Well, I have been expanding my skills a lot since I got back into the Hobby a few years ago. I wanted to try a high-nose SD40-2. I acquired an early Kato SD40-2 from eBay for 40 beans. To my knowledge Kato never offered a high nose SD40-2 in N-scale. This particular unit was a CP Snoot. I plan on modeling Norfolk Southern #3206 I ran it around the layout for a while to ensure it was functioning properly, then began my journey. I acquired a few parts to begin. -Atlas SD35 Body Shell. (complete) -Kato Black Handrail set for SD40-2 -Misc BLMA items Being that I have never done anything more than adding details to already existing locos, this is all pretty brand new to me. I lined everything up and measured a few times. It seemed to be an easy graft considering the dimensions of the proto and Atlas and Kato's accuracy of scale. Using my Exacto, I made my cuts behind the cab slots on the high nose frame, and again on the Atlas frame. I then used Gorilla Glue super glue to graft the two bodyshell pieces together. Once set, I placed the body shell on the railings, and bottom portion of the shell to check how everything lined up. The cab has some gaps, mainly because the Atlas window glass has tabs on the bottom that protrude past the cab's shell. Also the high hood has a bit of slop between the Kato walkway/railing piece.
(cont'd) I have read a few articles where people preferred to use the Kato cab, and just cut the front portion off (windshield, numberboards, etc) to make room for the high hood. I decided to go this route because I figured if I made errors with the graft, it would be covered by the cab itself. Next, I placed everything down on the frame to get a good idea if it would fit or not. Who doesn't like a big back porch? Again, some gap in the cab. I have not clipped the small tabs on the window glass piece yet. If I work the cab downward it will slip on, and the roofline is flush, but I don't want to risk breaking the shell at this point. Also, I am still curious to see if the Gorilla Glue will hold if the shell is fiddled with or if (God forbid) I drop the darn thing. I will be making a trip to the LHS to pick up a few more supplies for this project. One thing I really want to do some research on is the correct hue of Black for NS units. I have read a few places that any old Black will do, but since I have multiple Atlas and Kato NS units, I don't want this one's paintjob to stick out like a sore thumb. Any tips or advice much appreciated. Thanks for looking!
Looks great so far! I'd think if you used super glue it should hold ok, I've always used regular Testors liquid cement but then I've only ever glued Atlas parts to other Atlas parts. I don't know how well it would work to glue Atlas plastic to Kato plastic, so using super glue was maybe a good idea. How the heck did you get that much paint off a Kato model? I've never been able to strip one that good!
Nice progress! I find it easier to use the Kato cab, cutting out the front windows, then there aren't the fitment issues. This is going to be a great build for you!
The issue with the Atlas cab is it's not a -2 cab...its lacking the cab overhand on the rear of the cab. I think the GP38-2 high hood cab would work...but not sure
On the prototype, a loco that is a -2, such as the SD40-2, has a slight cab roof overhang on the rear. The SD35 cab from Atlas, being its not a -2, lacks this feature. However the Atlas GP38-2 cab, from the high hood version, should work. That and the GP cab should fit better, as you are using the Atlas cab mounting slots, instead of splicing in the center, between the SD40-2 and SD35 hood. Personally, had I done it, I'd had cut in the center of the cab mounting area, and used .010 styrene strips to reinforce the joint. As for the black, any black should do...besides, black fades, and an SD40-2 is alot older than say an SD70M.
Nice work so far, and good job on just jumping in and doing it! I agree with Ike on the splicing of the shell. No worries, you'll know for next time. As for what color black, I like Polly Scale Engine Black. It's really a dark, dark, very dark gray and looks right for N scale. Stay away from any "pure black" as it will not look right. I used Engine Black on this Iowa Interstate.
Nice work on the conversion! I'm still very much in the construction phase of my layout, so my initial attempts at such modeling are still a ways off. But I absolutely love to see this kind of modeling as it serves as an inspiriation to me that says, YES, it CAN be done! I'll be following your progress, please keep us updated. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together. Frank B.
