John's Loco Workbench - More Projects Begin...

[ctclibby]

Tempting but I have earmarked it for my fictional shortline's new branch line which will be opening when I move house in a couple of months time all being well.

Meanwhile, the RS-32 has finished painting, now mostly reassembled and waiting application of transfers:
View attachment 215982

Whilst packing up the hobby shed for the move, I found this hiding:
View attachment 215983
Picked it up on spec years ago and forgot all about it. It will feature at one end of the proposed new branch line plan.

Also I have to work out how I am going to pack up and shift this lot...
View attachment 215984

John: Maybe start laying track? Or do what I did .. loop of track from under the engine over the top back to under the engine. ( like a Caterpillar track ). Solar Cell for power and let them go. Oh, wait - not the 1st of the Month.

 

[jmupton2000]

Busy morning as it turns out, RS-32 4005 is now decaled up:

The red wings aren't quite right but all I could do from the Microscale sheets I had in the drawer.

Meanwhile, the next patient has been dissected....

Seems that a previous owner drove this through a superglue factory at some point! I have scraped off an astonishing amount of slapped on and spilt glue, mostly from the frame. The fuel tank is a write off as for some unfathomable reason, the air tanks had been taken off the top edges and glued - badly - to the lower sides, fortunately I do have a spare GP30 fuel tank in the spare parts archive.

This is one of the worst cases of damage repair and overhaul I have tackled for some time, but the effort will be worth it.

Needless to say, the gears are cracked and need replacing, replacement parts are somewhere between here and Ontario at the moment.

But the chassis is a runner, despite the Heath-Robinson wiring mess which I will leave alone for now.

 

[bnsf971]

Busy morning as it turns out, RS-32 4005 is now decaled up:
View attachment 215999
The red wings aren't quite right but all I could do from the Microscale sheets I had in the drawer.

Meanwhile, the next patient has been dissected....
View attachment 215996

Seems that a previous owner drove this through a superglue factory at some point! I have scraped off an astonishing amount of slapped on and spilt glue, mostly from the frame. The fuel tank is a write off as for some unfathomable reason, the air tanks had been taken off the top edges and glued - badly - to the lower sides, fortunately I do have a spare GP30 fuel tank in the spare parts archive.

This is one of the worst cases of damage repair and overhaul I have tackled for some time, but the effort will be worth it.

Needless to say, the gears are cracked and need replacing, replacement parts are somewhere between here and Ontario at the moment.
View attachment 215997

But the chassis is a runner, despite the Heath-Robinson wiring mess which I will leave alone for now.
View attachment 215998

That wiring does look--interesting.

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Also I have to work out how I am going to pack up and shift this lot...
View attachment 215984

I had some recent experience in that department, I moved to where I am now almost three years ago. I don't know if you have any of the boxes they came in, but if you do, it can help a lot, if not, they can still be kept quite safe. I kept the original boxes (or the boxes they came to me in) and the packing in the boxes, so that helped a lot, but I also have a lot that didn't have any packaging. I gently wrapped them all in bubble wrap, taped it so it wouldn't unravel, and put it all in plastic storage tubs with the heaviest engines on the bottom. Every engine and car came out in one piece with absolutely no damage, which is amazing given how rough a couple of areas on I-25 in the Denver, CO. area were at the time.

 

[jmupton2000]

Many thanks for the packing/moving suggestions. I have obtained some sturdy recycled black plastic crate boxes which should do the job (I am only moving half a mile down the road!)

Meanwhile, RS-32 4005 is done:

And work is continuing on the resuscitation of the semi-derelict GP30:

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Many thanks for the packing/moving suggestions. I have obtained some sturdy recycled black plastic crate boxes which should do the job (I am only moving half a mile down the road!)

Those should do quite nicely, especially since you're only moving half a mile. I moved about 300 miles, give or take a few. Your RS-32 looks nice, I look forward to seeing what you do with the GP30.

 

[jmupton2000]

The derelict GP30 has made some progress this morning, and one step back...

The chassis is now a runner despite the interesting wiring:

The cab has now been successfully repainted:

...and the number boards are done:

Unfortunately, I made an absolute mess of the long and short hood paint, the paint I used was rattle can of Humbrol satin black, forgetting that in the last few years, Humbrol's product quality has not so much nosedived as plummeted like a concrete parachute, the result was horrible and into a bath of IPA the hoods duly went:

Fortunately the cab was done with a rattle can of proper Tamiya black which I found after despairing at the Humbrol disaster.

