Mikes Custom Low nose GP9u G scale


malletman

Alcohaulic
Here is my new G scale GP9u custom low nose, built and painted by Shawmut Car shops. I am quite happy with the job other than he forgot to fill the gap on the nose when it was chopped, I will take care of that, touch up the paint and have the unit weathered next spring. I installed the working LED strobe light circuit, uses the factory lense from a USA trains SD40 and a custom base around the lense. The flash is quite realistic with a nice xenon like flash just like the real engine had. The small LED inside the lense dome is almost real, flash tube inside a clear lense. Cant wait for the spring weather so she can run on our garden railway. Way to cold to play out there now! I even managed to catch the strobe flash in the pic! Enjoy. Mike
DSC00321.png
 
Here is a pic of the real 1751 taken a few years ago. I just realized that the gap in the low nose is on the real one to, from its own chop nose job done by the MKT railway prior to the Central getting the unit thru a dealer in IL if I remember correctly. The 1751 is an ex MKT unit, partialy converted to passenger service with fuel/water tanks, overhead air tanks, but still retained the freight locomotive air brake controls. Thier other GP9u was a Ex CNW unit with normal GP9 fuel tank and air tanks, but passenger air brake controls that we converted back to freight and an amber strobe light. Mike
CERA201751-2-1.png
 
MM, it's a nice looking unit but, if you had it custom built and painted, I would not be happy with the chop nose line. It's a least twice as wide on the model than on the prototype. I think it need to filled and repainted so it shows as a seam, not as a gap.
 
I will probably fill the seam and touch up the paint later this spring, cant run the engine till warmer weather and I need to pick up a small bottle of the matching paint. When we painted the real one, it was just 5 gallon buckets of implement tan and implement black from the local farm and fleet, the red strip is scotchlite reflective tape. We used the engines own air supply to paint with, using a pressure regulator mounted right to the air hose. The great outdoors was the paint booth. We just moved the unit down wind of the others and tried to paint on a calm day. Mike
 
I guess I am missing the point....in the prototype picture you can see the line too?

Alco, it's seam versus gap. The prototype shows a seam and the model shows a gap that looks like it's three or four times wider than the prototype. I think it would be even more apparent if you sat the model next to the prototype.

Mike, I think filling in that gap with a little putty and repainting the seam line will work fine. Since you painted the real one, you should have a good idea of what the real seam should look like.
 
Its been a few years, but I think the nose was dropped down and welded inside the nose, the outside was just a seam that wasnt welded or anything else. The black plasitic inside the seam on the model enhances the gap, What putty do you guys recommend to fill the gap? Something easy to work with that I can pack in with my finger and clean up with a fresh blade in my hobby knife.
 
Alco, it's seam versus gap. The prototype shows a seam and the model shows a gap that looks like it's three or four times wider than the prototype. I think it would be even more apparent if you sat the model next to the prototype.

I am with ya now!:D
 
There's even a seam on High Hoods if you look at them. It's more visible if it's rusting out.

Personally, I don't think it looks that bad at all.

Phil
 
MM, I use Squadron Green putty. Easy to work with and you can fill that gap with some stuck on the end of a toothpick. Smooth it out with your finger and it should give you a nice level surface for painting.
 
I wasnt happy with my first attempt on the strobe, the lack of the proper bracket and the overall look just wasnt right. I found some clear plastic sprue from my Pola station I built last summer. I cored it out, painted a silver base and fabbed up a mounting plate to closely match the prototype. Now it looks much better, the flash effect is much better. I dont have a good pic to show how the power was routed up to the strobe. Cant remember if it came up thru the roof right below the light, or from a conduit off the engine room hood area. Next up is the radio antenna and some other conduit on the roof. Mike
DSC00322.png

DSC00323.png
 
MM, that's why I never throw away sprues. It's amazing all the uses they have other than holding parts in a box. That strobe came out looking really nice.
 
Thanks, I dont normaly keep every sprue, but espicaly clear ones, come in handy for headlight lenses, beacons ect. Also any spare parts that were options when building kits get put in a box, good bashing fodder!! Cheers. Mike
 



Back
Top