Emdx Gp60 #5 & #7


Alcomotive

Grandson of an ALCO Builder
I have decided to take the detailing of my 2 GP60s to the next level and do a special thread on these units showing my progress on the units. They are the special release edition Athearn units with a good start of details but not up to prototype standards.

I have posted pics on the weekend thread if I could figure out how to remove them and put them here I would do it. I made a vain attempt to move all info to this thread.

So I have asked for help from ya'll and got some fast input.

Thanks to UP2CSX and Thoroughbreed for getting me started in identifying some much needed parts to add to the much needed detail.

Josh I need some help....

I have a pair of EMD Demos that do not have the accurate light config or gumball light and the A/C equip on the roof...

notice all the LIGHTS on this thing!

can you help me identify properly and find these items? thx!

Here is the pic I am going by for my units...EMD 5 & 7



View attachment 7472

View attachment 7473

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I also have a pic of the rear hood...showing the light horizantal too...

View attachment 7475

so Details West for the lights and beacon...I thought it looked like a SP setup but then those other light threw me off... what about the ones in the nose hood? On the outer most side of the horizantals? see this pic below...
View attachment 7476

So for starters I will be getting the following:

mentioned by Thoroughbreed:

The ac unit looks like a prime type, avail from walthers, this is ho scale
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/229-2308

mentioned by UP2CSX:

Alco, that setup is the classic SP nose light arrangement except for the headlight on top being horizontal instead of vertical. You can get the SP Mars and big hole red light from Details West. They also have the correct type of amber beacon for the engine as well. The sit conditioners I don't know about but I'm sure someone here does. It will take some nose surgery to get all the lights correct but it's doable, I've done many an SP engine. That horizontal headlight might actually be the toughest part of the project.

I'm a little confused now looking at #5. That's a Pyle Gyralite in the top of the hood mounted horizontally. The headlight and big hole Mars red light are mounted in the low hood. It appears that's standard configuration of these demonstrators but the other picture shows the top mounted lights with shields mounted below the light casing, which you usually see on head lights. It looks like someone just bolted the Gyralite on the top of the hood. Not sure what the deal is there. At any rate, all these parts are avaiable at Details West. You'll just have to figure out which had a high mounted headlight (if any) and which ones had the high mounted Gyralite.

The horizontal mounting of the rear head light was standard GM practice since at least the the GP-35, maybe earlier. Your model should have that feature already.

The outer two lights are larger than normal classification lights. I'm not sure why the GP-50 demo's had these. You can see the knockouts for class lights on that rear shot up near the top but rear class lights weren't normally installed except as a railroad option. I think you can use a fine tip black marker and just draw a circle around the existing class lights to give the effect you want without changing them out.


Thank you guys for getting me started. I will start posting the progress pics as well as pics before I get started. I did at one time make an attempt long ago to try a technique for number boards but have abandoned the idea now will have to re-do it.

Josh you have any input?
 
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After studying the pics some more I see the classification light on the front and rear would add real interesting "flare" to the units. I may add these with low voltage LEDs. Just thinking about it right now.

As for the beacon I definitely want a functionong one. So Details West part wont be an option there unless they have a functionong one.

And for the SP gyro system that will also be a functioning using LEDs. I am sure it can be done. I will have to get a multiple function DCC decoder.

Any comments or thoughts are welcomed. Pics will be posted of the actuall HO scale units soon.
 
Alcomotive, I hate to say it, but you've got a LONG way to go to get the Athearn GP60 to looks like the demo models.

The AC is in fact a "Vapor" type, notice the grills are offset to the engineer's side, with the mechanical, enclosed side to the conductors side.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/229-2309
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/235-158

The Headlight setup was a play on the standard SP lighting config. The gyralight mounted horizontally to the top of the cab, ect. I'm not an Espee expert, so you'll have to get the names for them from someone else.

