GMD SD40-2W Cab Interior for RMP Cab

[ianclasper]

Here is my version of the interior for the Railflyer SD40-2W cab.
The structure was built from Evergreen styrene and the castings are by Miniatures by Eric, kit K6
I have provided some measurements to help to scale the parts for those wanting to build their own version.

This interior is meant for a Kato chassis, so I had to delete the steps into the nose as this would foul the fwd gear tower

Question is, what color(s) should the interior be for a CN SD40-2W ?

Ian

[Christopher]

Great job Ian, that makes a very nice addition to the cab. How are the Miniatures by Eric parts to work with? Do the castings require a lot of clean up or modification?

I'm not sure of the correct color, I want to say gray, but I can't find anything to back that up with. I'm sure there's someone here with more exact info.

- Chris

[beentherecnthat]

Correct colour is a tan/very light brown, stand and seats are black. If you do a google image search, I am pretty sure I have seen a photo of an interior for a GP 40-2W.

[Randy Earle]

Ian, looks good to me! This is great, eh Guys?

[ianclasper]

I have been fighting with enamel paints all week, the stuff I bought just did not want to dry, only finding out when I went back to work with it (I am that used to Acrylics these days) so here is the final result of my battles, not my best work as I had to make the best of a fouled up situation.





The results are good enough for the interior of the cab.
The MBE castings were clean, with the casting runner being at the base. I used a slitting disk in my dremel to trim that off.
I added two blocks to the control stand, one on top to represent the radio and one on the side to represent the headlight/class light control box. The chairs are not right, they should be rack mounted and have arms, however they fill their purpose well enough inside the cab. My model is destined for the layout and not a museum !

The fire extinguisher was made from a piece of sprue, with a dome turn on the end with the dremel. Once in the cab, it is the right shape and color in the right place !

Ian

[mountaingoatgreg]

Ian,

Looks good! Maybe you could set it up to have a lighted interior and a crew with the windows open?

[ianclasper]

I am thinking about lighting the cab, but I do not know where the lights are mounted.

As for crew, the cab is going to be empty as this unit is going to spend most of its time as a "B" unit, either behind more modern CN run through power or trailing BNSF power.

This is how I used to see them working on the GN mainline to Canada in 2006.

Ian

[mountaingoatgreg]

In general railroads have a single reading light on each side of the cab above the seats. The Canadian units often have an overhead light plus a light over a samll desk on the firemans's side. We have some Ex-CN Units that also have a medium florescent light in the middle of the cab.

I sure miss the PNW especially Seatlle. Everytime I was up there I would catch some neat run trough power be it CN, CP, IC, or something else.

[ianclasper]

I have been making progress with the cab and after some thought, decided to add a light into the cab. I had previously bought some SMD warm white LEDs that had wires soldered on for use in models.

www.trainaidsa.com/shop-leds.html#smd3528










I intend to adjust the brightness so that it will look right at night, I think I can do this with this LED.

Ian

[Randy Earle]

You could use some of my chrome foil as a backing plate to reflect the light.

[ianclasper]

I will write a photo essay on this kitbash shortly under it's own heading, but to answer a couple of questions about the unit, it is a Kato undec Mid production SD40-2, I have cut off the pilot, steps and blower duct and replaced these with RMP parts. I am scratching building a new rear hood using Cannon parts, however I will probably use the RMP dynamic brake blister once its available.

At present I have lots of time, lots of inventory and very little hobby money, (this happens to contractor aerospace engineers once in a while) so I am progressing those projects that I can make a big impact with with the resources on hand with the least expenditure.

Now getting back to the Cab, I will check the opacity of the sides after they have had a coat of primer and CN orange. I suspect that would be sufficient to stop any light penetration. If that fails, then there is always the Reynolds wrap on the inner faces of the cab.

And yes Chris, those jacking pads are going to be replaced, but not until near the end of the project, I do not want to be continually repairing them.

Ian

[ianclasper]

Yes, I am planning to add the Microwave, Hotplate and Conductors table, however these will have to wait until I have painted the exterior of the cab as these will cause me too many problems masking off the interior.

Ian

[ReadingOE11]

I am working on my first diesel project (since a Varney F3 back in the mid-fifties) as I have been a steam guy for decades. The unit in question is an OMI Reading GP39-2 (it had "problems" ... I got it for a "song.")

It is now disassembled for decoder/speaker installation and then, painting in the Reading Company's "Green Machine" paint scheme.

The model has a full cab interior which I would like to paint and the add a crew of LPB's* to "bring it to life." I have read with interest the above discussion re: cab interiors and have tried searching some of the sites cited but have pretty much come up empty when it comes to GP39-2's or any of the locomotives of that era to use for color reference.

Any assistance will be appreciated.

I will now attempt to post a photo here from my Photobucket account of the cab interior.



And then ... another attempt ...

s1022.photobucket.com/albums/af349/wwmarsland/Modeling%20the%20Reading%20Company/OMI%20Reading%20GP39-2/?action=view¤t=TheCabInterior.jpg

I give up ... I've just wasted a half-hour trying to post this photo ... if someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong, I'd appreciate it! The group of photos are there ... I just posted them on www.the-gauge.net/forum/index.php and the appeared there like magic! But for some reason ... I become stupid when I get here!

* LPB's = "Little Plastic Beings"

[kcs1967]

use the [ img ] code
that usually works unless you delete photo after uplading, then it seems to lag a bit.




and never give up

[dtinut]

On the photobucket page - there is usually a set of pre-made links on the left side of the page showing your image. if you click on the one named IMG - it typically says (copied).

come back to the DD thread you are working on a post for, and click in the edit window, and use Paste, like this...



you should see a link that starts with http blah, blah blah.jpg[/IMG]

after you post - the image will appear in your post.

Regards,
Brian

PS - I have seen tan and seafoam green as colors for interiors of EMD locomotives in the USA
I like to use the seafoam green (usually NYC Jade with a little white/gray added) to paint my interiors. Good for cabooses also.

[Arved]

For EMD Cab Interior (Gas Chamber) Green, try Model Master 2135 Interior Blue/Green.

I think the switch to tan came in the early 80s.

- Arved

[DRLOCO]

Cab interiors...first diesels were painted "institution green"
Most engines I got on in the 90's were still painted "institution gray" the switch to tan happened in the late 90's on CSX...
I have paint diagrams from the 70's For EMD's then-new Dash-2 line that suggest using "saddle tan" as the interior color for demonstrators in that era.
Most CN power I've ever been on has been tan--so that's a good choice.

[Raeder]

Hi Ian,

Here is what you can do to figure out what you need for a resistor for that interior light.

1. Wire the LED up. Prewired LEDs are nice for this part.
2. Turn on your power pack, any brand should be fine as long as it is a quality piece of equipment. Trainset power packs are definitely not usable for this procedure!
3. Make sure the throttle is all the way off.
4. Wire one wire to the track power, wire the other wire to the other screw on the track power.
5. Start turning up your throttle. The LED should light about a quarter of a turn. If it starts to glow red, or some other random color other than what it should be, drop the power to zero and reverse the direction switch.
6. When the LED is the color and brightness you want, take a voltmeter and take a reading off the power pack terminals.
7. Use an LED resistor calculator like this one:

led.linear1.org/1led.wiz

The source voltage will be your track power, usually 14 volts.
The diode forward voltage will be the voltage off your voltmeter.
The forward current is usually 15 (expressed in milliamps)

8. The calculator will tell you what resistor will give you the effect you are trying to get from your LED.

Make sure you hold the LED and check to see if it is getting warm. If it gets warm, there is too much power flowing through it. Reduce the power and get it cooler.