Custom Painting a Canadian Pacific Locomotive


Littlefoot14

Active Member
I think im going to tackle a pretty big MRRing goal of mine. I think im going to custom paint one of my SD75s when my airbrush arrives this week. That being said, i need some advice when it comes to supplies. Im going to be painting and SD75I into CPR Golden Beaver Scheme. A total fantasy unit but one i think is going to look sharp.

Decals-

The closest thing ive found is Microscale 87-1052. This is for AC4400CW locomotives. If an AC4400 is slightly longer than an SD75I, should i still buy 2 sets?

http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...ode=87-1052&Category_Code=CP&Product_Count=23

Paint-

Acrylic or Enamel? Water based? Ill be using an airbrush and im completely lost here.

Ive seen several "CP Red" colors available, but im worried this is CPs "Action Red" and not the new darker and richer red found on the beaver units. If someone could let me know if im right or wrong with this assumption, id really appreciate it.

Im also looking for the black for the chassis and nose. I was considering either Testors Grimy Black http://www.testors.com/products/137429 or the RailFlyer Models Non-reflective/Non-Skid Black because it already has a flat color to it.

Any recommendations for the handrails? I think a yellow would look sharp but red is prototypical, if i can even use that word when refering to this project :rolleyes:

Also, how many bottles will i need to do 1 locomotive, perhaps 2.

http://www.testors.com/products/137380

Details-

Athearn Genesis desiels dont come 100% assembled, but the small stuff is there. Im wondering about what to do about things like the fans, the cab glass and interior, as i dont want these painted over. Im assuming im supposed to carefully remove these correct?

Thanks in advance
LF
 
I'm new to the water based paints SO I'm going to say Enamel!!!
only because thats what I'm used to.. The w/b paints seem to
clog my gun no matter how much i thin them out.
BUT i have painted locos with it and they do come out just as nice as
locos Ive painted with Enamel.. its what ever your use to i guess.

the decals i buy two of everything now you never know and for $5.95 why not
i paint a bnsf icicle reefer and and needed more icicle's and had to stop
working order more decals wait 4 days for them to get here and restart
the decaling
 
I Use acrylic paint from walmart and haven't had any issues. Just make sure you practice and get comfortable with the airbrush before you start on a genesis.as for the details and fans, id remove the glass but leave the rest on. That's what I do

And make sure you post pic when your finish. Seems like a great scheme on an sd75
 
I absolutely love the beaver on CP rail loco's....I have a couple of ES44AC's on order and they will receive the beaver's when they arrive....Here are a couple of CP loco's that may help when you get to painting your's....I am sure you already have good photo's, but I thought I would share them anyway....Looking forward to seeing the finished project after your done:D

P1010933.jpg
 
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I just finished painting an SD-40 in CP colors for a friend. I used Trueline trains paint acrylic in my Badger internal mix brush (I haven't had any luck with my external brush and acrylics) I thin with testors thinner to the consistency of milk.
I used a very light grey as a primer (testors light gull grey) and let it dry for at least a week before laying the red down. Before painting ech time a washed the shell in warm water and dishwashing soap to make sure there were no oils from my skin on it (I also used latex gloves to handle the shell) I did two light coats of red for coverage and set the shell aside for another week before masking off the main parts of the shell before painting the walkways. I used flat black out of a spray can but if I was to do it again I'd airbrush using a black with a touch of grey in it. Keep in mind that you can weather the engine later to tone down any colors you aren't happy with.
pics024.png

pics094.png
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far. The ACs that GGP posted is exactly the paint im looking for, just not finding it.
 
I absolutely love the beaver on CP rail loco's....I have a couple of ES44AC's on order and they will receive the beaver's when they arrive....Here are a couple of CP loco's that may help when you get to painting your's....I am sure you already have good photo's, but I thought I would share them anyway....Looking forward to seeing the finished project after your done:D

P1010933.jpg

CP's ES44ACs don't have the beaver logo. CP has dropped the logo from their paint scheme again. Older AC4000CWs like in the photo have the golden beaver logo.
 
I personally have a big dis-taste for water-based paints. That being said, I just love the new TruColor (not TruLine) line of paints. These are the original Accu-Paint line and have extremely fine pigment that covers quickly. They also have CP Action Red in their line as well.

One big recommendation I have though is - even though it says "airbrush ready" - I find it still needs to be thinned in order to spray nicely. Either use their own thinner or acetone - laquer thinners won't work with this stuff !

Check out the two CP Rail units on my site for an example of the color ....

Mark.
 
Thanis for the help so far.

Does anybody know where to buy the new CP red? I think I'll go with 2 sets of decals, and whatever type of paint I can find, but I think I'll try and stay away from water-based.
 
CP's ES44ACs don't have the beaver logo. CP has dropped the logo from their paint scheme again. Older AC4000CWs like in the photo have the golden beaver logo.

So what! That doesn't mean that I can't put them on, after all it is my model. Perhaps I should have posted this pic instead.
P1010922-1.jpg
 
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I'm a little late to this party, but here is my two cent worth none the less. I'm a big fan of Scalecoat II, it covers well, sprays well and lays very smooth and shiny which decals love. I almost always start with their Maintenance of Way Gray as a primer. That makes the color cover better with less material.
 
Scalecoat II or Floquil enamel is my preference. Or Model Master enamel (same chemical make up as Floquil, both owned by Testors)
 



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