CSX F40PH Nscale Build

[Tyson Rayles]

[cnw1961]

Herc, that is a beautiful pair. Great job

You are getting great results with this Tamiya paint. I assume you used an airbrush to paint the engines. Did you have to dilute the paints and if so, what did you use to dilute them?

[Herc Driver]

Actually, both engines were painted from spray cans. I heated both slightly in warm water for a few minutes, and used a spray can "trigger" (found at any hardware or paint store) to get a better pass with the paint. Heating the can further atomizes the particles and builds pressure. But I don't think my technique did much...I think the paint just worked well. The first engine was sprayed with Tamiya blue and Model Masters sunburst yellow. But I wrongly mixed a synthetic lacquer and an enamel and got by with passable results. On the second engine, I used two Tamiya products (same blue but a different shade of yellow) and got a better result. The yellow didn't bleed under the painters tape at all like the enamel did. Plus on the second engine, as soon as the yellow was painted on, I removed the painters tape, hoping the paint had set up enough to hold without migrating under the tape. If you look really closely, the engine with no decals (the second engine painted) has a crisp yellow line around the bottom of the shell. I think using the Tamiya paint helped make that happen since I used the same painters tape technique to mask them off.

[cnw1961]

The paint on your engies looks so good – thought you could not achieve that with a spray can. Thank you for the information.

[Mr Fixit]

Interesting that Tamiya comes in spray cans. What sort of hobby shop sells them? R/C car shops?

I have been trying to recall a conversation I had with my LHS guy about spray painting.

I think that the trick is to mask the item being sprayed, then to spray a base coat in the background colour, which will solve the seepage problem by clogging any gaps, and finally spray the coats of paint in the colour required for the masked off area.

When explained like that it seems such a simple solution, but that was the trick as shown on a How to Spray Paint video that he had watched at his club meeting. Goes to show that when you think you know about a subject there are still things that can be learnt.

Mark

[Herc Driver]

Well that's a very good solution I would have never even thought of...and very simple. Mask it, base coat, spray it again. Simple and I bet effective.

The Tamiya paint is sold at my local hobby store. I've found it a very good covering paint. Trying to remove it...we'll that's another thing. When I used the enamel over the Tamiya, the enamel came off reasonably fast, but the blue Tamiya almost refused to budge. I used 91% isopropyl alcohol, and managed to remove only 75% or the blue base coat - and that was after scrubbing with a toothbrush numerous times and a day of soaking. I finally just accepted whatever was left and painted over it. Like I wrote before, if I would have planned this whole operation better from the start, I probably would have ended up with two better painted engines than I have now.

But on the brighter side, the cab air conditioning units are ordered as are two new snow plows. When they arrive, I'll get them painted and installed, which will mean removing the existing plastic that surrounds the pilot coupler for the snow plow, and possibly relocating the horn assembly for the a/c unit. Plus, the additional set of CSX decals should arrive so I can finish off the second engine's transformation from Amtrak to CSX.

Now the question...should I do this same procedure to a Kato F40PH so I can have one dcc equipped engine to pull the two F40 dummies.........

[Catt]

I have a suggestion. Go on ebay and look for one of the LifeLike SD7s They are usually priced fairly reasonable.Take the motor from the SD7 and transplant it into the F40 PH frame.(these motors have flywheels) then hardwire a decoder to it.You end up with a smooth running F40PH and you can use the remains of the SD-7 to build a yard queen or a dummy unit to use in your road freights

Your F40s are looking real good.

[Herc Driver]

Ya know...that's not a bad idea!

I've also thought about using a GP frame and fuel tank from an Atlas engine. That would require modifying it to accept the LifeLike F40PH shell...but that should prove too hard to do. The fuel tank on this LifeLike engine doesn't even nearly match the one on the real F40PH...and I'm still on the hunt to change the LifeLike version out for one that looks better. Keeping the overall dimensions the same (or nearly so...this is Nscale and you won't be able to see the slight difference I'd guess) between the trucks and shell would be a prime consideration though. Plus, I'd get an engine with dcc installed (if I use one of mine now sitting on the shelf as the test case).

Just got word that my CSX decals, a/c units, and snow plows won't be in till Tuesday...arrgghhh.

[Catt]

I just compared my LL F40PH to one of my ATLAS GP40-2s. The wheelbase is real close but not exactly perfect.Interesting thing is the F40 is supposed to be shorter than the GP.

Looking forward to seeing these two done along with your passenger cars. :mrgreen:

[Herc Driver]

Catt - Did you write you are going to change that LL F40PH into a CSX too? I was near your neck of the woods last night by the way...International Falls, MN.

When I get home (I'm in Santa Fe tonight) I'm going to see what other units might work with this F40PH shell...that might be a quick and easy way to solve the snow plow, coupler, and fuel tank issue. Of course the logical thing to do is to do this whole mod again with a Kato F40PH. But logic on my nscale layout is never on a powered rail.

[Steamtrains]

Hey Mark...Even though I'm no expert on CSX, or any kind of diesels, I know good work when I see it....And that's some EXCELLENT work..!!

Now let's see so' more of that layout....Looks to be a beauty as well..!!

[Sumpter250]

I'm the first to admit that my "bashing" skills probably deserve more bashing (i.e. critique leading to improvement) than the fine work others do.

If you "see" something wrong, Write it down. Next time you "bash", read your list.
( if you want to, you can add any "comments from the peanut gallery", to the list )

[Herc Driver]

That's a good idea. I have limited experience bashing together anything on my Nscale layout (two GP30's and these two F40PH's)...so keeping a list of items to work on is a good idea.

Thanks guys for the comments and critiques...I value each and every one and really do try to learn from and apply the comments/critiques. Sometimes it's sure hard to step back from the work and "see" the whole picture. I notice I get wrapped up in one tiny little part of the build and miss the bigger picture.

Thanks again guys!

[Herc Driver]

Finally some decals arrived for the second unit...

Left to do: road numbers for unit #2, number boards for both units made from white styrene to match the prototypes, snow plows, a/c units, Zscale couplers, engineers and firemen in the cabs, new fuel tanks, spray #2 unit with dull coat after the numbers are applied.

[Catt]

Do ya think my CSX bias is showing a little? :mrgreen: