My Scott Lupia Salute: ATSF U36C 8714

[Cajonpassfan]

Beautiful modeling Scott! How do you paint your track to get the rusty rail on dark gray tie and roadbed look?
Otto K.

[nkalanaga]

Nobody here has one made from the N Scale of Nevada body shells?  I have two, but would have to dig deep to get to them.

[randgust]

Pulling it all together here.....

As you know, 70 of the U36C's were rebuilt into SF30C's by Santa Fe. (and I'm pretty sure the first major group of GE's that ATSF ever put through an in-house rebuild program; i.e. they actually liked them that much).   The other 30 were leasers and were returned.   The SF30C's kept going, and finally ended up back at GE apparently as trades.   They went out a THIRD time as GE lease units (TLLX/LRCX). 

The spotting features for an SF30C include the closed-in windows (cost too much to equip the little ones with FRA glazing) and the modified nose.  Different profile from original.    http://atsf.railfan.net/sfkodcrm/sf30c.htm      I've never found a good reason for the nose job, if anybody knows I'd like to know.   Larger restroom?  It doesn't look like the cab moved, and there's not much room in front of it, so how was that ever done?  It looks to me like an extension was put on to move the walkway forward, but I have no proof of that other than observation.

My "8714" became  ATSF 9518 as an SF30C, then "TLLX 9518", then "LRCX 9518....??"  or was it the other way around....
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1872723

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=112162

Anyway, if you like U36C's here's you good reason to flag 'em as a GE leaser and run them about anywhere.

I'm seeing shots of this popping up as a leaser in 2005 and possibly 2009.  Incredibly long life for a 1972 GE (pre Dash).

I'd imagine this has long since been scrapped, but for all I know it's parked in the LTEX lot or who knows where.  There's a Trainorders thread that  whole batch of them were sent to BRAZIL.   No idea if this is accurate, but....

"9518 - Ferronorte (Brazil) 9328 "

Wow, look what that got me to:   
http://www.mafiactc.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180:sf30c&catid=42:sf30c&Itemid=192

I can't read a word of it, but I don't think I have to.    Darn thing very well might still be running in its fourth life!

[Philip H]

My Portuguese is nowhere as good as my Spanish (!)  but this paragraph:

No final de sua vida útil, as SF30C foram vendidas para três empresas. A Southwest Car Parts (SCP) comprou 14 unidades e sucateou todas elas, a National Railway Equipment (NRE) também comprou 14 unidades e a Livingston Rebuild Center (LRC) comprou 37 unidades, totalizando 65 locomotivas vendidas. A BNSF ficou com apenas 5 unidades e manteve duas em operação até meados de 2003.

essentially says that BNSF sold or returned all but 5 units (between 19965 and 1996) to Southwest Car Parts (SCP) (14 units); NRE (14 units) and LRC (65 units).  BNSF kept 5 units in service through at least the middle of 2003.  The locomotive pictured (3736) was sold by NRE to MRS on 9 August 1995.  LRC also sold a bunch of these to Brazillian operators. It appears these locos are all still in service.

[randgust]

Another shot I found of the Brazil Ferronorte units - sorta like finding your old girlfriend at a high school reunion and going 'what HAPPENED to HER???'

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=806714

Literally, "Do these trucks make me look fat?"

And if that Trainorders post is right - here's 8714 in its fourth life as 9328, in a photo dated 2013.... now 41 years later.   That's a some kind of a record for a U-boat outside of some museum and shortlines.  Nobody is being nice to these.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4211015

[davefoxx]

Another shot I found of the Brazil Ferronorte units - sorta like finding your old girlfriend at a high school reunion and going 'what HAPPENED to HER???'

Heh, she seems to have gotten a little "plump" in front of the radiator section.   

DFF

[Philip H]

Heh, she seems to have gotten a little "plump" in front of the radiator section.   

DFF

And she's draggin around 9 of her other girlfriends for the day too it appears.

That, I do have to say, is one seriously nice relatively modern shot of iconic GE radiators . . . .

[mcjaco]

Don't forget that one of Kodachromes made it all the way to BNSF patching too.

[randgust]

I'm not really a huge fan of the SF30C conversion, but if you are - this is a pretty nice job in HO and some more information/sources:
http://www.pbase.com/sammy1974/kitbashed_sf30c
I'm just more intrigued that "my" unit, the 8714, may still be running at this late a date, in a fourth incantation and sort of like the woodsman's axe - there may be some 1972 steel left in it somewhere.
Has anybody on here done one in N?  Looks like fertile ground for Shapeways parts, although I don't see anything out there.

For a moment I found myself daydreaming what scale it would be if you made 9mm equal to the Brazil wide gauge and had to do it backwards....the exact reverse of most scale/gauge situations.

[randgust]

OK guys, I had to do at least one action shot....



I will plead guilty to photoshop cloning in the rest of the sky, but that's all I did.

[nkalanaga]

If they went to Brazil, I wonder if any ended up on the EFVM (now FCA?) meter gauge?  Plenty of other large GEs did, to keep the DDM45s company.  RRPictureArchives has at least one shoot of a DDM45 and BB40-9WM together.  Who said narrow gauge had to be small?

[Santa Fe Guy]

Hi Otto. Thanks for your kind words.
No all of my track is M/E code 55. I do however have all of my sidings lower than my mainline by about 3mm and then all of my industry tracks lower by another 3mm. I taper all of the cork roadbed to make a nice transition just after the turnout. When I built the layout I used two layers of 3mm cork on all the mainline track-age as I wanted to highlight the drainage ditches. This then allowed me to get the look I wanted for the sidings and industry tracks.
Regards
Rod.

[u18b]

Don't forget that one of Kodachromes made it all the way to BNSF patching too.

This one is similar I suppose.

But just to be strictly accurate, this one is not the same loco.

The starting point is not a U36C, but rather a C30-7 (like Kato already made).

You can even see that in the URL...

http://www.qstation.org/C30-7/html/BNSF/Roster/jpeg/bnsf5184.jpg

[mcjaco]

^ I know it's not the same loco.  I was just pointing out that one of the Kodachrome U Boats made it all the way to BNSF lettering.  If you like Kodachromes, and model into the early 2000's, this is a unit for you to model.

[Cajonpassfan]

Hi Otto. Thanks for your kind words.
No all of my track is M/E code 55. I do however have all of my sidings lower than my mainline by about 3mm and then all of my industry tracks lower by another 3mm. I taper all of the cork roadbed to make a nice transition just after the turnout. When I built the layout I used two layers of 3mm cork on all the mainline track-age as I wanted to highlight the drainage ditches. This then allowed me to get the look I wanted for the sidings and industry tracks.
Regards
Rod.

Thanks Rod, looks great!
Otto