, so it works out. Just use the stock handrail to make your spacing and use a #61 drill. You even get a plastic sill instead of drilling the steel frame. Serious bonus!
For lighting, SP has lots of configurations to look at for inspiration. The SW900E has a relatively simple setup that informed what I want to do. You shouldn't have to blank a window if you follow a prototype. The more exotic SP units used the real estate above the windows to mount sealed lights horizontally. The more homebuilt versions mounted on plates that bolted to the 4 bolt EMD standard mount. On the cab end you just trim the eve to let the whole assembly extend up past the roofline. Look at lots of pictures both pre and post GRIP and you'll see a hundred possibilities.
For bonding metal and plastic I use brush on CA. Plastic cement will stick the part for construction, or soften the plastic a bit to bed in a metal part, but still finish with CA. It makes a mess, so you just clean up with a detail sander when the CA has dried, but not cured. Maybe 15 minutes after application.
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Post by simulatortrain on Apr 4, 2017 6:59:26 GMT -5
Nice job on the modifications so far! I'm interested to see how this one turns out.
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Post by corsair on Apr 8, 2017 11:46:59 GMT -5
Still waiting on my LEDs, which I didn't realize were coming from China directly. My Walthers parts are in though and the SW1 is getting to a point where it actually looks like a locomotive 🙂 The interior kit from Keystone is really cool. I sliced up the plastic parts to use as templates, but I still think the engineer's side looks a little tight. Keystone wanted the secondary stand placed where Canon has the floor hatch. Maybe it works out better on a modern flat floor cab. I also haven't mounted the dimmer yet. I want open windows, and that makes it complicated. On the prototype, the dimmer is mounted on a piece of steel slightly off the wall so that the forward pane of the engineer's window slides behind it. Obviously in HO scale the simple solution is to leave that pane off the model, but I want to at least attempt to use some brass strip and make it 'right' I cut down the electrical cabinet from the Keystone kit to make a storage locker and added a bench seat over on the fireman's side. Gotta have a trunk and a passenger seat if you're going to take your switcher on road trips! Incidentally, for the rivet counters, note how far off the dimensions of the two electrical cabinets were even before the mod. Aside from the dimmer, I just have the brake wheel to mount. Outside of the cab, the 'porch' tread plates, MU stands, airlines and rear most of the rear pilot work have been added. The unit has a 3 chime horn perched over the radiator, emergency fuel cut offs under the cab, and a pair of rerailer frogs hanging from the front truck. The last was the single most awful thing I've done to this project so far. Her later someday sisters may not carry them if I can't find real estate on the frame. So that's probably it for a couple of weeks until I get lights. I want to do the electrical work to the cab wall while it's still a flat part. Likewise, no sense in building the nose cluster until I have all the parts. I will probably take the time to get brave and start painting the interior. I haven't held a paint brush in a while so I'm a little intimidated by that part.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 12:31:14 GMT -5
Great looking progress so far
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Post by rbmn1547 on Apr 11, 2017 6:19:59 GMT -5
Where did you get the DB fans and grilles? I found the DB hood section on Shapeways though.This build is really coming along nicely, I can;t wait to see it finished.
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Post by corsair on Apr 11, 2017 9:35:25 GMT -5
Where did you get the DB fans and grilles? I found the DB hood section on Shapeways though.This build is really coming along nicely, I can;t wait to see it finished. The Shapeways part is the one used here. I made the grills from a chopped down set of Plano SD60 winterization hatch inserts and the fan is Cannon. So I got brave and started painting. I don't have an airbrush, or a sufficiently ventilated place to use one, so I have been learning to brush paint. The interior was probably the first thing I have painted (besides walls) since grade school. I bought and read a Kalmbach book on paint to get myself ready and had at it. I think I did alright considering Those are Tamiya military model paints that are wonderful and easy to work with. The exterior paint is not. I wanted a bright high visibility color and selected Model Masters Cadmium Yellow. That stuff is less forgiving. It took some experimentation with thinners to get it loose enough to flow with a brush at all. I have two coats on the cab and one on the hood but it will take at least 3 to really look good. The hood top, roof and sill will be black, with black lettering. It's taking forever, but I feel like I'm getting better at this as I go. I'm leaving town for the rest of the week so the paint should cure while I'm gone. I should be able to lightly sand at that point to clean up a few spots. I'm not 100% happy with the hood splice either now that I can see it. I have a little work to do there.
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Post by corsair on Apr 18, 2017 10:12:31 GMT -5
So here's a fun update! Still some little touch ups to do but overall I'm very happy.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2017 13:32:15 GMT -5
Looking good.
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Post by m a y o r 79 on Apr 18, 2017 20:23:42 GMT -5
Looking really good. That can interior turned out wonderful. You did an outstanding job detailing the interior.
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Post by jmlaboda on Apr 19, 2017 14:04:40 GMT -5
Really looking good !!! Almost makes me want to attempt such a build in N-scale, representing the engine as an EMD demo that a shortline of mine bought... that DB would help coming down the mountain to interchange with a branchline. Now if only I could find a shot of an EMD switcher to determine the paint scheme... Update: Dummy me... I had forgot that EMD used a maroon and red scheme on their SW8 demo unit... the same scheme used by Norfolk Portsmouth Belt Line on their SW1200s...
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Post by corsair on Apr 20, 2017 10:37:19 GMT -5
Thanks for the kind words everyone. The interior is my favorite part of the model for sure. I hope the 2 axle drive doesn't prove too problematic, because it does add a lot with all those windows. As far as doing something similar in N Scale, the DB is 3D printed so I bet it could be scaled down. All the rest could be done to taste. The trucks are reinstalled, with a nice rust coat on the wheels. Guess my maintenance department is good about keeping up with those bearings 😄 I left things were the hood comes off nice and easy. The big black slashes mainly cover the lack of a bond with the cab, which was too visible when everything was yellow. Why does it matter? Because this little guy is getting a battery and going remote control. There isn't enough real estate to charge on board, so the battery will live over the front gear tower where it's easy to swap out.
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Post by corsair on Apr 26, 2017 22:47:00 GMT -5
Got a tiny bag of LEDs in the mail! Here's a rough construction of what I'm building. I need to make another brass backing plate, paint all the parts, add the leds and mount them up. I will finally be able to finish up the cab at that point.
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Post by jmlaboda on Apr 27, 2017 16:33:07 GMT -5
That DB section spliced to the shell looks really great!!! Anxious to see this finished...
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Post by corsair on Apr 30, 2017 14:42:41 GMT -5
So my first attempt at SMDs was mostly a success. I could not get the lights situated in the twin Pyle conversion plate, so I'm just going to use the fisheye lens instead. Isn't freelancing great 😄 I touched up the interior paint, got the roof to a point where it fits and bonded the cab face to everything else. Now I can do all the grabs on the rear porch and get this thing ready for weathering. The other side of things is figuring out the electronics. As near as I can figure, the price of remote control would be sound. The most space efficient way to get a receiver is to have it built onto a small decoder. You can get a Tsunami, but only ESU has the right prime mover. Sound is just going to drive me nuts if it's wrong. On the other hand, a pretty slim NCE radio decoder is a whopping $55. Batteries are cheap, so potentially a non sound radio install could be done for under $100. For now, I'm mocking up some templates of all the components to try and make it all fit. I also have some old Japanese open frame motors that are sort of the wild card. The larger one is already isolated from its frame, and fits the chassis well. A simple styrene cradle would locate and insulate it further. Compared to the can motor, the open frame ones rearrange the empty space in a meaningful way. I get a longer area over the gear tower that would hold a much better battery. I'm not close to a final answer on the innards yet.
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Post by corsair on May 7, 2017 9:40:01 GMT -5
Finished up all the cab end railings and started weathering. From the very beginning, the guys at the hobby shop said I shouldn't worry if I wasn't 100% happy with my paint because once you slap some dirt on it things would work out. It's a scuzzy little switcher, but you can't tell I brushed the yellow anymore 😄 I would like to add more dirt to the trucks and pilots, but it's basically there. Just a hard working engine that spends its days going in and out of tunnels! From here I add the window glazing, wipers, attach the doors and roof and call it a day aesthetically. Mechanically, I'm still working things out. The non sound decoder and a 350mAh battery would fit comfortably in the body and would work like a charm. What I have been considering is making a tiny slug out of something like a 44T to hold more gear. If the actual motor stays in the SW1, a slug body 1/2" tall would be a world of room. It's a fun idea, but at that point it's a $2-300 expedition to add sound and onboard charging. I think the effort may be better spent on a layout. In the meantime, radio control means you can throw snap track on the table and drive the train while I build it a permanent home.
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Post by corsair on May 21, 2017 13:58:29 GMT -5
Things got busy for a while, but I finally got some time to work on the switcher. I added a second layer of lighter colored weathering, finished up the cab and added a crew. Last shot of the cab before it gets buttoned up I had some etched metal wipers, but of course immediately lost one when I tried to mess with them. I'll see if I spot anything at the hobby shop when I get couplers. Honestly, I am happy with how it looks so they may get skipped. The switcher still needs guts. I came across Bluerail, which seems like a more direct way to get what I want. The next step is to make cardboard mock ups of all the components and play Tetris. I'll be honest though, there is an AMB kit sitting here for a CB&Q 28' Waycar. Considering my layout is still in the planning stages, that little white box is calling me more than the soldering iron. This will be a shelf model either way for a while, so I might enjoy a companion caboose more than a motor in the near term 😊
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