Building an SD-60, NS style: A little help

[Anonymous]

I am considering putting together an SD-60 in NS paint, using Microscale decals and a Rail Power Products shell and chassis. My question is: What sort of motor and wheels do I put under the shell? Will the wheels and drive from an Athearn SD-45 do the job? I'm doing all this so as to avoid paying out the nose for an Atlas engine ($140 for one engine? No thank you very much!). So, if anyone can confirm my guess or set me straight, please let me know.
Thanks!
Gavin
([e-mail])

[Anonymous]

If you were going to build an NS SD60, you would need the following parts:

460-87435 -- Microscale GE & EMD diesels -- $5.00
460-87527 -- Microscale GE & EMD data -- $5.00
140-4500/11 -- Athearn SD40T-2 powered -- $44.50
60-502 -- Rail Power SD60 shell -- $16.00
60-5502 -- Rail Power SD60 handrails -- $9.95
732-137 -- Train Station Products HTC sideframes -- $8.95
235-250 -- Details West K5HR24 horn -- $3.25
235-256 -- Details West plow (CSX,NS)-- $1.95
235-157 – Details West firecracker antenna -- $1.95
229-2211 -- Detail Assoc. AAR cut lever -- $2.50
229-2206 -- Detail Assoc. eye bolts -- $3.00
229-2202 -- Detail Assoc. drop grab irons -- $2.50
229-1003 -- Detail Assoc. Pyle EMD headlight -- $1.00


Now those are just the parts you’d need to deck out the model the way a Life-Like Proto 2000 model comes out of the box. If you didn’t want to mill down the Athearn frame, add another $12.75 to the $105.55 you’ve got here already. This is by no means a super-detailing project (meaning the parts I’ve listed). This list will give you a good start, though.

If you were willing to spend the money to get started on this project ($105.55), you could easily buy two Proto 2000 NS SD60s on ebay. And believe me, they are well worth it. They run better than Athearn locomotives, they have directional lighting, they weigh a ton, the detailing is amazing, and they are pretty cheap on ebay right now. Not only that, you only have to do a fraction of the work to have them up and running on your layout.

If you are still insistent on doing your own model, I’d suggest getting an undecorated P2K SD60 and start there. You’ll save money and you’ll have a better model. That’s what I’ve done (hence the handy parts list) and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

As far as the Rail Power SD60 chassis is concerned, it is not configured for the Athearn SD45 drive train. For one thing, the SD45 is significantly shorter than the SD60. The drive line components will end up being too short to fit. Also, the trucks are designed for a different style frame, so they won’t mount to the SD60 frame at all. Not only that, the SD45 rides on trucks of a different design than the later –2 models. The RPP SD60 is designed to use the Athearn SD40-2/T-2 drive system. I suggested the SD40T-2 for two reasons. First, it is slightly longer than the SD40-2 so it has the correct length frame. Second, the Athearn SD40-2 has been redesigned with a new motor and other drive components. It is a more expensive starting point for your project than the older SD40T-2.

And finally, my own personal opinions of Rail Power Products. I absolutely love this company. I have learned so much from their kits. Using their kits helped me get started kitbashing. And at the time, their products were of very good quality. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying their products have declined in quality. In fact, the opposite is true. But other manufacturers have really raised the bar and they’ve been left behind. When I use their kits, I make it a rule to replace the cab (a definite must), grilles, nose, long hood end and fans. Because of this, Cannon & Co. must love me. These RPP details just aren’t up to snuff (for me). But again, they are a fantastic company with a great product line.

And you mentioned the $140 MSRP for Atlas locomotives…

Even if I had paid $140 each for my Atlas B40-8 locomotives, they’d be worth every penny. But you NEVER have to pay that much. You should find them for $80-95 each on ebay and a couple other places if you just look.

Anyway, best of luck to you in your modeling endeavors. If you have any questions (particularly NS questions) don’t hesitate to contact me at [e-mail]

Sincerely,

RC Harris
RC’s Custom Diesels
Durango, Colorado



If you were going to build an NS SD60, you would need the following parts:

460-87435 -- Microscale GE & EMD diesels -- $5.00
460-87527 -- Microscale GE & EMD data -- $5.00
140-4500/11 -- Athearn SD40T-2 powered -- $44.50
60-502 -- Rail Power SD60 shell -- $16.00
60-5502 -- Rail Power SD60 handrails -- $9.95
732-137 -- Train Station Products HTC sideframes -- $8.95
235-250 -- Details West K5HR24 horn -- $3.25
235-256 -- Details West plow (CSX,NS)-- $1.95
235-157 – Details West firecracker antenna -- $1.95
229-2211 -- Detail Assoc. AAR cut lever -- $2.50
229-2206 -- Detail Assoc. eye bolts -- $3.00
229-2202 -- Detail Assoc. drop grab irons -- $2.50
229-1003 -- Detail Assoc. Pyle EMD headlight -- $1.00


Now those are just the parts you’d need to deck out the model the way a Life-Like Proto 2000 model comes out of the box. If you didn’t want to mill down the Athearn frame, add another $12.75 to the $105.55 you’ve got here already. This is by no means a super-detailing project (meaning the parts I’ve listed). This list will give you a good start, though.

