I have been aquiring some athearn blue box F unit shells, both single and double headlight versions, and need to know a few things about building one of the blue-bonnets and a yellow bonnet:

What colors are needed for:
Blue bonnet?
Yellow bonnet?

Which colors do I need to lay down first?

Which decals are needed? I think I need the following:
Microscale 87-77,87-1188, and 87-101. Please advise me if these are correct.

Also, which horns are needed? Any detail kits available?


I'm looking at the following locos:
315: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.railpictures.net/images/d...1265675234.jpg">http://www.railpictures.net/images/d...1265675234.jpg</a><!-- m -->
and number 338: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.railpictures.net/images/d...1290138287.jpg">http://www.railpictures.net/images/d...1290138287.jpg</a><!-- m -->

So, what are the detail parts I'll need? Does walthers have a F7 detail kit?

Thanx for any info,
TB

You're links aren't working, so with the painting question, I'm guessing you're talking about the Santa Fe's yellow and blue "freight" scheme.

Best is to start with a light color and work your way up to darker color. As far as the detail parts kits from Walther's, they do have(or did) a kit that was specifically designed for the Athearn Blue Box F units. Its mostly generic with grabs and hand rails, as well as flush fitting(with a little filing) windshield and "glass" for the protholes and rear door.

Hope this helps.

I haven't been around for a while. Long story that I won't go into in this post. I am presuming that by "blue bonnet" and "yellow bonnet" you are referring to a couple of experimental paint schemes that the Santa Fe did on some F-7s just before Amtrac. I think they were for passenger service and the body was stainless steel in both cases. The "blue bonnet" would have the same Santa Fe blue color used on the "cigar band" and the "blue warbonnet" freight units. The "yellow bonnet" would use the same Santa Fe yellow used on the blue & yellow freight units. I think they were done on units with a head light and a mars light in the nose as would be used in passenger service. Paint the entire body silver, and then do the blue or yellow warbonnet where the typical Santa Fe f unit had red on the red & silver warbonnet passenger units. They would also have had a black stripe outlining the warbonnet, but I don't remember if they also had the yellow stripe next to the black stripe, I thin they did. In that case Microscale part # 87-1188 would be the decal sheet you would need for the stripes outlining the "bonnet."

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MD&Product_Code=87-1188&Product_Count=&Category_Code=">http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/mer ... gory_Code=</a><!-- m -->

The yellow & blue Warbonnets on silver were done after Amtrak ('71). They could be used for either pax or freight. The yellow ones showed up alot on Amtrak San Diegans. There was also a freight yellow Warbonnet on blue body after '72. On most Santa Fe locos the yellow was painted on first then the blue. Think this affected how the blue came out. The LAJ painted their ALCOs Santa Fe blue but on previously black painted bodies. So in some pix they almost look black. Have alot of LAJ ALCO pix & most look blue. Saw a builders plate off LAJ #4 that was definitely painted blue! By the late '70s nearly all Santa Fe F units were converted to CF7s.