 

[jmupton2000]

Well, work on the GP30 has ground to a halt as I have run out of Tamiya black paint!!! More on the way...
Just the cab is finished and now resting on a wagon:

Whilst I am waiting, I dragged out an old Athearn Blue Box SW series switcher and decided to go to town on it, CP style hood end number boards and lights, full length handrails and a complete repaint.

This is another old second hand purchase that has  interesting wiring, but it works...

 

[jmupton2000]

The derelict GP30 is now back together except for the rails which are going to need some serious attention:

To be honest, it's not that good, the body shell was pretty bad to begin with and the paint went wrong at one point and had to be partly restripped, a process from which the long hood never really recovered.

If I find a Proto GP30 shell going spare somewhere, I may well swap it out as the chassis is fine. All for about £20 plus materials and time, I can't complain really.

 

[bnsf971]

This is another old second hand purchase that has  interesting wiring, but it works...
View attachment 216739

If it's stupid, but it works...

 

[Smudge617]

This is another old second hand purchase that has  interesting wiring, but it works...
View attachment 216739

I've done a lot worse wiring adding a DCC light board and lights to a Class 37.

 

[jmupton2000]

Been busy with preparations for moving house plus work so not much workbench time available lately unfortunately.

One project now being worked on is this Athearn GP50 which was acquired as an unfinished project, much of the work having already been done, just needs finishing.

Meanwhile, the Yard Supervisor (a.k.a. the good lady wife!!) rolled her eyes upwards a few minutes ago as the postman delivered another demic non running Proto 2000 Geep in need of restoration!

 

[jmupton2000]

The GP50 has moved to painting, now in primer:

Meanwhile, another basket case wreck has been salvaged from ebay, an elderly Blue Box Baldwin S12 in need of a lot of TLC. It is to be dismantled for a thorough examination tonight...

 

[jmupton2000]

Deary me, this one is in a right state!!!

Apart from the addition of a truck side frame to replace one that was missing, these pictures are of it as it arrived. Covered in dust, mysterious white stain on one part and looks like it has not moved under its own power in decades.

Handrails missing both ends, nose end pilot damaged, couplings missing, handrails that are there well and truly rusted and bent, nothing beyond repair though.

Open her up and we find the familar sight of the old Athearn Blue Box chassis:

The wheel treads are caked in decades of crud, the interior had a cobweb wrapped around it - since removed and it was sold as a non runner, however, applying the 9v battery test at it, there were hints of life:

The light came on and when I pressed down on the top spring clip strip atop the motor, it did move, about half an inch, probably the first time the wheels have turned under power this century.

The chassis is going to need a complete strip down and clean, it needs a new rubber motor mount (are they still available for this type?), the body shell will also need stripping, cleaning and repairing. I like these sort of challenges, better than it being chucked in a bin.

 

[jmupton2000]

Now dismantled, the trucks are fine, the only issues being a general coat of grime, hair and dust around the axles and in the gears plus really grubby wheel treads:

Motor is good (Let's be honest, they are pretty much bomb proof!!) but as you can see, the rubber motor mounts (what is left of them!) are completely shot:

The chassis frame is fine, no signs of damage or rot:

The small parts are now put aside for later:

...and the body shell has now been scrubbed and cleaned:

 

[Smudge617]

Now dismantled, the trucks are fine, the only issues being a general coat of grime, hair and dust around the axles and in the gears plus really grubby wheel treads:
View attachment 221669

Motor is good (Let's be honest, they are pretty much bomb proof!!) but as you can see, the rubber motor mounts (what is left of them!) are completely shot:
View attachment 221670

The chassis frame is fine, no signs of damage or rot:
View attachment 221671

The small parts are now put aside for later:
View attachment 221672

...and the body shell has now been scrubbed and cleaned:
View attachment 221673

Looks like a fair bit of work to be done, but nothing I'm sure you can't fix.

I may have some rubber motor mounts to fit the Baldwin if you don't have any, just give me a shout.

 

[Smudge617]

I meant to ask,as you do a lot of repairs, any idea where I can get a truck for a GP9, one of mine took a tumble and broke. I tried eBay but nothing came up.

 

[bnsf971]

I meant to ask,as you do a lot of repairs, any idea where I can get a truck for a GP9, one of mine took a tumble and broke. I tried eBay but nothing came up.

What brand GP9?

 

[jmupton2000]

I meant to ask,as you do a lot of repairs, any idea where I can get a truck for a GP9, one of mine took a tumble and broke. I tried eBay but nothing came up.

Any of these of any use to you? All Blue Box ones, some minus their add on parts.

 

[jmupton2000]

The cab has needed some attention to damage, unfortunately I have no suitable spare so filler is being used to repair the leading edges and corners that have been knocked about:

Both trucks have been completely taken apart for further cleaning out of decades of muck: