Southern SD24

[analogbeatmaker]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share the engine build I'm currently working on. It is an Atlas HO scale SD24. Along with adding a lot of small details I will be adding LED's for working class lights. I will finish the model by attempting to replicate the weathering in the following proto pic.
This is the model I started with (road number 6314):


Here is the main proto pic I'm shooting for:


So far:
As you can see in the proto pic there are brackets still on the cab roof for icebreakers. Here I took a small piece of leftover brass and cut/drilled my own.


On the cab:


There are also "pipes" running along the bottom of the sill (above the trucks) that I need to replicate. This is a pic of the small tabs I had to remove and drill through to run the "piping". Also, that is the saw I used to remove them. Cuts super fine and easily...great tool.


Here is one of the "pipes" installed.


Scratched sunshades:


Toilet drainpipe? (made with solid core wire):


Adding fuel tank details. I had no luck finding good detail pics/drawings of the fuel tank on a proto so I just did what looked as right as I could get to what pics I have. This is supposed to represent the "filters/tubing/drain" I could kinda make out on proto pics.


There are large brackets on the fuel tank on one end. Here I scratch my representation of these.


Bracket on the tank that those will "grip".




More to come...

[NS91]

Great work so far. The SD24 is on my to do list. What are the things on the cab for?

[analogbeatmaker]

Dec 11, 2013 23:03:18 GMT -5 NS91 said:

Great work so far. The SD24 is on my to do list. What are the things on the cab for?

In some pics I found there is hardware attached to the "brackets" I'm representing. The hardware is for breaking ice as I understand it...not really sure what ice though.? Anyway, the proto pic of the road number I have (#6314) has these brackets still on it's roof but not the "icebreakers". I found other same era SD24's that had the full hardware still mounted and others with not even the brackets. Lots of variation. Thanks for looking!

[NS91]

Thanks, it maybe for the tunnels on the Rathole. That's all I can think of were ice breakers would be needed.

[analogbeatmaker]

Well...I thought I was done with detailing! I spotted this "flange" of metal at the rear of the dynamic brake housing and two small "flanges" at the front of the housing. It was unclear in my proto pic but I found a couple of pics of different road number that showed it a little better. Here I scratch my representation. Oh yeah, and I had to cut the airpipe along the roof to fit the "flange" in and make a new pipe that bends over it.






Here they are on the engine.




I'm not sure what this thing is on the proto, I think some sort of electrical hook-up, so I had to make my own version.


Mounted.


As I looked at the hood I really though the handbrake (I hope that is correct) looked a bit plain. I looked at the proto pic and so it was! Here I took styrene and made a "surround" for it per the proto.


I used decal to "paint" the styrene.


Finally, here are the pieces of styrene I cut to mount the walkway lights.


With walkway lights mounted.


And mounted on the loco.






I really wanted to make working walkway lights. So, after several tries and much frustration I succeeded in making one!


That is fiber optic "holding" it. Also, as you can see, the fiber optic did not break when I bent it 90 degrees to mount the light and it worked when a light source was held up to the other end. I tried to replicate this for a while longer until I couldn't take the torture anymore! LOL Therefore, non-working walkway lights is what the model got. I simply have no way of firmly holding the steplight castings and drilling into them completely straight...I got lucky on that one that worked.

Anyway...more to come!

[NS91]

Awesome work. I really like the walkway lights, who's lights are you using?

[analogbeatmaker]

Dec 15, 2013 9:59:23 GMT -5 NS91 said:

Awesome work. I really like the walkway lights, who's lights are you using?

Thanks William! The walkway lights are Cannon and Company Steplights #SL-2052

[analogbeatmaker]

Hi everyone! I recently put the finishing touches on this SD24 and got the finished pics today. The first four pics are of the completed model. After that, the others are of the completed model sans wind deflectors. I didn't know how long it would be before I got the deflectors so I took a lot of pics then and that is mostly what you are viewing.

Again, the model I started with:


Main proto shot:


My attempt:


Proto other side (really just used the fuel tank part of the image, and had to reverse it):


Model other side:


Misc views:

[Gav Smart]

Really nice modelling! I always wondered what that pipe was beneath the skirts on EMD units, is it really a toilet drain? Thanks for the info! Every day is a school day...

[analogbeatmaker]

Jun 8, 2014 4:02:40 GMT -5 Gav Smart said:

Really nice modelling! I always wondered what that pipe was beneath the skirts on EMD units, is it really a toilet drain? Thanks for the info! Every day is a school day...

Thanks Gavin! You know, I was only guessing as to what that pipe is for. There are toilet drain hook-ups and pipes on locos and that's just what it looked like it could be to me. I'd love for someone to chime in who knows.

[NS91]

Looks Great Nick. The Southern SD24's are some of my favorite locomotives along with their GP30's and GP35's.

[analogbeatmaker]

Jun 12, 2014 8:55:32 GMT -5 NS91 said:

Looks Great Nick. The Southern SD24's are some of my favorite locomotives along with their GP30's and GP35's.

Thanks NS91! I really like the look of the SD24's too. Also, although I don't have one, I'd love to get my hands on a Southern GP30 one day.