If you were willing to spend the money to get started on this project ($105.55), you could easily buy two Proto 2000 NS SD60s on ebay. And believe me, they are well worth it. They run better than Athearn locomotives, they have directional lighting, they weigh a ton, the detailing is amazing, and they are pretty cheap on ebay right now. Not only that, you only have to do a fraction of the work to have them up and running on your layout.

If you are still insistent on doing your own model, I’d suggest getting an undecorated P2K SD60 and start there. You’ll save money and you’ll have a better model. That’s what I’ve done (hence the handy parts list) and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

As far as the Rail Power SD60 chassis is concerned, it is not configured for the Athearn SD45 drive train. For one thing, the SD45 is significantly shorter than the SD60. The drive line components will end up being too short to fit. Also, the trucks are designed for a different style frame, so they won’t mount to the SD60 frame at all. Not only that, the SD45 rides on trucks of a different design than the later –2 models. The RPP SD60 is designed to use the Athearn SD40-2/T-2 drive system. I suggested the SD40T-2 for two reasons. First, it is slightly longer than the SD40-2 so it has the correct length frame. Second, the Athearn SD40-2 has been redesigned with a new motor and other drive components. It is a more expensive starting point for your project than the older SD40T-2.

And finally, my own personal opinions of Rail Power Products. I absolutely love this company. I have learned so much from their kits. Using their kits helped me get started kitbashing. And at the time, their products were of very good quality. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying their products have declined in quality. In fact, the opposite is true. But other manufacturers have really raised the bar and they’ve been left behind. When I use their kits, I make it a rule to replace the cab (a definite must), grilles, nose, long hood end and fans. Because of this, Cannon & Co. must love me. These RPP details just aren’t up to snuff (for me). But again, they are a fantastic company with a great product line.

And you mentioned the $140 MSRP for Atlas locomotives…

Even if I had paid $140 each for my Atlas B40-8 locomotives, they’d be worth every penny. But you NEVER have to pay that much. You should find them for $80-95 each on ebay and a couple other places if you just look.

Anyway, best of luck to you in your modeling endeavors. If you have any questions (particularly NS questions) don’t hesitate to contact me at [e-mail]

Sincerely,

RC Harris
RC’s Custom Diesels
Durango, Colorado

[Anonymous]

RC is right I made a UP SD60 the way he described, (ALOT of work!) and then 3 months later P2K announced theirs.

After seeing one I've purchased eleven of them and actually just picked up 2 more this past weekend to add to my fleet. However, if your looking on ebay and find one for 80 dollars that's still higher than I've seen them for. By going to swap meets and train shows, I've been able to pick them up brand new and in perfect condition for anywhere from $55.00 to $65.00. Plus if you don't mind stripping them (by using rubbing alcohol) you maybe able to help somebody out who is stuck with a RR that they can't unload (sometimes even a better deal).Once it's stripped you're ready to go. I've wound up stripping 4 SD60's and then painting and decaling them, and the way the P2K's are built they are alot easier to paint and mask than a Railpower which is all one piece.

Good luck with your decision and project.

[Anonymous]

Does Atlas really make a SD60 in HO.Will rubbing alcohol strip paint off an P2K SD60.

[Anonymous]

Atlas, to the best of my knowledge, makes an N scale SD60 but not an HO scale SD60.

To strip paint with "rubbing" alcohol, make sure it is the 91% Isopropyl kind. "Rubbing" alcohol is usually in the 70% area and won't strip paint (at least I've never been patient enough to wait for it!).

RC

P.S. Sorry about doubling my earlier post. I write in a word processing program then paste into this little window so I can see what I'm typing better. I guess I got carried away with the pasting!

[Anonymous]

No Atlas only makes an N scale SD60 and a N scale SD60M.

Yes rubbing alcohol will strip a P2K shell. People have always said that the 70% won't work but actually it does. That's the only percentage that I've ever been able to find and it works. The trick is you have to submerge the shell in it and let it soak for about 5 minutes or so. Then you should be able to get some of the paint off with a tooth brush or something. The real key is to be patient and keep brushing some paint off, then let it soak some more, come back and then brush off some more paint off.

I've also had trouble getting some of the cab windows out of some of my P2K models when I would disassemble them for painting. But some rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip works great, put some on a stubborn one and it'll pop right out.

[Anonymous]

Will the grab irons and other detail stay on.If they do i can paint over them.If they dont one heak of a job.

[Anonymous]

Yes the details will stay on, but it's actually gonna depend on the road that you want to model. If you're gonna have to strip it I would recommend removing the grab irons, then they aren't in the way when you remove the paint. But if you're model is gonna be a dark color like black you might be able to get away without stripping it. I did that with a KCS SD60, I painted it black and then decaled it for a D&RGW SD50. With the black paint and the large logo on the side it covered up the large KCS logo perfectly.

It is actually pretty easy to remove and also reinstall the grab irons on the P2K SD60's. I've found that a "long nose" tweezers works great. The longer nose lets you slide it under on of the "bolts" on the grab iron and the angel of the handle lets you use it like a lever and fulcrum. Pull the tweezer down toward the model and the grab iron will slide right out, and then you can do the other side of the grab iron. It's easier if you do each side of a grab iron seperately.

Now of course putting them back is just as easy, you just reverse the process. Unless your paint job is abit too thick. Then you'll have to take a small drill bit and open up the holes alittle bit. (don't use too big of a bit though, they look alot better when they're friction fit in place.