need something to do? building a SP/SSW SD40T-2 step by step (finished pics!!!!)

[Anonymous]

just in case any of y'all need another project to do, i'll show you how i am building my 4 Southern Pacific SD40T-2's. i'll post a parts list at the end but i'll also tell you what i am using as we go.

well, lets get this thing started! the very first thing you should do is find a picture, or better yet, several pictures of the locomotive you want to model. there are always a few detail differences between locomotives. http://espee.railfan.net is a great place for pictures of SP locomotives. an internet search will usually turn up several pictures of the same locomotive from other sources. Harry Wong put together an excellent detail guide to SP SD40T-2's. i think it can be found on the espee modelers site, but i dont know the exact web address for it.

first off, you need an undecorated Athearn SD40T-2. i found some painted ones really cheap so i stripped them using Castrol Super Clean. now, this is probibly the hardest part. i plan on using Cannon & CO noses, cabs and cab sub bases, so i had to cut off the entire Athearn nose and sub base. on the first time, i tried cutting it off with an exacto knife. it is very time consuming, but it came out somewhat ok. for the other 3, i used a hacksaw. it works much faster, but you cant control it as well. you have to be careful that you dont cut off too much.

here are a couple of shots of the shell with the nose and sub base cut off:





the Cannon parts i used are SB-1202: EMD cab sub base kit, SB-1203: SP split equipment doors, TC-1501: EMD thinwall dash 2 cab kit, and LN-1106: EMD 123" low short hood kit. i am going to be making one with the 88" nose, 1 with the 116" nose, and 2 with the 123" nose. all sizes are available from Cannon. one thing about Cannon & CO parts, the instructons are not the best in the world. i had to tear apart one sub base because i had glued it together wrong. after you figure out the first one, the rest go together very easily.

here is a shot of the partially assembled cab and sub base. the cab kit does come with wondows.





the nose: the hole cut in the nose is for the SP light package. i am going to be using either number H-119 or H-120 from Sunrise Enterprises. 119 is the light set with the gyralite removed and the gap still there. 120 has the gyralite removed and a rounded top covering the gap. if you want to model an older unit with the full light packages, Sunrise makes set H-134 that comes with the full light sets for the cab, nose, and rear.



test fitting the parts on the Athearn shell:




and the last installment tonight will be cutting out the Athearn rear grills so i can add see through grills. you have to take your time here so you dont cut too much, or cut the wrong thing, but it comes out pretty easily. i plan on using brass grills from S&S hobby products, item number 306 (etched brass athearn SD40T-2 diesel grills). then i cut off the molded on grab irons and the light on the rear. if you are doing a 116" nose loco, leave the stock light on. none of them got the SP light package on the rear, only on the nose.

here is a shot of the holes cut in the body:



here is the rear:





in the next installment, i'll finish up the details on the cab and nose, and attach them to the body. then start adding lights, grab irons and other small details that i can add before painting.

[Anonymous]

today, i am going to add some details.

starting on the cab, drill out the holes for the grab irons and add them. dont add the grabs to the nose yet because they will get in the way while decaling. on the roof i added a Details West vapor type air conditioner (AC-158), a DW roof top bell (BE-292), a Precision Scale bracket mount horn (39085), and the DW sinclair radio antennas with stands (RA-214). i bent a piece of wire i had laying around for the air hose going to the bell and i built the beacon stand on the firemans side from a scrap piece of styrene and some wire. remember to check your photos, the roof details vary quite a bit between different SD40T-2's. the small antenna mounts i decided to use dont exactly match the prototype, but they are good enough for me[:D] i have learned to really dislike the Cannon cabs, so on my other 3 tunnel motors i am going to use the cabs off of the Athearn SD50's i am gutting for drives. they look really nice and they have those cool sliding windows.[:D]

here are the pics of the cab: they still need some sanding and filinf to get them ready for painting.






on the rear, i added Sunrise enterprises cluster bracket for sp SD40T-2 units (H-133) sunrise doesnt make one with the gyralite removed so i had to cut them off with my xuron and file them down. then i added the grab irons to the rear (17" drop grabs from Detail associates) then i glued in the S&S brass grills.



now for the frame. i took it out to the grinder and ground down the seams on the tank sides. this makes the tank look much better. i also used the hacksaw to cut off the cast on fuel filler details. a dremel would make this a heck of alot easier, but i cant find mine [:D][:O] i also cut off the mounting pins and i cut off the holes for them on the shell. then i drilled holes for the fuel fillers and added them, then added the fuel gauges. the fillers and gauges are from Cannon & Comapny, item number TD-2156: EMD fuel tank detail set. it comes with many more details than i used so you can detail the tenk as much or as little as you want.




i went and gave the shell, cab, and frame their first coat of paint....and then my airbrush fell apart on me. so i wont be able to get to any more painting till i get a new one. so, in my next installment we will add the SD50 motor and trucks to the SD40T-2 frame.

