*************EDIT*******************************

Originally i had listed the Silverliner III, but the truth is there wasn't any real procrastination involved.

I DO have a few projects that i have procrastinated upon heavily. I don't think i have time to do a pole, But here is what i'll do.

I have three projects that have sat for a few years, with little work done here or there.

My default choice is a GP40FH-2 commuter diesel. Its a unique locomotive. From the back of the cab forward, its a GP40. From the cab back, its an F45. Its a model that i usually procratinate on because there is no winning. I recently cast new sides from a friend's shell, and in the end, i may just use the whole shell. I wouldn't consider this a second project though, as the frame i cut back in 2006, and all the other stuff i bought for it, is still around.

My second is to Re-work my Amtrak E60MA electric. The details and paint have been done for years, but the mechanical bits won't function properly with the shell on, and i can't figure it out. for my project, i hope to end this problem once and for all (will back up with video).

My third choice would be an Arrow III Electric Multiple Unit kit. I have one nearly finished single that needs lighting, and a married pair that is half assembled.

whatever people would rather see, thats what i'll do, since i don't care either way.

Have you waited the prerequisite period of procrastinating time just thinking about this project before actually starting it?

Galen

ocalicreek Wrote:Have you waited the prerequisite period of procrastinating time just thinking about this project before actually starting it?

Galen

As far as anyone else knows....

Well, You have me there. I did only get these a two weeks ago, and meanwhile, i have Arrow III kits from two YEARS ago (not counting the ones i just got), that are half finished, and a Commuter locomotive for 2006 that i've only just yesterday followed through on a major rebuilding (which still isn't done).

BUt you know what? You're right. I'm gonna make a decision on which of these i'll do first. I want to get my Arrows up, but i think i can get the GP40FH-2 earlier. I have most of the parts i'll need anyways.

There ya go. Just think - you work on the older projects now, so that by the time they are done, the ones you just recently purchased will have been sitting on the shelf long enough to qualify for the next procrastinator challenge...whenever we get around to that...

Whatever you pick, I'm sure it'll turn out well.

Galen

The GP40FH-2 story-

When i was young, about 15 or 16, i got my first resin locomotive shell. It required some work on my part, such as cutting an athearn frame to match (not to hard), and i was doing well until i painted the shell. Historically, i'm BAD at painting. until lately, i hated to paint, because the finish was never quite smooth enough to look attractive, even with an airbrush.

Because of the crappy paint, i tried to strip my model. When that didn't work out entirely, i made the mistake of trying to scrape the paint with a screw driver. this gouged my model. I went ahead and painted it anyway, but my paint job still sucked, and it looked even worse with scrapes in it now. I finally gave up and let it sit on the shelf for years. This entire time, the resin was warping. eventually i successfully filled most of the gouges, and stripped the paint with acetone two years ago, only to exacerbate the warping problem.

to fix this i cut off the sides, hoping to rebuild them, and started drilling holes in the roof to replace worn and scraped details with cannon parts and Photo etched grills. Unfortuneately, rebuilding the sides right is currently beyond my capability and patience to learn, so i made a mold of a friend's model (trust me, its a crappy mold, its already coming apart), hoping to use the sides.

The new shell i made, despite it's flaws, is actually in better shape than the old one, and so now i plan to just recondition the "counterfeit" shell, as cutting the sides to try and fit them back into the roof and rear section would be to much of a pain in the ass (though i may install the rear of my old one onto the new one, as the new one is bent funny in the rear).


GP40FH-2 Photo Time-line

This is the shell new in 2006



Repaint after having gouged the shell



fully decaled. it sat like this for the better part of three years.









This is the frame. I modified the fuel tank to be prototypical in length. You pretty much HAVE to make this modification, as certain steps need to hang where a full fuel tank would be. A GP38 frame won't work right either (it pushes back from the front, while still being in the way).



i found a bubble!



After stripping and some filling-



third repaint



warping and crack



Cut out sides




I don't have any photos of the new body shell, but i'll post them when i can.

PROGRESS!

On Thursday, I removed EVERYTHING off the casting that was problematic (bubbles/anti-bubbles, badly molded parts). I also removed the Cab, Nose, Fans, and grills. These parts i had intended to replace with Cannon parts and such.

Here is the shell as I cleaned it up. the fans are still on in this picture, as are the grills. You can see the steps, air tanks, and pilots are all messed up. my mold for this was the second mold i ever made in my life, so thats expected.