So my project stalled a little bit, as I had to wait for a parts order from Kato and Atlas. Earlier, I was told that the cab I was using was incorrect. Unfortunately, in an attempt to cut the front window glass area off of my Kato SD40-2 cab, I damaged it. Even worse, Kato has no replacement cabs in stock, and won't until 2014 or so. So, I sourced a GP38-2 cab from Atlas. I also received a set of handrails from Kato for the SD40-2 in black. Today, I got to work clipping the front window glass area from the Geep cab. And damaged it...ugh I slipped with the X-acto and shaved a nice chunk from the cab. No worries, I ordered two from Atlas in case something like this happened. Nervously, I continued working on the third cab. This time, I managed to not make any errors. There was a bit of a defect with the third cab as delivered by Atlas. I am assuming during the molding process the area where the cab door on the right side was slightly warped. But I made some adjustments and it seems to look fine. I had to do a bit of shaving as the cab just would not sit right on the body. But I think I have it just where I need it. In this pic, you can see how the cab roof doesn't sit flush with the body. Also, the defect shows pretty clearly. I'm going to try a few different things to clean it up, as I really don't feel like waiting for another cab. Also, I'm not worried about the gap in the roof, as I plan to glue it all down once I have painted it. Lastly, I wanted to try my hand at grab irons. Oddly enough, the packet of BLMA grabs I picked-up had no template included, so I had to freehand it a bit. I think I did a decent job. After I glued them all down, I realized I got ahead of myself, as I was now going to be very difficult to place decals on the front with the irons in the way. I pulled one out, but broke the darn thing. So I'm going to wait for the decals before I bother yanking the other ones out, just to be sure of which ones need to be removed. Other items that need to be finished before I can paint include attached horns, placing the Atlas bell on the long hood (since NS usually does long hood forward with their high-hoods), window glass, number boards, cut levers, sanding hoses, MU cables, wipers, etc. Thanks for checking in.
I am definitely no expert, but in the pictures I have seen the top of the cab is flush (does not protrude above) the long and short hoods. I am guessing that the Kato battery boxes may be a bit taller than the Atlas boxes. You may need to remove material from the bottom of the cab
I worked a little bit on fitting the cab better. I used my X-acto and some 800 grit to remove material from the bottom and inside edges of the cab. I think I'm pretty satisfied with the work ths far. I still have to work on getting the battery box area so sit more flush, but I'm getting dangerously close to removing too much material on the cab, which would intrude into the seam lines for the cab doors. I also forgot to show the cab earlier with the front windshield area cleanly removed.
Looking good! Regarding that cab door, consider filing away the door and using one of the BLMA cab doors and glue it open. I did that on my CB&Q GP40 after seeing others on here do it and it really looks good. Also, invest in a good set of small files. Mine are from Model Master, but you can find a good set at Harbor Freight and Hobby Lobby.
This will save you a ton of frustration- a little pricey but well worth it...http://www.mark4design.com/html/n_cabs___short_hoods.html
Hey, thanks for the tip. I was made aware of this kit early on, but decided to go with an Atlas high hood. It definately saved me a bit of money. Also these appear to be coming from New Zealand, so shipping is a factor too. Plus, I've already spliced the high hood to the body so I'm not sure I need this now? On a side note, I have added some more details to this, and plan on posting some pics when I get some time.
As promised here are some pics I did just a little bit more sanding/shaving of the cab since my last post. I also installed the window glass to see how it would fit with my repaired warped cab door. Everything snapped in snugly, and the window glass actually clipped into the deck/handrail portion of the loco, so it brought everything in and snugged it all up. I am actually thinking I may be able to get away with not gluing down the cab after all. Also, I added some details to the front pilot. The cut levers were a huge PITA but I managed. I also installed MU cables, and an MU hose. I tried to stretch it out more to let it hang like the picture of the proto by heating it up, but this was a failure as I learned this particular Atlas part likes to shrink when hot. Ah well. I still have some more BLMA details coming including fans, but internettrains.com is in Cali so I dont expect to see any parts until next week. Also, I need to run out and get some more grab irons. I have also been toying with the idea of brass handrails, as the Kato ones look a little cartoon-ish. This may be more of a daunting task than I am willing to attempt. Finally, I am trying to decide if I want to attempt custom ditchlights or if I just want to throw some dummies on there. Again, a daunting task for functioning ditchights. I am almost ready to paint this thing and get it running, but with Christmas slowly approaching I am trying not to buy myself anything train-related so my little one can get some nice things from Santa. Oh boy is this hobby expensive. Edit: Can anyone suggest a reasonable filler product? In some of the pictures you can see I drilled holes in the delrin with my pin-vice that need to be filled before paint.
A little more work done today. I must have put $30 toward just BLMA items so far. Its nice of BLMA to give you so many extras in some of their packs, but getting started is definately expensive. I worked on adding the same details from the front pilot to the rear. Also, Sun shades added as well as Air Hoses. I am going to cut the holes for the fans, but won't complete them until after the shell is painted. Also, once the shell is painted I will add wipers and number boards. I guess I am about half way done at this point. Getting paint done will be a big step.
HI my i suggest cutting the holes for the fans before you paint. that way you paint the in side of the holes at the same time. that is what i do. also if you have not done this before may i suggest to practice on a junk shell.