[Anonymous]

here is the frame with the new motor installed:



this is just a drop in installment. the only special thing you have to do is add a shorter driveshaft going from the motor to the lead truck. the long driveshaft works fine on the rear, but is too long for the front. i ended up using the shorter driveshafts out of one of the new Athearn SD40-2's that i scavenged for the long range dynamic brake housing that i am using on another tunnel motor. but i think you can order the driveshafts from Athearn. the power leads to each truck just slide right on so you dont have to do any soldering there.



then, you have to either solder or drill a hole to attach the negative lead from the motor. dont ya love my beautiful soldering job?[:D][:D]




and there ya go, a DCC ready, nice running chassis for your new SD40T-2. and you get to use those excellent looking miccrobulbs that Athearn is using now.

[Anonymous]

now....back to the body.

I almost forgot one very importinat detail, the SP 4 hole jacking pads. (note: if you are doing a 116" snoot, they do not have the 4 hole jacking pads) they are Cannon & Co, part number JP-2151. what you do to attach these is first, cut off the T shaped jacking pads from the locomotive shell. then you cut or file a notch into the side sill for the new pad, like this:



Then you just glue in the 4 hole jacking pad even with the top of the walkway like this:



now we move to the front. this Athearn SD40T-2 didnt have an anticlimber, so i had to add one. i used Cannon & Co, part number AC-2103. all you have to do is cut off the small point with the handrail holes from the front of the locomotive, sand the area smooth, then glue on the new anticlimber.



then i added the plow. this one is from Details West, part number PL-206. not much you need to do here. you can drill holes and mount the plow with the mounting pins (for a stronger hold, or do it the easy way like me and cut off the pins and glue the plow right to the pilot.



now to the rear. there is a huge notch in the rear of the Athearn SD40T-2's and it doesnt look very good. so i cut out a piece of scrap styrene i had laying around and trimmed it till it fit in the notch. then i glued it in. you may have to do some filing later on so that it will clear the coupler.



and now, if i havent forgotten anything else, we are ready for painting! i have left off the details that will get in the way of paint masking and decals. we will add them later. here are some shots of the locomotive with it's first coat of SP lark dark gray. i'll let it sit for a while, then give it another coat before adding the red on the nose and rear. since i am going to be using primer under the red, it doesnt matter that i am paint the dark color first. usually you want to do the light colors, then move on to the darker colors so the dark wont show through.

[Anonymous]

a couple of items i forgot to mention. the antenna plane on the top of the long hood by the exhaust is a details west part. and if you look at the cab window, you'll see i added a post to the engineers side of the L window. when most of the SP SD40T-2's got rebuilt, they got this modification. but at least one that i know of lasted into UP ownership still having the L shaped window.

[Anonymous]

those are Awesome Terry!!! you have to build me one someday ok?

[brothaslide]

Nightcrawler -

You're the man!!!!!!![:D]

I've been wanting to super detail a tunnle motor but I've always needed the step by step how to.

Thanks so much for making the effort to help us.

Take care,

[Anonymous]

Only one word:

Congratulation !!!!!

[yeah][wow]

[Anonymous]

thanks for the compliments. hopefully i will be able to get a new airbrush in a week or so and get the thing painted and detailed.

stay tuned for the final installments!

[areibel]

NightCrawler-
You Da Man!! This is a perfect example of what SHOULD be on this forum!!
Thank you very much!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by areibel

NightCrawler-
You Da Man!! This is a perfect example of what SHOULD be on this forum!!
Thank you very much!

100% YES

[Anonymous]

QUESTION: Will you use Handrails from Smokey Valley ???????

[bow][:D][bow]

[Anonymous]

i never really liked the smokey valley handails. i tried them on a SD60M and it's just too much work for me. i am going to use the stock Athearn handrails. but i think i will remount them on the tops of the front and rear anticlimbers.

