Grab Irons and Athearn Blue Box Rehab

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diburning

diburning

AlcoHaulic
I am thinking about buying my friend's Athearn blue box GP60 to rehab.

How would I install grab irons straight and equally spaced? What would I use to drill the holes? Is there a similar locomotive model with an identical handrail setup from Athearn? If not, does Smokey Valley make a brass handrail set for the GP60?

What other things should I change or modify on the engine? (cutting off and replacing fans is beyond my abilities at this time)
 
The GP60 is an easy one. It doesn't have molded on grab irons. It has the dimples where you just drill a #80 hole in each dimple and insert each grab iron in. Details Associates, Tichy, BLMA all make suitable grab irons.

Yes, Smokey Vally makes a GP60 set.

As far as adding more details, it depends on the prototype your following. Lift rings are normal and use the same #80 drill bit. You'll need a pin vice drill for the #80 bit.

Kit #213 GP60 Handrail Kit for GP60 Railpower $15.95

http://www.smokeyvalley.com/Catalog.txt

Here's a couple of pictures with and without grabs on a Athearn BB GP60.

100_4774.jpg


100_4778.jpg
 
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Jerome's right on the money with the GP-60, since Athearn finally stopped making the molded on grabs with that model. It's a real ball shaving those molded ones off without messing up the shell and going through half a box of bandaids. :eek:. Make sure you check prototype photos if you're trying to reproduce a real engine, since Athearn has dimples for every possible combination of grabs and not all railroads had the same amount of grabs. MU cables, coupler cut levers, and drop steps are also easy details to apply to improve the looks of your model.
 


How do I get the grabs to line up and all be equally spaced from the shell? I heard of some people using a strip of styrene. How thick should the strip of styrene be?

Where do you get the large roof grab behind the fan? Would I have to bend it out of wire myself? (I've never really built anything before besides Athearn bluebox cars, so this is all new to me)
 
Here's a helpful tip for when you're trimming off those molded on grab irons on the earlier models:
To avoid slicing into your fingers should the blade slip simply get a friend to hold onto the loco body!

And remember... if you can't fix it with a hammer you've got an electrical problem! :D
 
1st Tip: If you have never drilled #80 holes before..... buy at least 6 #80 bits.
You'll break em faster than you can buy em!

2nd: Get a small pin vise, not one of those large ones or the ones you push on to twist. The bit is small small it can not take the pressure.

3rd: Hold the pinvise very close to the bit to eliminate flexing the bit back and forth.

To get even spacing...cut a strip of styrene to fit between the grab irons. Install all grab irons, slide the styrene strip down from the top, push all the grab irons in so they are up against the strip, use CA glue(thick type so it don't run to the outside of the shell and glue your spacer to the shell) ) on the inside of the shell, zap it with some accelarator, use flush cutters to snip off the extra wire inside, pull out your spacer strip. Done!
 
Rico, LOL. I now need to a freind that doesn't mind being sliced up. :)

I tend to use the eyeball method also but LOS's suggestion is probably better if you've never done grabs before. I also use a piece of stripwood as kind a level. As long as all the grabs are touching the stripwood, I call it good.

LOS is absolutely right about the pin vise and #80 bits. No matter how many you think you'll need, get twice that number. Those little suckers will break if you look at them the worng way. :D
 
Laidoffsick said:
1st Tip: If you have never drilled #80 holes before..... buy at least 6 #80 bits.
You'll break em faster than you can buy em!

2nd: Get a small pin vise, not one of those large ones or the ones you push on to twist. The bit is small small it can not take the pressure.

3rd: Hold the pinvise very close to the bit to eliminate flexing the bit back and forth.

To get even spacing...cut a strip of styrene to fit between the grab irons. Install all grab irons, slide the styrene strip down from the top, push all the grab irons in so they are up against the strip, use CA glue(thick type so it don't run to the outside of the shell and glue your spacer to the shell) ) on the inside of the shell, zap it with some accelarator, use flush cutters to snip off the extra wire inside, pull out your spacer strip. Done!
Click to expand...

how thick should the spacer be?