Now for the troubling part. Notice the cab has angled windows, and a nice smooth curve transitioning to the roof line. Also notice the Dynamic brake , its smoother, and more rounded then the standard found on later GP60's. Both of those parts are NOT commercially available, and I highly doubt they EVER will be, beyond a complete brass unit (OMI did do those units a few years back). :(
 
Oh I left it out, the nose is also much smoother then the common EMD nose, notice how large the rounded sections are. EMD was trying something new with the GP60 demo's that never caught on.
 
Well I appreciate your input. I will get the correct "vapor' AC. As for body modifications I think I will let go to a certain extent. I will study it a little more. As for the light config and marker lights that will be completed.

I will post my pics of each unit (my athearn units) tonight for both EMD 5 & 7....

I am determined to get that look and the satisfaction! :)

Thanks for your help Josh! Look forward to more input as things get going...
 
Alco,
A class light on the rear, assuming you are painting them in GM demo colors, would not be prototypical. The knockouts are there but the demo's never had actual lights.

The Details West beacon can be drilled out and lighted with a flashing LED. All the other flashing amber units I've seen have no resemblance to the ones on the SD-60 demos. They are not strobes. There were four sealed beam bulbs that flashed alternately in a circle to emulate a rotating beacon.

The only really good front end picture is #5. It has the Pyle Gyralite unit bolted to the top of the cab. It's even slight crooked if you look closely. The top single light in the nose was a red Mars light that was only activated only when the train went into emergency stop. Below that was a standard two bulb headlight. Like I said, you can get all these from Details West, it will just take some surgery to get all the nose lights right. You can run LED's to the class lights without a problem. You'll have to drill out the existing class lights and make a lens. I find a drop of glue placed just right makes a good lens.

Good luck with your project. It should be interesting to see how it goes.
 
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Alcomotive, I hate to say it, but you've got a LONG way to go to get the Athearn GP60 to looks like the demo models.

The AC is in fact a "Vapor" type, notice the grills are offset to the engineer's side, with the mechanical, enclosed side to the conductors side.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/229-2309
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/235-158

The Headlight setup was a play on the standard SP lighting config. The gyralight mounted horizontally to the top of the cab, ect. I'm not an Espee expert, so you'll have to get the names for them from someone else.

Now for the troubling part. Notice the cab has angled windows, and a nice smooth curve transitioning to the roof line. Also notice the Dynamic brake , its smoother, and more rounded then the standard found on later GP60's. Both of those parts are NOT commercially available, and I highly doubt they EVER will be, beyond a complete brass unit (OMI did do those units a few years back). :(


Hopefully I wont have a looooooooog way to go? i think I can work with these units....?:eek: :rolleyes:
 
Alcomotive, did you notice that the front of the cab with the windows is built to the same angle as the numberboards, resulting in a flush surface??
 
hmmm...I did not..... now that I compare my models to the prototype....ugh...I think I will have to do some scratch building unless I can buy a GP60 cab like that? Josh?
Thanks Miles!
 
I only have number 5, looking forward to your progress
10-08-07031.jpg
 
Sadly, as far as I know (I think I hinted towards this before) the only way you're going to get the DB & cab right, will be to scratch them, or go the OMI route, if you can find them.

There's no kit replacement anywhere on the market, and considering the rarity, I doubt there ever will. If they cannot make shell kits of GG20's and RP20's, or even the most common, NRE 3GS21B or 2GS14B's... However, I would LOVE to get a hold of one OMI one, and decorate it for CSX.
 
The rounded cab corners should not be to much of a problem if your willing to do some repainting.All you really need to do is lightly file or sanding with a sanding board to break the hard edge on the corners of the various panels.

For the windsheilde you could use the front wall from a Cannon kit and form it in a V shape to match the number boards which seem to be flush mounted.

You could probly do the short hood the same as the cab,all you really need is to give the impreesion that the corners are more rounded than they actually are.
 
I was also thinking that Cannon thin wall cabs would be amenable to some sanding and curving. I personally thimk these will be rather small details compared to getting all those lights right, especialy if you want them all to be working.
 
Yep the lights are my main focus along with getting the windows and number board on the same plane....
 



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