[Anonymous]

well, after further review, i have decided to go all out with the details.[:D]

first off, lets move to the rear. on the actual SD40T-2's there is a gap between the radiator sections on the roof. the Athearn model doesnt have this, but it is an easy fix. what i did was use my x-acto knife to cut both sides of where the gap shoild be. it is easy to see where it is. then i used the knife and slid it in the gap sideways to remove the plastic fins. they came right out.



then i added the grab bar for the roof. i used some Detail Associated .015" wire ( item 2505) and some DA formed wire eye bolts )item 2206) i drilled holes in the roof, using a prototype picture as my guide. when you look at the side of the model you will see a bolted on hatch just below the roof grills. you drill the holes to the rear of the first bolt, and to the rear of the second bolt (counting from the front) i had to bend the grab myself. i am not sure of the heigth, but it goes 2 feet back and approx 3 feet across. then i added the eye bolts and glued it into the holes.




now to the fun part. i didnt think i had enough junk on the roof yet so i decided to add more.

those small antenna planes i used at first just didnt make me happy, si i decided to make my own to match the prototype better. i used some Evergreen styrene 1/4" square tube (item 254) i cut the tube into 2' by 1 1/2 foot sections then i cut off the bottoms and trimmed them till they were 1 foot tall. dont glue them on yet! then i looked at some more pictures to find the locations of the conduit that runs along the roof to the different antenna planes. i used the same wire and eye bolts that i used for the roof grab on the rear. i drilled holes in the locations where the conduit goes into the cab roof, and for the eye bolts to hold the wire. on this model, there are 3 different wires. one on the engineers side to that small antenna plane, and 2 on the firemans side, one going to the small antenna plane and one going right through it to the larger antenna plane on the long hood.

here are the pictures so you can get a better idea of what i am talking about.





there are 3 different setups that i can find.

this one is the 116" snoot nose with the locotrol antenna stands and the antenna plane in the middle:



this one is the 88" nose model with no locotrol antennas.



and this one is another 123" snoot like the SSW model above




hopefully i will be ready to finish up paint and final details this weekend when i finally have some time off.

[Anonymous]

Yes. This is exactly the type of thing I would hope this forum would be used for. Hands on discussion of various model railroad topics. Including How To Projects.

James

[jfugate]

Nightcrawler:

Very nice topic, and well done!

You are to be commended for taking the time to post this valuable info. Excellent use of this forum.

[wt259]

Great Job!!!! A very nice series on several different locos, thanks for putting it on here. I can't wait to see the finished product when you get em painted up and decaled.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NightCrawler

a couple of items i forgot to mention. the antenna plane on the top of the long hood by the exhaust is a details west part. and if you look at the cab window, you'll see i added a post to the engineers side of the L window. when most of the SP SD40T-2's got rebuilt, they got this modification. but at least one that i know of lasted into UP ownership still having the L shaped window.

Just a little side note for SP modelers. All SP SD45's had the "L" windshield removed during rebuilding. Thanks for the how-to!

[Anonymous]

I for one don't like this post as now I'm going to ask the "War Department" for a grant to buy some Tunnel motors to do the same.[:D] Just if I could do such a great job. Very VERY nice work! I can't wait to see them painted. [bow][bow]

Jeremy

ps What did you use for the radiator grills?

[Anonymous]

Fabulous post! Excellent use of this website. Perhaps MR will want to convert this into an article!

[Anonymous]

Night Crawler, Your modeling is superb, as usual, I know you as TW on the Atlas forum, Folks, I have been keeping up with this man"s modeling for a long time, and he is a fantastic modeler, and kind and gentle in all his posts, never knew night crawler to let anyone get him to say any thing derigotory about anyone, He is just one super modeler, and I respect, and appreciate his efforts, as I know all of you do, Way to go TW, I mean Night Crawler, You are the best.


Mac

[Anonymous]

thanks for all the compliments guys. i should have them finished this weekend and ready to hit the rails. every time i go into the hobby shop i buy stuff that i dont need and forget the stuff i do need [:D] i need to go again and get another drill bit so i can add the fuel fillers to the frames on the other 3.


i am starting to run out of Southern Pacific projects. the only locomotives i still need are ones that no one makes yet, except for the GP38-2 and GP40-2. i think that when i get done with these i'll try my hand at scratchbuilding/kitbashing a couple of SP TEBU's


Jeremy, i used the grills from S&S hobby products. i got them from Walthers.

