Got my GP, Starting a Cuttin'

rray Sep 8, 2005

  1. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    I did take the shell off. The mechanism sits only 2/3rds of the height of the model, so the modeler could use this mechanism for many different projects.

    I have not heard when the next GP will be released, or what roadname it will be, but I will needle Loren for info when he comes down from Medford this weekend.

    Loren is good friends with Joe D'Amato at MTL, and seems to always have the inside info.

    They don't have a Z-Bend Track club in Medford so he drives 4 hours up to Portland to run trains with the CZM club, then drives 6 hours down to San Francisco to run trains with the BAZ club.

    We have a GATS show this weekend to kick off the train season in the Bay Area.

    -Robert :D
     
  2. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I guess I din't make myself clear. Did you remove the part covering the primemover. Leaving the walkway uncover. I am sorry, but I just dont know what the parts are called.
    Also, hows your module coming along. We need more pictures of it.
     
  3. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    There are 2 main pieces. The tank, and the shell. First you take the tank off, then slide 2 needles, one on each side of the shell to spread it fron the tabs that hold the shell on at the front of the loco. Pull the mechanism down a bit out of the shell, then move the needles to the back and do the same. Now the shell comes off. The shell is permanently glued to the walkways.


    The cab comes off and has 5 parts in it. A LED shield, and 4 pieces of window glass. To get the cab off, you have to use a jewelers screwdriver to spread the 2 sides of the battery box open, then push the window glazing down. Do the same to the other side, then the cab pulls off.

    -Robert [​IMG]
     
  4. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks Robert,
    The cab was a bit tricky to take off. Your play by play really help.
     
  5. david f.

    david f. TrainBoard Supporter

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    ok ... i really like the kitbash. it seems all the essential features of a GP-30 (or 39e) are there. am i missing something. if i were to copy your modifications is there anything one would miss in getting pretty close to a GP-30?

    i'm not seeing anything crucial that would be missing.

    btw -- how did you get the rivet detail on the roof behind the cab? are those pin-head impressions for rivets. looks very good.
    dave f.
     
  6. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    There is only one flaw to my kitbash, and that is the curved protruding duct piece on the Fireman's side just under dynamic brakes. That piece does not exist on a real GP30, but I did not want to mess with it. I probably will cut it off when I do my next locomotive though.

    -Robert :D


    BTW: the rivet detail was just holes burned with a laser, but you could do the same thing with a needle. The hard part was the curved cab roof pieces, which took a bit of filing to get a good fit.
     
  7. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    Hey, flaws or no flaws, it's an awesome job and it would be at the headend of all my freights!! [​IMG] Did you ever get a chance to make a mold of the shell?
     
  8. david f.

    david f. TrainBoard Supporter

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    duh. how did i miss that! i even have my N scale gp-30 for comparison. well, it was late. thanks for the good work.

    i'm painting my gp-30 in Rio Grande scheme, with the large letters. only one Grande gp-35 had the large letters and that was 3048. i had to use an HO decal for the "right" size "Rio Grande" lettering, and it was still just a tad small. the biggest problem is that the microscale color is too orange. only the late gp-40s had this color. but it will have suffice.

    i used the larger lettering because i ruined the shell. tried to finish stripping the paint along the sill (walkway) with ELO and grabbed my spare bottle of tenax (!) instead (so i have some nice tooth brush grooves along the bottom half. I called Microtrains and BEGGED to get a replacement shell, and got the standard "we don't sell extra shells at this time!" (i don't want an "extra" i want to enjoy my engine!).

    made a nice plow for the front (with cut lever) and added lights to the nose. should look nice. (would have been better with a clean un-screwed up shell, however).

    later,
    dave f.
     
  9. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Hi David, it sounds like you did a real nice job. I hope you can post some pictures. I am really interested in what you did with the pilot and plow, and how you did the curves roof panels.

    Please post pictures? :D

    -Robert
     
  10. david f.

    david f. TrainBoard Supporter

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    Finished the GP-35 tonight. Added a nose light, plow, drop step, and cut lever. The large lettering helps hide the shell ruination because of the xanex application. Wow, do these engines run sweet!

    [​IMG]
    dave f.
     
  11. david f.

    david f. TrainBoard Supporter

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    i'm headed off to bed now. i see the error -- i called it a GP-30 -- sorry. Just a repaint and detail of the stock GP-35. (i guess i had GP-30 on the brain while admiring your work.)

    If i get another one i think a GP-30 would be a great companion engine. they often ran 30s and 35s together on the Grande. i understand that the D&RGW crews didn't particularly like the 35s and relegated them to switcher service rather early. GP-30s, on the other hand, ran in consists ahead of tunnel motors at times! Amazing.

    dave f.
     
  12. SmolderZ

    SmolderZ TrainBoard Member

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    WOW! Great looking engine Dave! :cool:

    With the plow it looks sooo much better!
     
  13. Chessie System

    Chessie System E-Mail Bounces

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    Great job, Dave!

    Doug
     
  14. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Dave,

    WOW, AWESOME!!!! It looks incredible. Good job.

    Rob Kluz
     
  15. JoeS

    JoeS TrainBoard Member

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    Amazing work! You guys have got some skills! [​IMG]
     
  16. Gordon Werner

    Gordon Werner TrainBoard Member

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    Dave ... it looks fantastic ... just make up a story about a rockslide that damaged the engine (in 1:1 scale world) and that you are modelling it post repairs

    these things do look pretty beat up in the real world afterall
     
  17. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Yes, it did come out real nice Dave. I really like the plow, is that a cut lever I see too?

    The colors look fantastic too!

    -Robert
     
  18. david f.

    david f. TrainBoard Supporter

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    yes, the cut lever was just a series of z bends with the finest brass wire i had (but i still had to do it twice to get it right).

    the plowr was an N scale plow that i cut in half and removed about 1/4 length from the middle. then cut in half in width-wise and basically cut the "hole" out of the middle. glued the pieces together one at a time and then used thick CA to give it a stronger more even bond. quite an inelegant way to make a plow, but it seems to have worked. some trimming, sanding, and filing and it was as good as it was going to get. i just couldn't think of any other way to make it.

    i think the GP-39e is just fantastic! and your paint is great. one loco that would fit this chassis easily would be a GP-15. I think a person could use N scale (or larger) roof walks to simulate the tunnel-motor type grills. i don't think it would be all that hard.

    well, before any more locos get redone i need to get some track first!
    have a nice night, guys.
    dave f.
     
  19. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Robert, I am propossing a business idea for you. Why dont you make laser cut plexiglass parts for the GP39-e and m with the Burlington decals. I am interested in one, and I am sure other will be interested too. I have look at lot of pictures of the GP39, and I find that the hard part of the modification is to make the top plastic part. The model using the GP35 rather then the GP30 looks lot simpler.
     
  20. Gordon Werner

    Gordon Werner TrainBoard Member

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    i'd be interested
     

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