jmupton2000
John M Upton
Well in theory they all started clean once, I am pretty sure EMD never had preinstalled grime as a list of options for SP when their salesman came to call... Then again....Clean looking paint job.
John's Loco Workbench - More Projects Begin...
- Thread starter jmupton2000
- Start date
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One of those little-known pieces of trivia was BLI recorded sound files for their GP20 using a GP20 that had its turbo pinned, so it sounded more like a GP18. Oops...
Ah, there it is!! Many thanks!
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It WAS Espee...
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Can't seem to get the handrails to fit on the SW1 so I will have to drill out the holes slightly larger I think!!
Meanwhile, a critical patient has arrived...
It's a wreck, acquired dirt cheap off ebay, I took pity on it!!
What we have here is what used to be a Athearn Blue Box SW series swithcher which has had a very hard life.
Most of the fittings are missing, as are the exhaust stacks for some reason! Still got its horn and two good couplings though...
Older Athearn chassis, rugged yet reliable.
On test it works amazingly. Can I restore it to full health though? I like a challenge...
Initial investigations seem to show that it may have started as a Santa Fe liveried example, there are traces of dark blue and yellow under the bodged paint job which seems to consist of a bit of SP grey and some sort of attempt at CN red/black.
Watch this space...
Meanwhile, a critical patient has arrived...
It's a wreck, acquired dirt cheap off ebay, I took pity on it!!
What we have here is what used to be a Athearn Blue Box SW series swithcher which has had a very hard life.
Most of the fittings are missing, as are the exhaust stacks for some reason! Still got its horn and two good couplings though...
Older Athearn chassis, rugged yet reliable.
On test it works amazingly. Can I restore it to full health though? I like a challenge...
Initial investigations seem to show that it may have started as a Santa Fe liveried example, there are traces of dark blue and yellow under the bodged paint job which seems to consist of a bit of SP grey and some sort of attempt at CN red/black.
Watch this space...
Colorado Midland Modeler
Well-Known Member
That doesn't surprise me at all, those old Blue Box Athearns are built like tanks, they're almost indestructible. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
jmupton2000
John M Upton
No. 11 is pretty much complete:
and the demic SW has enjoyed a nice long soak in IPA to get rid of the ghastly paint job(s) it was slathered with:
For some reason, it has had its stacks cut off, hopefully a replacement part can be found.
and the demic SW has enjoyed a nice long soak in IPA to get rid of the ghastly paint job(s) it was slathered with:
For some reason, it has had its stacks cut off, hopefully a replacement part can be found.
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Gradually coming back to life...
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Cleaned, primed and respraying commenced:
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Nearly there...
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
I really wish I had your talent, looks like a BNIB loco.
jmupton2000
John M Upton
CD&LR No. 32 is complete and ready for action just a soon as the weather improves and I can get the planks out to play:
It's pretty much the same loco as the utter wreck that arrived a few weeks ago with replacement glazing (the original was covered in red paint), handrails, a stack and a bell sourced from the spares stash.
Whilst rooting around in the spares stash however, I discovered a box and inside was this:
It's a runner but needs (not quite so much!) TLC. I haven't been able to find a prototype for a St Pierre No 12 EMD SW or indeed any Railroad of that name so I presume its fictional.
I must have bought it at a show, put it into storage for a rainy day (and it is most definitely a rainy day today!!!) and forgotten about it. I wonder how long this guy has spent glued to the platform...
It's pretty much the same loco as the utter wreck that arrived a few weeks ago with replacement glazing (the original was covered in red paint), handrails, a stack and a bell sourced from the spares stash.
Whilst rooting around in the spares stash however, I discovered a box and inside was this:
It's a runner but needs (not quite so much!) TLC. I haven't been able to find a prototype for a St Pierre No 12 EMD SW or indeed any Railroad of that name so I presume its fictional.
I must have bought it at a show, put it into storage for a rainy day (and it is most definitely a rainy day today!!!) and forgotten about it. I wonder how long this guy has spent glued to the platform...
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Next up, another bargain I acquired, a never been used Proto 2000 GP20 in Cotton Belt bloody nose colours and it's a cracker. The obligatory cracked gears have already been replaced and now its a runner.
Obviously based by Proto on the official EMD portraits of the same loco widely available on the web, this is going to get a little attention to lamps, horn and handrail painting before joining my collection of SP Geeps, filling a gap as I only have the EMD Demo GP20 for the type until now.
Obviously based by Proto on the official EMD portraits of the same loco widely available on the web, this is going to get a little attention to lamps, horn and handrail painting before joining my collection of SP Geeps, filling a gap as I only have the EMD Demo GP20 for the type until now.
Proto's version of the GP20 was much more reliable than EMD's version. They lost a lot of reliability in order to gain the extra 200hp over the GP18.
One of those little-known pieces of trivia was BLI recorded sound files for their GP20 using a GP20 that had its turbo pinned, so it sounded more like a GP18. Oops...
jmupton2000
John M Upton
The rear end SP light show in in place on the GP20:
The short hood end requires slightly more drastic surgery!!!
The short hood end requires slightly more drastic surgery!!!
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Almost done. Horns relocated, hole filled in, antenna added and nose lights installed:
Colorado Midland Modeler
Well-Known Member
Looking good! It's amazing what the addition of a few after market parts can do to improve a model.
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Whilst the yellow paint dries on the handrails of SSW 802, I wheeled out another cheap spares/repair Proto 2000 Geep I picked up which has already had the gears replaced and is now receiving a few extra details:
The long hood bell is on and I have the correct pattern spark arrestors to fit shortly.
The horn needs to be relocated but I am having trouble identifying exactly where to?
The long hood bell is on and I have the correct pattern spark arrestors to fit shortly.
The horn needs to be relocated but I am having trouble identifying exactly where to?
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Ah, there it is!! Many thanks!
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Looks better now, just got to get used to long hood forward with this one...
jmupton2000
John M Upton
Both Geep's now off to the shed.
A case of little and large this week, firstly I picked up an unmade Walthers SP Scale Test Car which I spent Sunday evening putting together:
Quirky little thing, it will fit in nicely on the proposed locomotive servicing scene plank I am planning.
At the other end of the size scale, I have had this waiting for quite some time for me to get around to:
This is a cheaply acquired Proto E9, fulfilling my ambition to have an E or F series on the roster. It needs work though as that shade of grey is hopelessly wrong! (I have a Proto 2000 SD9 from the same era waiting in the queue with the same issue)
The paintwork is not the only issue:
For some reason, Proto never modelled the dynamic fan that should be right there in the middle!! Fortunately I have one:
The chassis is a runner though. and quite impressive in its construction:
Now all I have to do is find the courage to start the surgery....
A case of little and large this week, firstly I picked up an unmade Walthers SP Scale Test Car which I spent Sunday evening putting together:
Quirky little thing, it will fit in nicely on the proposed locomotive servicing scene plank I am planning.
At the other end of the size scale, I have had this waiting for quite some time for me to get around to:
This is a cheaply acquired Proto E9, fulfilling my ambition to have an E or F series on the roster. It needs work though as that shade of grey is hopelessly wrong! (I have a Proto 2000 SD9 from the same era waiting in the queue with the same issue)
The paintwork is not the only issue:
For some reason, Proto never modelled the dynamic fan that should be right there in the middle!! Fortunately I have one:
The chassis is a runner though. and quite impressive in its construction:
Now all I have to do is find the courage to start the surgery....
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