I used a Dremel drill press and side cutting bit to do most of the heavy duty work. As always, safety first! Resin dust is bad for you to inhale (trust me), and it gets in your eyes easy enough. I probably didn't need the respirator, but it makes for a goofy picture



You can see i got overzealous, but it looks like i've polished the rough spots down. In the future, i'll take less off with the dremel, but use heavier grit sanding paper to get it down. the model dusted up to fast for me to see what i was doing, and i had to constantly brush off the dust.



While I was at it, i also cut off the front pilots and steps, replacing them with a spare Smokey Vally deck and pilot sub-assembly kit. This is actually EXACTLY what is on the GP40FH-2, unlike the original pilot on the IHP casting. Not to mention, smokey Valley pilots are scale thickness as well. I'm still working on cleaning up the front steps. I might drill it all out (or try the dremel again, CAREFULLY), and replace some with styrene. the "outer" battery box detail is in good shape though, so i don't want to replace it with cannon parts also.

I also installed see-thru metal grills while i was at it.



focusing back onto the Dynamic/Radiator fans, I used files and various grits of sand paper to eventually smooth everything out and size it properly. This step took me a few days, especially where the Cannon Fan bases needed to be installed, as there was a small margin of error for the hole size (to small, it wouldn't fit, but a teensy bit bigger left gaps). A few times i had to glue in a styrene sheet, and sand things smooth and try again. So far, the shell its coming out alright, with all the fans lined up.





I then assembled a Cannon 35-line cab (without the back wall). I left the number boards loose so that i could drill holes for the headlights without damaging the cab, and also to simplify painting. (the number board is all black, but out would get in the way of the masking if I installed it). I also half-assembled a Cannon 81" nose, minus the marker lights, for the same reason above (to paint the gaskets and drill holes for lighting). everything is just fitted now, as i'll have to make some styrene filling pieces behind the cab, and between the deck and the nose. I'll probably try to sand down more of the conductor's side steps so that it is smooth.

I plan to replace the remaining steps and pilots next, as well as the air tanks with Cannon air tanks, and lift pads (pretty much anything that isn't coming out smooth on the casting).

I've been thinking about replacing the air filters and exhaust, but that would be more work. It could be done, but is it worth it?

Amazing work! Thanks for putting up all the photos, I enjoyed them. I'm always fascinated by kitbashing and detailing of locos.

Gary S Wrote:Amazing work! Thanks for putting up all the photos, I enjoyed them. I'm always fascinated by kitbashing and detailing of locos.

Yeah, I hope I can make this one stand out. Its a unique engine (guarantees no doubles at the train club!), and I've been trying to get one running forever!

Not to mention the history is interesting. the unit I am modeling, New Jersey Transit #4141, started out as a Rock Island GP40 #4715, then Union Pacific 646. When they retired it, they sold it to Morrison Knudsen, and in 1987, it became NJ Transit 4141, with a former Burlington Northern F45 cowl on it. NJT 4141 is now one of the last 4 of these running in the US (a handful are loaned to AMT from NJ transit, along with some old former Arrow I (Comet IB) cars.

Photo-History

#4715 was new in 1970 on the Rock Island



#4715 is now UP 646, with only three years left of being an average GP40



Meanwhile, an F45 just like this one was also starting life in the early 1970s. this particular unit ended up donating it's cowl to New Jersey Transit #4135. I can't find which donated its cowl to NJT#4141.



In the end, you get this- brand new from Morrison Knudsen in 1987. It is in Illinois en route to New Jersey. Dynamic brakes and other equipment such as ditchlights would be added later.



For 24 years now, NJT 4141 has been running through out New Jersey, certainly a different view from its "home road" out west. It is one of the last 4 standing, one of which no longer has a working HEP generator. This is the 4141 today.



Most would never guess by looking at this unit that it was actually a veteran from the west at one time.

What a strange looking beast! Very nice work on all that drilling and grinding and sanding and....

Galen

Wow! Nice work! And some major surgery, mold making and part casting to boot! I'm very impressed!

Hey! My respirator is exactly like that one! But I need replacement cannisters! Where do you get yours? I need to do some painting but with my COPD I must wear a working respirator, so ... where can I get new cannisters?

ocalicreek Wrote:What a strange looking beast! Very nice work on all that drilling and grinding and sanding and....

