Pimp my ride - IM SD45-2 - updated

[Robbman]

If I can pick one up for $50-$60... I'll have a correct EL SD45-2 long hood RP'd for it... then replace the cab, nose and battery/equipment subbases with Atlas equivalents, as well as file the sill so the notch is in the right spot.  Then I'm going to get kiwi_al to put tread on it

[kiwi_al]

Then I'm going to get kiwi_al to put tread on it

Hah !! No worries mate! but you don't have a supply of chocolate fish eh 

[clarkrw3]

Great work..I will be watching your progress.  I always learn so much from these threads.

[kiwi_al]

Just when you thought I'd dozed off................   ;D











Have to fix the nose then the painting is upon me  ;D ;D ;D

[u18b]

Hey.  If you are going to this much trouble, add the two missing ribs on the blower cover behind the cab.

Ron

[kiwi_al]

Thanks Ron,
I completely missed that!!
Hey Robb you are slippin mate!!! ;D
I'll stretch some sprue and glue it on, just as well I saw that today. It's only got one coat of paint on it  ;D

Anything else that needs changing before it gets locked down with paint?

 

[u18b]

Yes!

Add a little styrene under the blower cover to fill that gap to keep the cats from crawling in. (or is that gap big enough for a dog to get in  :-\)

[u18b]

Since you are doing so much superdetailing of this thing, if you want to go the extra mile, you can detail the fuel tank.


It is a little extra work.  But on the prototype photo at the rear of the fuel tank, do you see that silvery canister?  I'm not sure, but I think it's a fuel filter.  Anyway, I've modeled that with wire and a MicroTrains coupler spring.  Then take some yellow wood glue (a little thicker than white glue) and place a drop in the spring.  That makes the spring solid on top and bottom.  You could also use Micro-Crystal clear.  Then you can paint it silver.

When the piping is bent and mounted properly, it looks cool.  And it is pretty visible.


Your model is looking awesome.

Very inspirational.

[kiwi_al]

Hi Ron,
The gap under the blower is because the shell sits up - Intermountain glued it down! With the brass walkways added on top of the sill it has almost eliminated the gap something like 0.25mm and given the walkway and lower part of the long hood will be painted black you won't see the slight gap. But I may add some 0.05 styrene to it hmmmm....... so much to do....!!! Yeah think I'll add it.

On the fuel tank did you cut the spring down at all or use it full size? The fuel tank is the last thing I usually think about usually after the model is completed!! ;D

I am adding BLMA cut levers, mu hoses and a proper plow. The ditch lights will get retrofitted as I don't have the itty bitty LEDs to hand.

Thanks for your comments - spot on for noticing my boo boo's  ;D

[u18b]

I didn't notice any boo boos.  You're doing great!  The gap under the blower housing was made by InterMountain.  I wondered if the diamond tread filled it.  The gap in your photo is simply because the shell is not sitting down all the way.  OK - good job.


As far as that fuel filter, I can't remember.  I made one on a superdetailed U18B that I made for Gary Riccio, the President of The Atlantic Coast Line Historical Society (so I don't have the model any more).
I had photo in the Jan/Feb 2004 issue of N-Scale Magazine.  I think I used the whole spring. 

Now, we're talking about one of the smallest springs MT makes.  The tiny little one that goes on the inside of a 1015.  You take a multi-strand wire and get one strand out of it-- say about .0005"  or  .0003"  and solder that to the spring on the top edge of the spring so the spring hangs down just like the prototype.  Then you can bend the wire and trim it as needed.

Ron

[kiwi_al]

Thanks Ron,
I'll give it a crack!!! ;D

[Robbman]

The blower duct is bolted to a flange on the walkway.... so you can use some .005-.010 styrene to make this flange and fill the gap.  As for the missing stiffeners... they're also missing from the SD40/45T-2s...

[kiwi_al]

Hey guys,
Ya missed that poor excuse of an electrical box, it's wrong wrong wrong................. Ya it's painted too!!!!!! I just hacked it off this arvo ;D

Here's a pikkie.



So now I have to make an electrical cabinet thingy to attach to the cab but it has to be rebated 0.5 mm grrr.
The cab design is err ummm quite different

[kiwi_al]

oops I accidentally did something to this  ;D :

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Fixing IM model's flaws... Just do it!

Very nice job here Al, very nice.

Can't wait to see her dullcoted and in service.