Copper State Railway SD40-2 progress report

[6axlepwr]

Today I poured the rubber mold for the Q-exhaust. Tomorrow morning I can pull it out of the pressure pot and get my first casting done. If it does not come out to my satisfaction, I am just going to can the idea.

Hopefully tomorrow evening I can post some pictures of a succesful cast. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Today I weathered the trucks and fuel tank. I am so used to weathering in HO. N-Scale is so small it is hard to get the weathering the way I want it. I'll get there though. Usually at first I do not like the results I get. After a while though I come around and I really like it. The weathering on the trucks and fuel tank an really make or break a model. I have a hard time seeing it in N. I need more light on it. I also need to get some new fine pointy brushes so I can lay down some powers in streaks. I also need to get a few more Pan Pastel colors. The more I do though, the better I will get at it.

My goal for tomorrow is to get the hand rails and deck painted and chipped. Also to get a castin gof the Q-exhaust done.

Friday I gave the go ahead for Micro Scale to make my decals. I also finished making the prototype for my copper concentrate hopper. I need to get more mold rubber so I can make a mold and start casting them. My decal sheet has decals for this car and for a fleet of Copper State Railway boxcars.

[6axlepwr]

Today I made some good progress on this snoot. The Q exhaust hatch mold came out great. This morning I poured some resin. I let it cure all day and this evening I built my first hatch. I like the way it came out. The exhaust silencer did not come out well at all. Had a depression in it and the exhaust stack was very wavy. I'll build a new silencer with photo etch for the bolt plate and a 3D printed silencer. I'll get that design done tomorrow and then send in all the photo etch in and the silencer to get printed.



This hatch started out as an Athearn HO Q-exhaust. I cut the DB hatch from it and just cast the exhaust portion and shrunk it with Hydrospan 400. It took me many many tries to get the shrinkage to a size close enough to work with. I finally settled on 4 parts water to 1 part Hydrospan. Due to neither model be 100% dimensionally correct, I had to figure out what was the best way to approach this . I shrunk the hatch so that it was correct in length or at least very close. This also made it very close in height.  Proportionally everything looked correct. After casting, the length came within 0.015" and the height came within 0.005". The major issue was the width was off by 0.030". That was OK though. I had planned for that.

So the process was this. I cast the part as one solid piece. I made sure the ends were squared up and then cut the hatch to the correct height. If you look in the background of the photo above, you wil see extra castings. The two to the right have a base cast on them. I trim this base to about 0.020" away from the part. Turn the part upside down and put it in the mill vise with the base against the top of the vise. I lower the bit till it is 0.005" off the top of the vise and mill the base off. I then pull the part out and trim the excess base up to the part. Once the clean up is done, I then put double sided tape on top of the vise and stick the hatch down to it. I then trim off the exhaust silencer. Now the part is ready to be widened. I simply cut the part in half, add a sheet of 0.030" styrene and glue it all back together. I trim the excess styrene off and the part is the correct size all the way around. Now I take the part and again use double sided tape to stick the part back down on the top of the vise. This time up side down. Now I cut the channel out from underneath to clear the frame.

The hatch you see in these photos has been given a very light coat of primer gray to check for any surface imperfections and and splice lines I might need to fill. The hatch portion is done. All the detail from the HO hatch came through. The contactor door latches and hinges. Everything. I am very pleased with the results. As mentioned above, I now need to build the exhaust silencer.

[6axlepwr]

Another breif update.

So far this is where the model stands. You can see a bit of the weathering on the trucks and fuel tank. Photo does not show it well. I like putting it all together now and then just to see how it is looking assembled. Gets me all excited that I am on the way to completing it. If you want to see the prototype I am basing my model off of, look up BNSF SD40-2 #6860.



You will notice the different color plastic for the radiator roof. When I was cutting the fans off to put the Q-fans on, I cut a little to deep in one area. I had to perform some surgery and put the new hatch on. This worked out well though. After cutting the hatch off the donor model, I cleaned it up and made sure it was level front to back. I then taped it to the top of the mill vise and used a 1/16th" three flute cutter and carefully cut the #1 and #2 fans off. The #3 stays as a standard 48" fan. After installing the #1 and #2 Q-fans, I had to remove the #1 fan. The fan base got ruined. It was too thin and became a little to wavy. A new one is curing now and I will put it on tomorrow.