[Anonymous]

Nightcrawler, you are truely amazing! This is exactly what this forum was made for.

[brothaslide]

Nightcrawler - I saw your "Suffern Pacific" and you said it actually exsisted. Could you give a little more back ground - Seems quite interesting.

[Anonymous]

i found pictures of the Sufferrn Pacific SD40R on http://espee.railfan.net click on diesel index, then on 6 axel EMD's, then you will see a link for it at the bottom of the road number list.

it doesnt fit my era, but i had to make it anyway because it was so interesting [:D]

[Anonymous]

FINISHED!!!



after all the previous parts were installed, i painted the unit with Polly Scale SP Lark dark grey and SP scarlet. after the paint had dried, i sprayed the locomotive with Teators Glosscote and let it dry. then i added the decals from Microscale (items 87-447, 87-1069, 87-857) i brush on some of Microscales micro-set, then add the decal. after that dries, i brush on some Micro-sol. after the micro-sol dries, i pop any air bubbles and add some more. i usually do this 4 or 5 times so the decal really sits well into the cracks and lines of the shell. be sure the decal is completely dry before brushing on more or you will tear up the decal. the micro-sol makes them really soft and easy to ruin. after the declas had dried completely, i sprayed the model with testors Dullcote to seal everything and to prepare it for weathering.

I weathered these locomotives with a little bit of rust paint from floquil and some artists chalks (artists chalks can be found at almost any art or crafts store, get the softest kind they have, it blends better). i shave off some dust from the chalk stick then use a bru***o spread it around. after i got everything weathered the way i wanted it, i sprayed on another coat of dullcote to seal the chalk.

now, it's time to add the windows and some other details. the details i added were A line brass sunshades (item 29210), Details West MU cables (item MU-236), DW MU hose (item MU-266) and DW rotary beacon (item RB-106) i also added the nose grabs and then i added the handrails. give the ends of the handrails and the step edges a touch of white paint, and paint all the other details. then run the wires for the lights, install the bulbs in their holes, and secure the wires with tape or glue to the top of the shell to keep them out of the way. you will have to drill out the light holes in the Sunrise castings. i used a #55 drill bit to do this.

as for the couplers, i decided to use #58 couplers with the coupler boxes. you will have to grind or file down the coupler mounting pad to get them the correct height. then secure the shell to the chassis, screw in the couplers, and you are ready to haul; some freight!!

here is the finished product

SSW #8373 (SD40T-2 with the 123" nose)





SP #8301 (SD40T-2 with the 116" nose)





SP #8235 (SD40T-2 with an 88" nose and extended range dtnamic brakes)





SP # 8340 (SD40T-2 with the 123" nose)

[Anonymous]

I think I have the right to say one word: WOW![:0][:0][:0][:0][:0][:0][:0][:0][:0]
Reed

[Anonymous]

thanks! I dont think i will be trying this again [:D] that was a little more work than i have time to do. i have one more hard poject, and thats the pair of SP TEBU's that i am going to be starting on next. they will be basically a complete scratchbuild from the walkways up. they dont look too hard to build, not many complicated pieces except for the DB section.

stay tuned for my next guide on building the TEBU's!!!! you can watch me really screw them up[:D][:O][:D][:D].

[AntonioFP45]

Nightcrawler,

All I can say about your work: STUNNING CRAFTSMANSHIP! I'm printing up this thread and refer to it as I detail my HO units.[swg][tup]

Question: What type of glue did you use for the "See Thru" grills?? And, what technique did you use? Any tips or hints would be greatly appreciated! [8)]

As you might have read on another post, I cut out the plastic radiator grills out of an Athearn FP45 and attempted to installed See Thru grills cut from Plano metal grill material (Plano Products). Looked really nice! I then applied Ambroid but they were still a little loose so I came back with liquid CA. Winded up ruining the surrounding body area! I have 3 more FP45s, so I want to try again "the right way!" by using the "gel" type CA and taking my sweet time![:)][:D][8D][8)]

God Bless!

[Anonymous]

i used some "Gap filling" CA. it is pretty thick stuff. i spread some around the edges of the hole then placed the grill on top. it seems to hold really well so far.