BNSF 4710 C44-9W Detailed and Weathered in N Scale

[ednadolski]

I've taken a little break from layout design & construction in order to finish up this project and get some pics.   This is the one that started here with the detailing handrails thread.  While this has spent a lot of time on the shelf waiting behind other efforts, I'm glad to be calling it done at this point.

While the prototype 4710 is in pretty good overall condition, the pics I used for reference showed a lot of variance in the amount of grime depending upon exactly when they were taken.  I wanted a well-used but not decrepit look, so I did some picking and choosing of the weathering patterns in the various reference pics rather than trying to reproduce any particular one.  As inevitably happens, the model looks a lot more darker and grimy under indoor lighting than in the outdoor pics.

For the weathering I used mostly washes with a mix of water-soluble oil paints mixed with gouaches.  I applied the paint in layers, dullcoating in between and varying the colors.  Often I would apply paint to an area and then remove some of the paint with a clean brush or makeup sponge.   I did some streaking and/or dabbing with the brush as the paint dried in order to get the pattern that I wanted.   I also airbrushed on the trucks and underframe, and I used more powder than I usually do on the roof and vents.

















Here are the obligatory OOTB comparison pics:












And a couple of proto pic reference links:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/107163/IMG_0462.JPG
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/38026/2014_06060002.JPG
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/28343/IMG_9284.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/54294/BNSF%204710.jpg
http://www.locophotos.com/pix/126/BNSF%20Railway%20BNSF%204710_Denver%20CO_Bill%20Hedges_2012-07-20_126425.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/65219/BNSF%204710%20%20%200001.JPG
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/54011/BNSF4710%20D9-44CW.jpg
http://www.locophotos.com/pix/126/BNSF%20Railway%20BNSF%204710_Denver%20CO_Bill%20Hedges_2012-07-20_126425.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/41651/DSC01536.JPG
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/36751/IMG_5717.JPG


I've got some more projects in mind with the handrail etchings, but first I am going to need to update the CAD drawing.

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,
Ed

[jpwisc]

Nice work! I love how the handrails turned out. When will they be available?

A couple of things that would help turn it up a notch: drill out the front cab door window. Having it painted red makes it more obvious it's still plastic. A little drilling and some Micro-glaze makes a world of difference.

I noticed you patched over the incorrectly molded rear sand hatch, you should add an Atlas sand hatch to the top of the long hood so your tiny crews can fill the rear sand compartment.

[James Costello]

Impressive as always Ed!

[cjm413]

 

[jagged ben]

Yeah!  Show all those Horribly Oversized modelers where to shove it!   

As far as the door window, just paint it a glossy black and it will look right in my opinion.  It's not like any light can be seen through these in the real world most of the time.  I've used a sharpie and been satisfied.  I would not have noticed the sand filler myself.

[GaryHinshaw]

Looks fantastic Ed (as expected)!  Now that you have all the steps done, how long do you think it would take you to do another?  Would you do anything differently next time?  Fleet detailing is still a ways off for me, but when I do get there, I'd like to have an approach that would let me do 30-40 units in less than a lifetime. 

Nice touch on the peeling window gasket.  Did you replace the cab windows? 

-gfh

P.S. I used black trim film for the door window on my CP unit.

[Frank Amato]

Really really well done!

  Frank

[Santa Fe Guy]

Well worth the wait Ed. Stunning N Scale modeling, painting, weathering, etching all look fab.
Great work.
Rod.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

My god, Ed, this is incredible.

[Smike]

Glad to see this one get done, outstanding!  I love those etched pilots!

[ednadolski]

Thanks dudes for looking this over & sharing your thoughts.   Good points about the cab door window, I agree that deserves some attention.   JP I don't have a timeframe in mind for new etchings but the drawing needs to be re-done since the original fret was combined with a bunch of the P:48 GP9 parts.  I also want to add a set of the 'wide' style pilot stanchions for the older units (time to get out the calipers & do some more measuring).

I have a list of things that I would like to do differently to improve the outcome and/or save time:

 - These cab windows and windshields are hand-made from clear plastic, which took a lot of time to cut/file/fit.  Laser cut acrylic would look better and be way more accurate.  This is a new area for me, and so far the thinnest clear acrylic I could find is 0.020" which seems too thick.  I'd like to make a set that fits all the Kato GE wide cabs (standard plus BNSF styles) and perhaps another set for FVM as well (if needed).

- Handmade parts like the air tank and fuel details could perhaps be made as 3D (Shapeways XFD?) printed parts.  In fact it might be better to do the whole fuel tank that way, since trimming & filing away the molded tanks is something of a bear.  There would need to be both the 'early' and a 'late' style tanks to match the prototypes, and in any case the metal frame still would need to be ground down to make room.

- The list of 3D parts should include the spare knuckles for the rear pilots, since the SRE parts became made out of unobtanium. (And frankly, the SREs look a little oversized anyways.)

- I might try making the cut levers and air hoses from etched 0.005" stainless steel which to me seems thin enough to avoid the 'flat' look.  I'd probably want to make 4 styles of cut levers in order to fill up an A4 fret:   GE inside loop, GE outside loop, EMD early, and EMD late.  I'm not sure if those could be made as the 3-piece 'hook together' parts like I made from wire for this unit, or if perhaps they could be all one piece.  Some etched-on mounting pins might be handy too (lining up with the holes on the etched pilots).

- In that same vein I'm thinking of how to make an etched brake chain for the rear truck.  Some of the other 'wish list' parts include underframe air filters and the air piping for the engineer's side.  I'd also like to come up with a way to improve the traction motor cables.  These are scratchbuilt from 0.006" brass wire, but it is hard to get all the little 'brackets' to come out straight.

 - On this model I would have liked to do a better patch job on the rear sand filler area.  This one ended up looking rather rough in the sunlight pics. (Perhaps I made it worse by stripping & re-painting the shell a few times trying to get the paint right).  I'm not sure if there is a better option that the Squadron green putty, or maybe I just need to improve my skill.

So overall there is no shortage of projects to keep working on!  I just need to prioritize things and then keep focused (yikes!  )

Cheers!

Ed

[ednadolski]

BTW another one for the wish list:  ditch lights (with 402 LEDs).  The factory ones do look a lot less objectionable if painted to match the surrounding surfaces, but still they have an overall 'boxy' look to them.  This might be another one for the 3D printed parts list.

Ed

[peteski]

Nice model Ed!

As far as windows go, I don't think that the 0.020" thickness will be distracting, as long as the windows is installed flush with the window gasket.  What really distracts in factory-installed windows is that:
1. They are usually inset into the window opening.
2. They are not as clear as should be, and don't have smooth and even surface (due to the injection-molding process).

A piece of 0.020" acrylic sheet will have mirror-smooth finish on both sides (like a pane of glass).  As long as it is installed flush the thickness should not stand out.

[nscaler711]

I am just going to have to pretend that this is not an N scale model...  (that way I don't go nuts trying to do that to all of my locos... 
It does look really good....
(shame it wasn't an SF unit :p )

Now if I could just get thinner handrails for a Z scale loco I've got... (don't have to be scale though... They'd be as thin as a hair...)

[chicken45]

Whoa!