Another thing I did tonight was remove the batten strip on the roof between the engine room and the radiator section. I then scribed a joint line in its place. you can also see I have started the paint work and preweathering of the deck. I used the hair spray technique to chip the deck. Everything will look much better when all the weathering solutions are added. The blue and the chipped off areas will not be so stark and will look more like this when it is done. http://www.6axlepwr.com/files/CSR_SD40T2_509_14.jpg. I used the same method.



I have already done the yellow hand rail ends and chipped them as well. Next up will be to put the yellow on the bottom step and the second and top step edges.

Yesterday I sent in my photo etch. So in about two weeks I should have it back. The Q-exhaust is being printed now and I should have that the beginning of next week. I should have my decals in about three or four weeks. Once I get the photo etch and the Q-exhaust, I can finish the model and get it painted. After I get the decals, I can apply them and get the model weathered and finished.

[6axlepwr]

It has been a while since I updated this thread. I am still waiting on my final photo etch to come in as well as the decals so I can finish this project.

In the photo below you can see the fans are all finally in place. All the details on this model are based on BNSF SD40-2 #6080. The trailing fan was a standard 48" fan. I have the exhaust hatch cast. It is waiting for the photo etch bolt plate that will fit under it. Then I can glue all that together. Tonight I finished installing the horn and the horn air line. The air line is 0.006" brass wire. The brackets holding the air line in place are 0.008" wire. One end is smashed. I then drilled a 0.008" hole through the smashed end. I trimed the smashed end up to the hole and then used a fine diamond file to round off the coutour. Holes are drilled in teh top of the shell and the brackets inserted into them. Only the horn is glued in place. Once all the paint is done and the cab is in place, I can glue the brackets. The horn is from Atlas. It is the one used on the C420. It is the only horn that had the correct bell configuration.

The white piece of plastic you see under the blower shute is to fill in the gap between the bottom of the blower shute and the top of the walkway.



All that is left for detailing is to get the photo etch in place. That would be the lift rings, wind deflector/mirrors, windshield wipers, bolt plate for under the exhaust hatch and also the bolt plate that will be under the cab vent on the left side and a few blank off plates on the nose. I have already remade all the grab irons again. I lost the first batch I made. Bet I vacuumed them up without noticing.

Once it is painted, the detail will show better. All those white cast parts do not show up in photos well.

[ednadolski]

It has been a while since I updated this thread. I am still waiting on my final photo etch to come in as well as the decals so I can finish this project.

Looks real good at this stage Brian!   

All the details on this model are based on BNSF SD40-2 #6080.

Looks like above, you said it was BNSF 6860, is that correct?

The brackets holding the air line in place are 0.008" wire. One end is smashed. I then drilled a 0.008" hole through the smashed end. I trimed the smashed end up to the hole and then used a fine diamond file to round off the coutour.

Whew, how small is that flattened wire?   Putting a hole thru that sounds like a tricky task.  Actually, that whole step sounds like a feat, to do it accurately.

I have already remade all the grab irons again. I lost the first batch I made. Bet I vacuumed them up without noticing.

Yep, I hate it when that happens.... 

BTW, are you suing the Kato brake wheel?   Sunrise used to sell a cast metal one that was pretty nice.  IIRC, GMM makes some nice etched ones too...  I'll have to go look later and see if I have any on hand....


Another thought, are you doing an MU cable?   I know I'm always pining for the old Sunrise parts, but that was another one from them.  Being cast, the cable itself was overly thick, but one could cut off & use just the ends, with a thin piece of solid wire in between, formed to shape.

 

All those white cast parts do not show up in photos well.

Love to see some close-ups, once you've got them painted.


Ed

[6axlepwr]

Looks real good at this stage Brian!   


Looks like above, you said it was BNSF 6860, is that correct?