Galen

I still may not be done grinding and sanding. there are a whole lot more cannon parts i want to add. I have cannon Air Resovoirs lined up (cutting off the old ones), Cal-scale F45-steps to replace the side steps, and I'll possibly replace the inertial air filter hatch and exhaust hatch with cannon equivalents. I also need a new "T" stack anyway for the roof behind the dynamic fan. I'm also trying to figure how best to replace the rear pilot, since there is no saving it. That will probably be fixed with styrene and brass parts if there are any compatible ones out there.

P5se Camelback Wrote:Wow! Nice work! And some major surgery, mold making and part casting to boot! I'm very impressed!

More top shelf model building on Big Blue at The-Gauge!

Hey! My respirator is exactly like that one! But I need replacement cannisters! Where do you get yours? I need to do some painting but with my COPD I must wear a working respirator, so ... where can I get new cannisters?

It was my dads, and i don't know where he got them. Hes had these things for years! i'll dig around a little more to see if i can find some.

Love the castings that you made. Need more pics please.

This project certainly fits in with the theme of this challenge. Good job so far!

Well, i'm certainly not procrastinating right now. Unfortuneately, i needed some parts that weren't available at my hobby shop, so I'm waiting for them to arrive. I also have another project i have to do alongside this one (painting a "Metro North" GP40 for a friend as part of a trade for the Arrow III MUs i have now), so i also needed new airbrush parts as my needles got damaged.

Right now, i'm waiting on a new exhaust and air filter hatch. the ones on the model are "OK", but i figure i better replace them, just to be sure my model is a little more clean. As good as the casting came out, i still don't think they are as smooth as they ought be (the original was already painted, and i think that causes some of the problems).

I could add steps and air reservoirs now, but I'm still trying to figure out how I'd like to make a new rear pilot/steps. No one seems to make the parts for the rear steps for this locomotive. Once i do this, though, i should be good to go on painting, and from there its a short hop for me to rehab the athearn drive components and get it rolling. I hope to put a Tsunami decoder in it, if i can afford some after christmas, since i know there will be space in there.

Right now, the biggest fear i have is lighting, since i have not successfully lit anything since the nose light in my U34CH i did a couple years ago. For some reason, i can't settle on a method to mount LEDs, resistors, or Fiber optics, even though i have all i need to install those things.

I think the only thing I'm going to do different is actually buy some Surface Mount LEDs for the ditch lights, since they could fit pretty good behind the Cannon & Co castings i have. In any event, until i get these parts done, i don't have much more in the way of photos.

I DO have one photo of me pouring the cast, one thing missing from the progress thread. Packing the clay in there to make a dam was such a huge pain, and i'm still cleaning it out of the original. it did keep the casting rubber out though. I eventually had the fill the shell with pennies so that it didn't float in the still liquid rubber, but it all panned out in the end. By molding it this way, the "mold lines" follow the bottom edge of the shell, and there for you don't get any weird seams like you would have if you molded it the other way around (by pressing it into the clay). It also prevents the original from disasterously "floating up" out of the silicone rubber. Unfortuneately, the cab end did not come out well, and there were LOTS of bubbles that i had to remove off the casted piece, but i suppose it got the main gist of the model there so that i have something to work with.

Learning to make molds and then cast objects in those molds is not for the faint of heart. I must commend you for a job well done, especially for your first attempt! I mean, I took a semester-long class during sophomore year (forty years ago) and I have to concentrate and pay close attention to what I'm doing when I build a mold! (I don't think I've done a mold for model railroad stuff in probably 12 or 14 years!)

Three summers ago I built plywood reinforced fiberglass molds so that I could lay up some wicked-looking fiberglass "blistered" fenders for the "pocket rocket" that is still an "in progress" project in my garage. It was a long, difficult, stinky project that rendered my garage uninhabitable without a respirator for weeks! But as difficult and itchy and hot and sweaty as the project was, the end product gave me an immense feeling of satisfaction! My guess is that when you watch your model with the custom cast shell roll down the track, you'll have a similar feeling! And you deserve to have that feeling!

You have obviously learned a lot of the "secrets" to successful mold making and subsequent parts casting! Keep it up, Big Guy! It's a talent and skill-set well worth developing ... short run cast parts can be profitable ... just ask a man named Westerfield in Crossville, Tennessee, who started out making cast parts for his own scratch-building projects.