A few pictures to get started...

The photo quality isn't the greatest...my apologies. I'm going to have to do something about the lighting in my workshop. It doesn't help that the light is behind me, and is one of those compact fluorescent bulbs that puts out a yellowish cast on everything. I know I can fix it in several paint programs, but I didn't do that this time.

Anyway...on to the models at hand. I found some SD40-2 units on the HOYARDSALE Yahoo group. They cost me $15, which was a pretty good deal for one powered unit and one dummy unit. It actually cost me more to have them shipped from Florida than the units cost, but I didn't mind that. My hobby shop charges more for one dummy unit than both of these units and shipping. I purchased them to finish out something that I had bought many years ago, that being a Detail Associates wide nose kit for a CN SD40-2w.

I used Vim cleaning solution and an old toothbrush to take off most of the paint. As you can see in the photos, it didn't take everything off. I'm not going to worry too much about it, as I'd rather keep scrubbing with Vim than lose any more brain cells to PineSol, Alcohol, and Brake Fluid.



This ex-L&N unit still sports the gray coat of paint and a very minute amount of the yellow lettering. I don't mind it not being a black shell, as this will allow me to see a lot of what needs to be cut apart. As it stands now, here is everything that needs to be cut off:

1. The cab and nose
2. The long hood end
3. The front and rear steps and pilots
4. The air conditioning unit behind the cab
5. The air tanks
6. The fans
7. The radiator grills
8. The nubs that hold the shell to the chassis

I also need to drill a number of holes for details, like lift rings. The steps will be replaced by the beautiful etched brass models from Railflyer Model Prototypes. I thought about using cast brass steps that have been around for years, but once I saw the RFMP steps, I ordered two sets of steps and two pilots. I am also looking at replacing the chassis on this unit with a Rail Power Products SD45-2 underframe, in order to give the unit the correct wheelbase. The Athearn chassis is fine, but the trucks are too close together so that this locomotive will negotiate an 18" radius curve.



This unit will need a bit more cleaning to get it ready for cutting and detailing. The red was horrible...it took a lot more elbow grease to remove what I was able to remove. It will also need all of the same parts cut off in order for me to make this unit into a CN model.

I have a lot of the detail parts on hand to get both of these units started. I have both of the cabs, the Cannon and Company fans, long hood ends, and grills, the Railflyer steps, pilots, and pillow blocks (they hold cables under the deck), and anticlimbers. I still need air tanks, horns, grab irons, fuel fillers, electrical boxes, snow shields, and many more parts. It may take a while to get everything together, but I'm willing to work at getting the parts.

I'll post more as it becomes available.

One problem solved...

I posted the other day about having a problem stripping the paint off of some old Athearn Blue Box locomotive shells. I solved the problem today...quite by accident.

I was going to give the carb cleaner a try, until I read on a website that carb cleaner can sometimes ruin plastics. So, I gave it a shot on a cab that I wasn't going to use anyway. The cab now has fingerprints and paper towel permanently stuck to it. Good thing I didn't spray it on the shell.

So, I was thinking about getting some 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Sudbury and dunking the shells in that...and then I tried something different.

I looked under the kitchen sink and found a bottle of Vim. Vim is a cleaning product made (at least here) by Unilever Canada. I poured a little on the side of the locomotive and started scrubbing with a toothbrush. The Family Lines/SCL paint began to fade away, with the lettering going first, then the yellow paint...the red paint was a bit more painful, and then some of the black came free. The L&N gray and yellow was a bit easier.

Now, the paint isn't completely off. There are some spots that need a bit more work. I'm going to pick up a dollar store electric toothbrush, as it will help take the paint off faster and get into the nooks and crannies a bit better than I could with a manual toothbrush.

So, there you have it. When all else fails, look under the kitchen sink.

Pictures will be coming as soon as I have access to a digital camera.

Now to begin doing the cutting work...

Start at the beginning...

This blog has been many things over the years. Political commentary, movie reviews, criticism of professional wrestling or MMA fights, comedy/rants, and the occasional rantings of a mind that finds interesting things in the most mundane of subjects.

And what has this done....not bloody much.

So, I'm starting over. I've gone back to the black background, and I'm looking forward to doing something that I enjoy doing, but with a new purpose. I'm looking at using this blog to show things I'm working on, as they progress from raw materials to finished product. As I am a train nut, that means that this blog is probably going to show a lot of model trains being turned from something I bought that I couldn't use into something that I can.

Now, to start off...I have run into a problem. It's totally fixable, but it's a bit of a head-scratcher. I have some locomotive shells that need to be stripped. I could go on eBay and buy undecorated shells and have them delivered in a week from California, but I have the shells here and can do it with little to no cost involved. But here's the problem: what to strip them with...

Some sites say Isopropyl Alcohol is the trick. At 70%, all it did was clean the shell. Which is nice, but it didn't even budge the paint. Pine-Sol removed some paint from one shell, but the other two ended up with test pieces having a very sticky goo run all over the place. My next trick might be carburetor cleaner...nasty stuff. Brake fluid is one other option.

So, why not use a paint stripper from a hobby store, you ask? Well, that's partly due to the fact that my nearest hobby store isn't always carrying what I'd like to buy. If I need to pay $6.50 for one piece of flex track or $300 for a locomotive that will still need $80 worth of detail parts to make it look right, he's got it in stock. If I need a $2.00 part or some paint stripper, it's not always going to happen.

So, what to do...what to do....

As I continue this journey, you will find out.