The road name is Norfolk Southern.
 
diburning, I did a bit of looking at some prototype NS GP0's. I made up a list of the most common detail parts I could see on them.

25 Eye bolts
12 Grab irons
1 Curved grab
1 Horn
2 Sunshades
6 Windshield wipers
2 Sinclair antennas
2 Fuel fillers
1 Bell
4 Ditch lights
1 Air conditioner
1 snow plow
2 Air hose
2 MU hoses
2 Un-coupler bars
2 Spare knuckles

If you wanted, I could make you up a parts kit for them. I have all of these parts on hand.
 


I'm not a rivet counter so I can't tell you an exact dimension, but I used a spacer between 1/8" and 1/4" for HO scale. It's really not that critical, just eyeball it as far as the spacing and your spacer. If .60 styrene isnt enough, ust add .10 to it or vice versa.
 
I have a couple of "knives", I have no idea where they came from, that look like a "Garden Weasel". Sharper than Dan Quayle. I mean these things are over 25 years old and will still cut your fingers as fast a new X-Acto blade. I do believe they came from a artists supply house that had a great selection of carver's tools and knives. I can take off the molded steps and grab irons and have just a light sanding job left.

I have a set jigs that my dad made up for placement of the drill holes. My little bits won't even scar the stuff. I have no idea what kind of metal they are. All I do know is that they are silver and about 1/64" thick. My thanks to Lee Iococca.

Bob
 
Hey guys.

Had to bring this one back from the dead as ive been doing some searching online regarding buying vs. making grab irons, what sizes to use for HO, what various types of wire I could use to make my own without having to go with a wire labeled and sold to MRR's (meaning if its sold as a hobby product = higher cost). Figured I would check into things like music wire and maybe the same wire the detail companies sell could possibly be found from other sources.

Ive found several posts on making jigs as well as drilling out the body for the grabs. I came across one recommendation of taking the appropiate size music wire for the grab your using or slightly larger and cutting a length of it to fit into a pin vise, cut the end of the wire at an angle with a nice cutter (NOT your track cutter), a nice sized wire cutter as music wire is hard strength. The bur thats left behind from cutting at an angle should allow you to drill a holes in the shell without going through drill bit after drill bit.
 
I made a jig out of .020" styrene that I used a mechanical pencil and a square amd drilled holes in to lay on the hood ends and drill in the holes with a #80 bit. Works fast and easy. You just have to make sure you keep the holes lined all up as you drill. It goes right down to the bottom of the shell and rests on the walkway. As long as you keep it flat on the walkway while you drill, it makes it easier and quicker to get all of the holes drilled.
 
When you put that drill bit into the pinvice leave just enough showing to go through whatever you are drilling.

I use a piece of .040" strip styrene to space the grabs from the body.What I do is drill the holes using a jig (mine is by BLMA there are others) then install the grabs slide the .040" styrene in behind the grabs then push the grabs in till they just touch the styrene and apply CA inside the shell to the grabs.
 
cct70 said:
I made a jig out of .020" styrene that I used a mechanical pencil and a square amd drilled holes in to lay on the hood ends and drill in the holes with a #80 bit. Works fast and easy. You just have to make sure you keep the holes lined all up as you drill. It goes right down to the bottom of the shell and rests on the walkway. As long as you keep it flat on the walkway while you drill, it makes it easier and quicker to get all of the holes drilled.
Click to expand...

Do you have any photos? I cant picture using the mechanical pencil.
 
Another idea from an "old guy" is to glue something on your pinvise so it doesn't roll off the bench and fall onto the floor breaking the #80 drill. For that matter, any size drill.

Steve
 
catt said:
When you put that drill bit into the pinvice leave just enough showing to go through whatever you are drilling.

I use a piece of .040" strip styrene to space the grabs from the body.What I do is drill the holes using a jig (mine is by BLMA there are others) then install the grabs slide the .040" styrene in behind the grabs then push the grabs in till they just touch the styrene and apply CA inside the shell to the grabs.
Click to expand...

.040" seems to look about right and works out to just under 3 1/2 scale inches off the body. Ergonomically short for an average man's safe footing but they look neater to the eye and are less likely to be damaged by mishandling.
 


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