Athearn SD45, how to change trucks?


I'm not going to ask ya why you would want to do something like that, but; after taking the body off the model, you will see a black plastic clip on the top of the truck assembly that has to fingers that extend across the king pin cross bar of the frame. Remove that using a small screw driver. Now lift the chassis up and the drop will drop out from the bottom. The drive train linkage may hang up a little bit. Just wiggle it loose and along with the flexible sintered bronze electrical connection. Install the two axle truck in the reverse order.
 
Thank you!! I'll show ya why I want to do this.


IMG_2294.JPG

Now before anyone says "AnSD45 is too long" During their rebuilds, the locomotives were stretched to add the HEP unit and extra fan on the roof. After this modification the length is closer to an SD45 rather than a standard GP40. With a wide cab and some sheet styrene the shell of the locomotive will be easy to modify. I only needed help with the trucks.
 
I'd say just swap out the 3 axle trucks for 2 axle trucks like for any Athearn, if you can find the 2 axle trucks you want. Don't know if Athearn still has spare parts available. What about the underbody details? Your photo seems to have a smaller tank than the typical Athearn SD45, and more forward perhaps, due to the fewer axles. Will you be building your own wide cab? I thought there was someone years ago, that made a wide cab conversion kit. I'd like to add a wide cab to some of the GP40-2s as an upgrade, but not looking for another scratch building project. Ended up getting some GP60Ms last time Athearn ran them, so my freelanced line would have some modern smaller wide cab equipped locos.
 
otiscnj said:
I'd say just swap out the 3 axle trucks for 2 axle trucks like for any Athearn, if you can find the 2 axle trucks you want. Don't know if Athearn still has spare parts available. What about the underbody details? Your photo seems to have a smaller tank than the typical Athearn SD45, and more forward perhaps, due to the fewer axles. Will you be building your own wide cab? I thought there was someone years ago, that made a wide cab conversion kit. I'd like to add a wide cab to some of the GP40-2s as an upgrade, but not looking for another scratch building project. Ended up getting some GP60Ms last time Athearn ran them, so my freelanced line would have some modern smaller wide cab equipped locos.
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Well actually, I've abandoned this idea for a base model once I learned that the GP40P-2 is more accurate for the base model and luckily Athearn is releasing them next month! So will see how this goes. I kind of already spent my money on an Amtrak heritage unit lol.
 
Your photo looks like the unit has flaired grills in the rear. Don't recall that design on any GP40-2s. I understand about the funds, fwiw.
 
otiscnj said:
Your photo looks like the unit has flaired grills in the rear. Don't recall that design on any GP40-2s. I understand about the funds, fwiw.
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MK added split radiators when they added HEP and stretched the frame.
 
The GP40X is the one with the flared, SD45 type flared radiators. Athearn produced them a few years ago during the DC/DCC, Quick Plug equipped era.

GP40X.jpg


SP versions had either Elephant ears or non ears types

ATH-90261-2.jpg

MT-0931284_030d21bc-66a0-11e1-b738-e091f5975601_00.jpg
 
The GP40X is too short length wise. And flaired grills were added during their reconstruction for MBTA to house the HEP. After asking around, it turns out the GP40P-2 is almost the same in length and makes a nicer base model. In this scenario I wouldn't have to change the truck only paint them, I'd have to swap the rear end of the GP40P-2 with the end of SD45 shell. Finding a canadian safety cab is no challenge! But this project is looking very dim, as mentioned before I have just spent my funds on an Athearn Amtrak phase III heritage unit, so will see!

SP_7601_GP40P-2.jpg
 
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Is there a kit for a 'Canadian safety cab' available today? As I said, I've been trying to find a kit for a wide cab front end, for several years, but always searched under 'wide cab,' not Canadian safety cab. I seem to recall some sort of wide cab kit available back when wide cabs were first being adopted.

I don't hack up shells that well, and would rather add a kit to a shell, than make a wide cab from 2 hacked shells. And shells are less and less common all the time. Thanks.

Oh, and to me, a GP40-2 and GP40X are not the same thing, visually. I know that years ago, Athearn made a GP40X model, but not sure they've rerun it recently, as I recall, only 1-2 railroads had them, with SP being one, so in my mind, it would be a hard model to find, at least in plastic. Most people don't kitbash in brass.

I do some protolancing modeling, but like smaller, modern equipment, which has shorter wheelbases, like the GP60 and its variants.
 
otiscnj said:
Your photo looks like the unit has flaired grills in the rear. Don't recall that design on any GP40-2s. I understand about the funds, fwiw.
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How about the SP GP40P-2, has flared radiators?. Go to Athearn's main page and they are displaying photo's of it presently.
 
otiscnj said:
Oh, and to me, a GP40-2 and GP40X are not the same thing, visually. I know that years ago, Athearn made a GP40X model, but not sure they've rerun it recently, as I recall, only 1-2 railroads had them, with SP being one, so in my mind, it would be a hard model to find, at least in plastic. Most people don't kitbash in brass.
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ATSF had 10 GP40X's and in the early 2010's, don't remember exactly, Athearn released them. I have three different #'s. No longer available from Athearn, but there may be some on the secondary market.
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=GP40X+RTR&CatID=THLD&OA=True

Willie
 
Willie,

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure who else had the GP40X besides SP, but thought it was a very low production model. Not sure if the GP40X was a GP50 prototype/test bed until, sort of like the GP39-2, or GP59, if I remember right. Low production numbers and very few owners is probably a contributing factor to Athearn not doing more runs. Were the units ever part of the SPSF trail merger?

Thanks,
Carl
 
Carl - Only 23 GP40X units were ever built and they were test beds for the GP50. As far as I know, only two ATSF units were painted in the SPSF scheme, #'s 3803 and 3805. 10 of the 23 went to ATSF, 6 went to UP, 4 were SP units (2-Locotrol masters and 2-Locotrol slaves), and 3 were high hood SOU units. All of the ATSF units made it through the BNSF merger (re-numbered 3030-3039), and were repainted in 1998. As far as I know, all of them are still on the roster in 2017, making them 39 years old!

Willie
 
On rrpicturearchives.net, I found 4 of the GP40X's with photos taken this year (1 in Jan, 1 in April, 2 in June) #'s 3033, 3034, 3036, 3037 in descending order, still in ATSF blue & yellow Warbonnet, Seems not many got the new paint.
 
Toot - I stand corrected then, I had information that they were all repainted in 1998, maybe some were repainted in warbonnet? Those pictures don't look like a nearly 40 year old paint job!

Willie
 
santafewillie said:
Toot - I stand corrected then, I had information that they were all repainted in 1998, maybe some were repainted in warbonnet? Those pictures don't look like a nearly 40 year old paint job!

Willie
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That's quite possible Willie, the GP60's for instance were all repainted in their original ATSF warbonnet scheme after being moved into BNSF ownership and remain so. Quite good actually, 'cause I can still run my 2 Proto BNSF patched ones with my other late BNSF locos. The odd thing is all the GP60B's were updated. It looks a little strange together.
 
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