The times they are a changin'... The real plus about this is it's a testement to the state of N-scale that we can now compare similar engines from different manufactures. The days of the gentlemens agreement of non duplication are coming to end, as we've seen with the F40PH and the GP38-2. I'm sure in the next few years this will continue to increase. Who knows, someday we may have three manufactures all making the same model. :shade:
Jean-Edouard - After removing the stock handrails, I measured and drilled new holes, the same size as the existing holes in the new lower locations. I filled the old holes with a piece of the old handrail that I cut and pushed flush w/ the hole (I wanted to minimize the painting, and didn't want to do any sanding on the original paint), and painted the end scarlet. I used wire (not sure of the size, I bought it at my LHS a while back, it is about the same diameter as Intermountain Tunnel Motor handrails) for the new grabs, bent into shape w/ small needlenose pliers. It took some trial & error to get the right shape. I put a couple coats of white paint on them (which also increased the diameter of the grabs to about the same size as the stock Kato grabs), and installed.
Radiator tops paint I'm finally getting around to detailing the Kato Units. Question the Athearn units have black paint on top of the radiator fans, the Katos are grey. What is correct, black or grey?
The only thing I don't like about the Athearn is that it does not have working ditch light otherwise the cab interior detail is a great touch from Athearn and the loco runs just as great as the Kato yes its true the decoders are a little tricky to install but not impossible.
Found it And how could anyone miss that the Kato not only has the wrong radiator fans, but failed to paint them black as per the prototype. Thanks.
Plus in real life, a week or 2 after they were delivered, you couldn't tell the difference between the color of the fans and the top of the loco after a couple of trips up and down the I5 corridor and it's many tunnels . IMHO the black on the Athearns looks less 'prototype' than Kato's grey even though under the rooftop grime they were different colors Wow, this thread has been brought back from the grave !
Actually its the other way around the Kato has the correct fans for an SD70 while Athearns are the wrong type.
