New Project - Proto 2000 SD45 to SP 7999


jmupton2000

jmupton2000

John M Upton
I have always had a fondness for one offs, oddballs, the unusual so when a undecorated Proto 2000 SD45 was offered to me at a nice price (especially since here in the UK, they are as rare as hens teeth) I snapped it up and sought a suitable candidate for it to be converted into.

Step forward Southern Pacific SD44R 7399...

The first job was to dismantle the undecorated loco into its constituent parts:

20240318_001021.jpg


In addition to the supplied parts of the Proto 2000 model, there are also some extra bits of which more in a moment.

Two areas need fairly major alteration, in this case both ends.

The low short hood will need a ratchet handbrake fitted and the usual SP nose light arrangement:

20240318_125047.jpg


The end of the long hood needs the handbrake wheel recess removed, a replacement full length hood door substituted, number boards removed and again, a full SP light show fitted:

20240318_125143.jpg


The short hood was reasonably straight forward. a notch cut in the top front of the nose for the Details West headlight part and then a section cut away from the side to allow the fitment of a ratchet hand brake recess culled from a spare Cannon Co nose kit:

20240318_150456.jpg

20240318_151355.jpg


The long hood has had the SP light show part fitted and the handbrake wheel recesses filled in with a section of Plasticard and along with the rear number boards (SP SD45's and their rebuilt variants never had any) model filler applied, allowed to set overnight then sanded flat, the holes left by the surgery to the low short hood also getting filler treatment at the same time:

20240321_082114.jpg


At this point a start has been made on fitting some of the separate detail parts, in this case the roof fans have been put in:

20240321_194606.jpg


A Cannon Co full height long hood door was used to reinstate the missing one at the far end where the handbrake wheel recess was, this has been carefully filed down on the rear to make it as thin as I dare so that it does not sit too proudly:

20240321_214544.jpg


That's as far as I have got for now, still LOTS more to do before I even contemplate primer and paint!!

Meanwhile, anyone got an idea what this part is?

20240321_194556.jpg


I am stumped!!!
 
TRAINNUT said:
What paint are you going to use?
Click to expand...

Mostly Tamiya rattle cans is the plan but that is subject to change, Getting paint here in the UK is not easy, correct US Railroad paints are almost impossible to obtain over here and so it is down to trying to match over the counter ranges here to the correct colours, and even that is a bit of a minefield as there seems to be so many different opinions on what the actual correct shades are!!!
 
jmupton2000 said:
Mostly Tamiya rattle cans is the plan but that is subject to change, Getting paint here in the UK is not easy, correct US Railroad paints are almost impossible to obtain over here and so it is down to trying to match over the counter ranges here to the correct colours, and even that is a bit of a minefield as there seems to be so many different opinions on what the actual correct shades are!!!
Click to expand...
I don't think you need the exact shade of paint as it will weather differently depending on its main area of operation.

I get my North American paints from Mech Models in Burton, a bit pricey but a lot cheaper than getting them from the US.

mech-models.com

MechModels

mech-models.com mech-models.com
 
Smudge617 said:
I don't think you need the exact shade of paint as it will weather differently depending on its main area of operation.

I get my North American paints from Mech Models in Burton, a bit pricey but a lot cheaper than getting them from the US.

mech-models.com

MechModels

mech-models.com mech-models.com
Click to expand...
I would recommend True Color they are a very good company and you can find them on any model train website, like the Yankee Dabler
 
TRAINNUT said:
I would recommend True Color they are a very good company and you can find them on any model train website, like the Yankee Dabler
Click to expand...
It's not that common in the UK, but there are a few places you can find them, otherwise it's expensive to get them shipped to the UK, last time I checked it was around $30 for a 1oz pot
 
Not had too much time to devote at the moment, wife keeps giving me lists of jobs to do, mostly decorating!!

However, every time I sit down and study the photos I have collected of 7399, I keep finding new details that need adding, this afternoon being not one but two roof vents on the long hood. A bit of diving into the Athearn Blue Box pile of bits, I found two and have attached them in place:
20240330_161955.jpg


Also the long slow process of adding the Proto 2000 supplied parts continues, mostly grab rails and mostly spending my time searching the floor to find where they have pinged off too...
 
Sunday morning and attention turns to the cab part.
20240331_105329.jpg


A lucky find in the parts drawer found a suitable replacement head light casting with the lips on the bottom (Sorry, not sure of the technical designation!!) 7399 also has an extra hand grab rail on the roof and the hole for the horn has been drilled.

Also fitted are the cab armrests (Detail Associates parts) which might not be quite right but look the part.
 
Awaiting a delivery of lift rings for the roof (half the Proto supplied plastic ones fell out and have never been seen since!!) so attention turned to the chassis as I need to paint the truck side frames.

This being an early Proto 2000 model (No idea when it was made, it must be the thick end of twenty years ago now) the electronics are thankfully very basic but I did make notes of what connects where before dismantling:
20240401_105900.jpg


The weight needed to come off as I will need to saw part off to accomodate the hand brake indentation on the short hood, this revealed other issues:

20240401_115118.jpg


The drive shaft to the cab head truck was not rotating on test, on closer examination, the shaft cup that should be sitting inside the brass flywheel, wasn't. It won't go back in either so it will be off to the spares pile later to see if I have a replacement bit.

20240401_115128.jpg


The Long Hood end truck also has problems, a broken power feed wire, that will need fixing too but probably not until after the side frames have been painted:

20240401_115132.jpg


The list of jobs on what started out as a "simple conversion project" seems to be getting significantly longer!!!

The painting stage is approaching and smaller parts have been sorted ready for priming and painting according to their eventual colour, in this case either grey or orange.

20240401_120745.jpg
 
Last edited:
jmupton2000 said:
Awaiting a delivery of lift rings for the roof (half the Proto supplied plastic ones fell out and have never been seen since!!) so attention turned to the chassis as I need to paint the truck side frames.

This being an early Proto 2000 model (No idea when it was made, it must be the thick end of twenty years ago now) the electronics are thankfully very basic but I did make notes of what connects where before dismantling:
View attachment 185244

The weight needed to come off as I will need to saw part off to accomodate the hand brake indentation on the short hood, this revealed other issues:

View attachment 185245

The drive shaft to the cab head truck was not rotating on test, on closer examination, the shaft cup that should be sitting inside the brass flywheel, wasn't. It won't go back in either so it will be off to the spares pile later to see if I have a replacement bit.

View attachment 185246

The Long Hood end truck also has problems, a broken power feed wire, that will need fixing too but probably not until after the side frames have been painted:

View attachment 185247

The list of jobs on what started out as a "simple conversion project" seems to be getting significantly longer!!!

The painting stage is approaching and smaller parts have been sorted ready for priming and painting according to their eventual colour, in this case either grey or orange.

View attachment 185248
Click to expand...
I'm always surprised what springs up when you do something like this, although I would not attempt this, ever, re-motoring or re-painting is as far as I'm comfortable with.

But this is looking good, I can't wait to see the finished Loco.
 
Testing the rattle can paints (Tamiya) that I have selected for the project on an old Blue Box body rescued from the scraps box, it's only a rough test paint to check the colour shades and I am happy with them

20240402_235747.jpg


Now, I am getting strange ideas about Tunnel Motors in Daylight livery!!!!
 
New lift rings fitted to the long hood, (took just five days to get here from Canada, very impressed!) and masking up for the roof grey now done:
20240405_101023.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top