HO GP35 Athearn short line project

JonEMDfan Dec 19, 2018

  1. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks, to clean the rust off them I use vinegar, right? What is the ratio of
    vinegar to water or do I use straight vinegar and how long do they soak?
    Thanks---John
     
  2. Eilif

    Eilif TrainBoard Member

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    I just toss them in a jar of white cooking vinegar from Aldi. I've never watched the time too closely. Sometimes I come back in an hour and sometimes I forget about them until a day later. I'll brush them off with a wire brush under running water and then put them on a towel in front of a fan to completely dry, though with something simple like stanchions you could probably just towel dry them.
     
  3. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I have the rusty rails soaking in white vinegar. I also have decided to change liveries
    on this one. Seeing as though it's black already I am going with a Penn Central GP35 which
    ran quite frequently through my home town in the late 60s to the early 70s. I am going
    to try to find a better detailed GP35 for my Housatonic RR short line project. I figure if I
    mess it up a bit it won't show as much plus this will be a good learning curve to get me
    use to trains. I removed the headlight in the nose and puttied the void. The Penn Central
    has no lights in the nose. The tower in the picture is the Mass-NY border. I am not sure if
    the train is entering or leaving Richmond Mass.---John
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 27, 2018
    gjslsffan likes this.
  4. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I just ordered decals, has anyone ever used Herald King HO decals.
    The price was right at $7.00. ---John
     
  5. Eilif

    Eilif TrainBoard Member

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    Good to see this project moving along. Good idea to keep going on this one as a learning process. My experience -short as it is- with train mods and such has been that if you already have model skills the learning curve isn't very long but it's no bad thing to be able to start on something you're not as attached to.

    Good luck!
     
  6. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    Herald King has been around for years. Far as I am aware, no problems.
     
  7. VinceP

    VinceP TrainBoard Member

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    Make sure to clear coat before use.

    Herald king has been out of business for almost 20 years give or take.

    Just bought a bunch of HK decals myself.
     
  8. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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  9. VinceP

    VinceP TrainBoard Member

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    My bad someone else evidently bought the rights.

    As they like champ had gone out of business.

    And the shops around here gave me crud about trying to buy these.

    So evidently this one got past me .
     
  10. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    John,

    I ran across a spare end rail section for an Athearn locomotive. PM me your address and I will send it to you. Here are the pictures I promised of the old (1990’s) GP-35.

    Dale

    C988D632-20D7-4A9C-AFF0-87F040F46C83.jpeg 24D633BC-AA27-490B-96F6-2976D9681D18.jpeg 70684921-8748-4791-82C7-EB481F43D92B.jpeg 64C6480A-EF36-4C55-9F5F-FBA0CD1EDDD9.jpeg
     
  11. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    Dale thanks a BUNCH! PM with address inbound. GREAT job on the GEEP!--John
     
  12. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    Got your address John, I’ll get it headed your way. Thanks for the compliment on the geep. I’m not to happy with how the low light blank turned out. I’m going to redo it. I painted it with rattle can paint from Walmart as a down and dirty repaint to go with 2 SD 40-2’s a friend did for me. That is the noisiest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m going to have to put a can motor in it one of these days.

    Thanks,
    Dale
     
  13. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Hi John and Dale,
    I am late to the party here but I just found a complete set of these older GP35 handrails.
    John, the stantions I see in your images are very early metal stations, inthat the portion where the handrails go thru are it appears flattened then a hole punched where as a bit later and like the one Dale is sending you are the stantions have the bent loop on top stantions. The later metal stations may be a better source for you. I can send you enough to finish the handrails if you need.
    BTW good job on the putty mods on the nose.
    That way you don't even need to mess with those older rusty stations.
    Let me know if you want these stations.
    Thank you
    Tom
     
  14. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for all the help, I should be all set on this, the next one will
    be much easier now that I have learned a few tricks---John
     
  15. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I did a second coat of Tamiya putty then wet sanded it. Looking pretty
    much the way I want it. A coat of black on the entire shell will help.---John
     

    Attached Files:

  16. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I got the nerve up to try the railings. They needed the holes in the shell
    reamed out a bit where the previous owner painted . Out side of that they
    fit pretty decent. Don't know why railings would bother me, I've been welding
    real ones since vocational high school then as a job since 1969. On to the next
    side.---John
     

    Attached Files:

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  17. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    One side and one end done, enough for the day.---John
     

    Attached Files:

    WM183 likes this.
  18. VinceP

    VinceP TrainBoard Member

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    Looking good there
     
  19. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks. Here's a better picture of the road number I am doing. The
    rails on the old Athearn are a bit wonky looking but they'll do for my
    first train model. I definitely want to look into the newer Bachman's.
    I saw some at a train shop down the road and the level of detail and
    hand rails impressed me.---John
     

    Attached Files:

  20. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    John,

    The end rail is headed your way.

    Thanks,
    Dale
     

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