Project "Blue Box" GP40-2

[pacbelt]

Here's Pacific Belt's new paint scheme!!!

[pacbelt]

Here's the cab, with DA Prime A/C unit, and A-Line brass sunshades....

[pacbelt]

If you've never used them, the A-Line brass sunshades could not be easier to use!!!
This pic shows them on the "tree", easily painted....

The part I scraped clean, is the supplied Template, for drilling the holes for mounting!

[faraway]

If you've never used them, the A-Line brass sunshades could not be easier to use!!!...

They are great stuff indeed. Another advantage is their robustness. They are flexible and will not break off so easy like the plastic sunshades.

I use Atlas spare parts air hoses. They have a very attractive price and Atlas online ordering is easy. I think this are four spare parts of the MP15DC sold for 60 Cent each.

[pacbelt]

I just found Atlas spare parts yesterday...
What a treasure!! SMOOTH Atlas motors - for $24.99!!!
Fuel tanks - $2.99!!!!

Oh, I'm going SHOPPING, like a girl in a shoe store! My wife's gonna be Pissed!!!

[Tyson Rayles]

That should be a sweet little loco when you are done! Many a HO layout would be hurting for motive power if it wasn't for the Athern Bluebox!

[Southern Tuxedo]

Brings me to the last point....
Yes, I could easily put an Atlas frame under it. Unfortunately, life events have left me quite poor.
I have a few Blue Boxes laying around from many years. My object: to turn these into highly detailed models, with DCC and Sound, for less than $100 each!!

Money can stifle creativity and often times you can come up with a better solution than if you just threw money at a store bought item.

Your paint scheme...

Just a week or two ago, I was admiring some pictures of a Maryland Midland Whitcomb switcher and also Allegheny CF7's (CF7's are a favorite of mine ) all painted in blue and orange and was thinking "what a classy color combination". Yours looks great too!

Keep up the good work.
Mark

[pacbelt]

Money can stifle creativity and often times you can come up with a better solution than if you just threw money at a store bought item.

Your paint scheme...

Just a week or two ago, I was admiring some pictures of a Maryland Midland Whitcomb switcher and also Allegheny CF7's (CF7's are a favorite of mine ) all painted in blue and orange and was thinking "what a classy color combination". Yours looks great too!

Keep up the good work.
Mark

Mike (Tyson), True Dat!!! The lowly Athearn Blue Box transformed our hobby from specialty to Mainstream, in the early 1960's!

Mark - Right! Creativity was forced to go up, when the wallet shrank....
I'm glad too!! I learned I know more than I thought!
Thanks guys, really!!! I'm not worthy!!

[pacbelt]

BACK TO WORK:
My VERY FIRST time, ever, using a #80 drill... Good thing I got a 10-pak. I broke 4 of them, before figuring out how to use them properly!!!

Here's my first attempt at doing .012 brass grab irons!!
I didn't screw up too bad!!
I did learn here, that Polly Scale Yellow SUCKS!!! I'm actually glad they stopped making it....

[pacbelt]

Here's my better solution for yellow paint, that WORKS!!!

[pacbelt]

Here's the grab irons...
VERY satisfied with them!

[pacbelt]

For the rear grabs, I went with a trick that MMR Brian Banna showed me!!
It nearly guarantees even and level grab irons!!!
I made it, from a strip of .030 styrene, cut to 3/16", and any length longer than the hood!

EDIT: You but the grabs halfway in, then slide the strip in...
Then, push the grabs all the way in, flush against the strip....
Then, bend the grabs, inside the hood, and apply CA inside...

When the CA sets - remove the strip! THAT'S it!!

[pacbelt]

EASY PEASY!!!


NOW! On to some DETAILING!!!

[pacbelt]

Photographs of prototypes like this, are a BIG help for the next steps.....

[pacbelt]

Details West air tanks kit, w/piping!
First step: scrape flash lines, and sand with 600 grit sandpaper.