A bit of progress over the holidays
Sorry to have been gone for a while. I had important obligations that took my time away from the blog and my projects. Some things are more important than this blog and my trains...
Anyway...I did get some work done on my locomotives. First, I chopped the cab, cab sub base, electrical box, most of the pilot, fans, grills, and rear long hood end off of the unit. I also drilled out all of the holes for the lift rings and the curved fan grab. It is a lot of work doing all of this, especially since I've been away from this kind of work for a bit of time. But much like riding a bike, once you know how to do it...
Above is an overhead shot showing much of the work that was completed. Removing the cab has made the structure a lot weaker...something which will be able to be corrected once the new Canadian cab is added. The front pilot and steps were removed to make way for the very nice Railflyer Model Prototypes etched brass steps and pilots.
This photo shows all of the work done on the roof at the moment. I drilled and sanded the holes for the fans, and the fan support rings are a perfect fit. I test fitted the one ring in the dynamic brake hatch for this photo just to see how it worked out. I did not remove any other parts as many modellers do when they are kitbashing Athearn locomotives, as I don't think the Athearn parts are too bad.
This photo shows a test fit of the Detail Associates cab and Railflyer Model Prototypes steps and pilots. While there is a better cab kit on the market, I had the DA one in stock and can live with it. Yes, there is a major gap in front of the nose...this will be filled in with styrene and putty, and then probably covered over with treadplate. The Railflyer steps and pilots are amazing...there will need to be more parts bought in order to make these units look good.
I wish my skills at photography matched my skills at building stuff, as my pictures don't do the parts justice. However, looking at both units in the photo, one can already see how much of an improvement has been made by adding these new parts.
These last two photos show the front and back ends of the two units. The unmodified Athearn gray unit has a huge gap in both pilots...note the realistic openings on the Railflyer pilot on the modified unit. The rear photo shows the excellent Cannon and Company rear grills and rear end. If you are planning on kitbashing any Athearn blue box locomotives, I highly recommend replacing the long hood end with Cannon and Company parts...it beats trying to remove all of the cast on grab irons and having to drill all of those holes correctly.
I will return when I have done more work.
Anyway...I did get some work done on my locomotives. First, I chopped the cab, cab sub base, electrical box, most of the pilot, fans, grills, and rear long hood end off of the unit. I also drilled out all of the holes for the lift rings and the curved fan grab. It is a lot of work doing all of this, especially since I've been away from this kind of work for a bit of time. But much like riding a bike, once you know how to do it...
Above is an overhead shot showing much of the work that was completed. Removing the cab has made the structure a lot weaker...something which will be able to be corrected once the new Canadian cab is added. The front pilot and steps were removed to make way for the very nice Railflyer Model Prototypes etched brass steps and pilots.
This photo shows all of the work done on the roof at the moment. I drilled and sanded the holes for the fans, and the fan support rings are a perfect fit. I test fitted the one ring in the dynamic brake hatch for this photo just to see how it worked out. I did not remove any other parts as many modellers do when they are kitbashing Athearn locomotives, as I don't think the Athearn parts are too bad.
This photo shows a test fit of the Detail Associates cab and Railflyer Model Prototypes steps and pilots. While there is a better cab kit on the market, I had the DA one in stock and can live with it. Yes, there is a major gap in front of the nose...this will be filled in with styrene and putty, and then probably covered over with treadplate. The Railflyer steps and pilots are amazing...there will need to be more parts bought in order to make these units look good.
I wish my skills at photography matched my skills at building stuff, as my pictures don't do the parts justice. However, looking at both units in the photo, one can already see how much of an improvement has been made by adding these new parts.
These last two photos show the front and back ends of the two units. The unmodified Athearn gray unit has a huge gap in both pilots...note the realistic openings on the Railflyer pilot on the modified unit. The rear photo shows the excellent Cannon and Company rear grills and rear end. If you are planning on kitbashing any Athearn blue box locomotives, I highly recommend replacing the long hood end with Cannon and Company parts...it beats trying to remove all of the cast on grab irons and having to drill all of those holes correctly.
I will return when I have done more work.
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