Yes, that is correct. #6860. For some reason I knew the number I put down was wrong, but could not convince myself of it.


Whew, how small is that flattened wire?   Putting a hole thru that sounds like a tricky task.  Actually, that whole step sounds like a feat, to do it accurately.

The wire is 0.008" diameter to start with. Flatten the end in a machinist vise. Prick the end with a pointed scribe and drill it out with a 0.008" bit. Once that is done, use sprue nippers to contour the end and then use a fine diamond file to round it off.


Yep, I hate it when that happens.... 

BTW, are you suing the Kato brake wheel?   Sunrise used to sell a cast metal one that was pretty nice.  IIRC, GMM makes some nice etched ones too...  I'll have to go look later and see if I have any on hand....

No, I am not using the Kato brake wheel. I have a new one on my photo etch sheet. It is actually a two part brake wheel. An experiment. There is an outer brake wheel and an inner one. Total thickness will be 0.008". The outer brake wheel has a recess in the center with the appropriate hex nut detail. The inner brake wheel has a hole through it to solder a mounting pin. Then solder the two halves together around the outside perimeter. Use a diamond file and fine sand paper to round off the outer edge.

All the etchings are nickle silver for strength and solderablility.


Another thought, are you doing an MU cable?   I know I'm always pining for the old Sunrise parts, but that was another one from them.  Being cast, the cable itself was overly thick, but one could cut off & use just the ends, with a thin piece of solid wire in between, formed to shape.

Another experiment I have going. On my photo etch sheet I have the glad hands etched. The outer two MU hoses are 0.006" wire. The inner one is 0.008" wire. I had a friend measure them. Those are the closest wire sizes. The glad hands have a hole at the top. I'll bend the wire into an "L" shape. Above the hole in the glad hand is a half etched collar. I'll pass the wire through the hole, wrap the collar around the wire and then put a VERY small dab of solder on it. The solder wil help give the glad hand some thickness and shape. Again, all and experiment.

I also have some knuckle brackets made that go on the rear pilot plate.

 


Love to see some close-ups, once you've got them painted.


Ed

[Spades]

Brian

I have learned so much from this thread, so much useful info. Looking forward to future updates.

 Any chance the Q exhaust casting will be made available?  ( I've got 2 SD40T-2's in need)   Look forward to seeing the exhaust silencer (I need 11.) Selling 13 n scale detail parts is a financial dead but if they are available... 

Brian, http://www.bayareaprototypemodelers.net/ it is a small gathering, but Dave Hussey, Liz Allen and others are always in attendance.

G

[6axlepwr]

Thanks G.

If it was as easy as just castng the exahsut hatch, I would offer them. But it is not. The hatch has to be built. I really should put together an update showing how it is built. Then you would understand why I can't really offer them.

Since I am still waiting on parts, I should be able to put that together this weekend. Give me something to do. Plus it will add to my photo series for an RPM presentation I am putting together with this build.

[Spades]

Brian

Looking forward to the post.  Teach a man to fish...

Greg

[ednadolski]

So you have seen this cab before, but there is something different. There is something else I have added. In an earlier update I had mentioned I was working on something that I thought was going to be pretty cool. It is now done and on the cab in the photo. Look at the windows. They come out to the edge of the gasket or rather closer to the edge of the gasket. No more window shelf. I had some laser cut window test shots done.

These windows do not fit the older Kato cab though. The windows between the new Kato SD40-2 and the older one are differeny sizes. So I will have to figure those ones out as well.

In looking at this again, it just hit me:  those windows are so doggone good, I can hardly tell that they are even in there in this picture.

Ed

[jpwisc]

I would love to put windows like that in my SD40-2s, they look so much better than the stock ones.

[primavw]

yes nice windows! any updates on this?

[ednadolski]

I would love to put windows like that in my SD40-2s, they look so much better than the stock ones.

I would love windows like that in all of my engines.

Brian, did the laser cut edges come out with any kind of rounding?   If so, then it is very hard to see it in the picture.

Ed

[BobS]

I am wondering what is the status of this build?