Stickymonk: I hear in the Inspection Pit forum that you are about to paint your BN Geeps. Cool! I'm hoping we can compare notes a bit, because I'm also going to be painting my BN GP50 #3156 pretty soon. I'm planning to lay down the Cascade Green first, mask and spray the rest black, and after all that is dry, I'm going to mask and paint the nose stripes myself. (I'm still debating whether to do the original white diagonal stripes, the tiger stripes, or the whiteface.. This was one of the GP50s that wore all three BN paint schemes at one time or another, I believe.) How are you planning to do yours? Thanks!
Two questions: (1.) How does Tenax work to bond the cabs back on the shells? Or is there something better than MDC or MEK? (2.) When you have an undecorated shell that is molded in black plastic, do you get a better fine line white by painting the white on first, using Draftsman's circuit tape to locate where the white stripes will be, then paint the green or black, then remove the tape? (We tried painting the white last, and had to apply several layers before it came out really white looking.) It has been several years, so maybe the paint is different now days.
Well I kinda do things a bit differant, I start with a flat black, two reasons for this, 1: it gives a good even colour to see any flaws in the body work. and 2: I think it gives the green a better colour, I also mix a tiny ammount of black or white to the green to simulate new or faded paint depending on when the units was repainted. The Black is done and I hope to get the green on today, but as England are playing in a world cup match today I may not get round to doing it........
As far as your GP50, I think I would paint it in white face, unless you model about 1980-81, but only as I dont like the tiger stripes, I am asuming its a phase 1 GP50 that came from the Frisco that you are modeling?
Yet more BN units I walk into Matt's train shed and all I see is green and black with white stripes Looking good though :thumbs_up:
Alan, be happy he isn't modeling BNSF! Or worse, Penn Central! I've been trying without success to get him to model a real railroad (FRISCO comes to mind)............
The Rolling Stone's favourite railroad? Matthew, I looked for the winterisation hatches, I have large ones for 48" fans on big power (SD45/SD60 etc) and a mid-size one that came with the GP38-2 (too wide for the GP7/9) but none of the small ones.
No prob Martyn, ta for the offer though I will be needing to order some detail parts soon as I shall be doing some GP39E/V/M's soon for sale......
I have watched all the England games so far..... I dont think we stand much chance of winning the World cup unless we start to play a LOT better, next game is Portugal in the semi finals, that will be a tough game.
Robbed is the right word, I've seen less convincing dives in the local swimming pool.... Anyhow, back in the vague direction of a topic - how's the painting getting on Matthew? And don't forget to tell us when those GP39E/M/V's come up for grabs....
I never managed to get the green on at the weekend, was really busy in the garden etc....... I will post pics of them in black tomorrow when I go out to the workshop again. Now time for the shameless plug The GP39's I shall be doing will be a new range of models, they will be built to order and be very highly detailed locos built to prototype photos, some people may remember the GP39E & GP39V locos I made a few years ago . After I cost up the conversions I will be making a start on other loco types as well such as the BN SD38P/TEBC6 sets, NW5, GP28P/M, B30-7AB etc.
You're really doing the oddballs of the BN fleet. I remember seeing GP28P/Ms in Sherman as local and yard switchers, and back in the 1980s all those cabless B30-7s on thru freights in Afton. When you say "built to order", am I to assume you're gonna be building custom diesels for people? If so, I'd say go for it- from what I've seen of your handiwork, you could make a pound or two
Yup Bob, thats about right only thing is, they really wont be cheap, just costed up the cost of ONE set of details needed to make a P2K GP30 into a GP39...... over $90 just for the detail parts, add on the cost of the base loco and time and its gonna cost a few quid, but if people want a unique loco maybe people will be prepaired to pay.
Make a decent-enough model that's as close to the prototype (without the odor of diesel fumes), and there are folks who will shell out the pounds/euros/dollars/whatever for it. I knew a fellow who lived in North Richland Hills, TX (suburb of Ft. Worth) who did custom detailing, decaling & painting of locomotives and rolling stock- his work was-still is, in fact- awesome! He has some of his stuff on display at Discount Trains in Addison (for the benefit of you D-FW area modelers who want to see it).