Patching Southern Pacific SD45T-2 #'s 9173 & 9191

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BNSF_Denali_Sub

BNSF_Denali_Sub

BNSF SD70MAC's
Well, I have decided to do a little mini project while im waiting for supplies to continue working on my La Mirada Project

I have 2 Athearn RTR SD45T-2's lettered for Southern Pacific, Roadnumbers 9173 & 9191. Ill be patching them with the yellow UP patches on the cabs, and leaving them in the SP paint.

Here are a couple pictures:

SL370001.jpg


SL370002.jpg


SL370003.jpg


SL370004.jpg



What is the best way to patch locomotives? Is it best to remove the numbers from the side of the cab and then put the patch over it or is it okay to just put the yellow patch over the numbers? If I put the patch just over the numbers, will they show through the patch or will the patch cover them completely?
 
Josh, depends on the look you want. Sometime you can see the numbers raised through the patch. If you don't want that, use the Q-tip trick and rub off the numbers then patch it. I've done it both ways.

100_4449.jpg


100_3531.jpg
 
Beautiful Switchers Jerome! Thank you for posting the photos :D

Are the numbers that noticeable under the patch? In your photos, the numbers dont appear to be visible at all, is that because you removed them prior to putting the patches on?
 


Thanks Jerome, ill try it out and leave the numbers on and see how it goes :D

One more question for you if you dont mind. What about the numberboards? I noticed that their appears to be a clear lens over them? Do you know if that lens comes off? How do you usually renumber the numberboards on Athearn RTR's, im assuming they all have this clear lens that I appear to be seeing lol
 
So it seems Union Pacific does not have anymore SD45T-2's on its current roster, all have been sold to various railroads or retired from 1999-2002. All of the former UP SD45T-2 numbers are now on new UP SD70M's


SP SD45T-2 #9173, I will be patching it for UP 4832 (Former # for SP 9194)
SP SD45T-2 #9191, I will be patching it for UP 4859 (Former # for SP 9189)
 
Trucklover said:
Thanks Jerome, ill try it out and leave the numbers on and see how it goes :D

One more question for you if you dont mind. What about the numberboards? I noticed that their appears to be a clear lens over them? Do you know if that lens comes off? How do you usually renumber the numberboards on Athearn RTR's, im assuming they all have this clear lens that I appear to be seeing lol
Click to expand...

I usually just paint over them with gloss black then renumber them with decals.
 
Thanks Jerome, thats easy enough lol

I noticed that in the Microscale UP Patch Set, the UP Shields are half complete. The patch for the front of the nose is missing the top half of the shield (its just white, when is should be blue with white Union Pacific Lettering) and on the shields that come separate on the sheet they are missing the bottom half of the shield (its white with a black outline of the shield, when it should have the red/white stripping). Do you know why they did this? Know of any other sets that have the complete shields on them? I could use a bunch of them
 
Micro-Scale did that on a lot of multi-colored decals. You have to lay the bottom one, let it dry completely, then do the second one over it. It saves them from having to do 3 or 4 colored decals which can be tricky when printing.
 
Thanks Jerome, placed one of the other and it came out exactly as you said it would, and you cant tell, thanks! :D

Here are some pictures of the newely patched SD45T-2. This is former SP #9173 which has been patched for UP #4859. I failed miserably on the numberboards and trying to paint over them, I tried free handing them and that didnt work so well, so then i tried masking them and that didnt work out either and the paint ended up lifting the tape and bleeding under. I cleaned it up, but it removed some of the SP Gray paint, which will is alright because ill be weathering the units and it will be just part of the weathering. I ordered some Microscale Numberboard decals, so when those come in ill just put them over the old numbers and then add the new numbers over the black decal... One other thing you may notice is that both sides of the cab, the number "4", both of them got chipped somehow. Im not sure how it happened, but im not going to replace them. It will add to the weathering when the unit makes it into the weathering shop LOL

Until then, here are some pictures on my Photo Diorama

SL370001-1.jpg


SL370002-1.jpg


SL370003-1.jpg


SL370004-1.jpg


SL370005.jpg


SL370006.jpg
 
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Here are a few pictures of the other patched SD45T-2. This one has been patched for UP #4832. Like the last one, this one will also receive the same numberboard treatment when the decals come in

SL370001-3.jpg


SL370002-3.jpg


SL370003-3.jpg


SL370004-3.jpg


SL370005-2.jpg
 
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PEIR said:
Nice work on the two T-motors Josh. Do you have any other ex SP power for your layout?
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Thank you Stephen :D

These are the only 2 SP units I have right now. I may still have a GP40X in the SP paint, ill have to look. I had a couple SD70M's but I sold them. Ill wait till Athearn does another run of the SP and UP Flag SD70M's and get all 3 #'s of each, and then patch the SP's for UP just like these SD45T-2's
 
Desecration

I just can't get myself to do that to my SP units, even the ones that I hate.
 
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Trucklover said:
haha well i couldnt justify do repaints on them, and SP is too old for my modern modeling, so that meant patching...
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Believe it or not, there are still a few unpatched units roaming the rails - I saw an SSW GP38-2 in the West Colton departure yard last weekend....14 years after the merger :cool:
 
Trucklover said:
haha well i couldnt justify do repaints on them, and SP is too old for my modern modeling, so that meant patching...
Click to expand...

Mine are too old for my (future) layout too but still I can't go there. Then again my layout is MRL/BNSF not UP/SP. I just keep those units because I don't have it in me to give them up.
 
guys if you dont mind me asking,, where do i get the patching decals... i have a sp c44 dash9 i want to patch to up, but cant find patch stickers..any help is appriciated...thanks all
 


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