Kato SD80 rebuild - Conrail Cadillac rides again.

When I got the replacement shell for my SD80 (link) it came with a partial set of detail sprues, and it turned out to be missing some of the key handrail sections.   The Kato website was out of stock as it's been years since these models were last available, so I couldn't get spares to complete the shell.

Luckily Kato have just reissued the HO SD80, including the Conrail version, so the handrails are once again available from them.  I ordered a couple of sets, along with various parts for the other Kato project locomotives I have to hand.

The new handrails are an exact colour match, but interestingly the cab grab irons are moulded in white on this new set, where the previous release grab irons were blue.  I looked at a few prototype pictures and it appears that real locomotives use a combination of white and blue, seeing as I had both I was able to do the same.

I find these Kato handrail a bit fiddly, especially with the multi-piece design that uses small extra pieces for the step rails, these parts are push-fit and I find they spring loose easily like the rear step grab has done here.

This shell is fitted to the frame from the dismantled Candian Pacific SD90mac I bought a few months ago, and this frame had a defective lighting board, so I also replaced the board with a cheap secondhand one from eBay and fitted an 8pin DCC chip.

The locomotive is now ready to join my NS SD80 hauling coal gondolas on the club layout, and I will definitely need to get some more gons to justify such massive motive power!  I will give the model a light weathering at some point, but for now its going to remain factory fresh.

A couple of Conrail shells...

I've been looking for a replacement shell for my Atlas Union Pacific Dash 9-40cw and I finally managed to get hold of one in Conrail Blue, so I've neatly side-stepped the problem of stripping and repainting such an excellently detailed model.

The replacement shell is in good shape, but mising a couple of smaller details, and it needs new handrails.

I also picked up yet another Railpower SD90 shell to use as parts for my SD80 conversion project.

Now all I need is some time to spend at the modelling bench to get some of these projects underway!

Cadillac Time

I recently purchased a pair of Railpower Products SD90mac shells with the idea that I could convert them into ex Conrail SD80's in Norfolk Southern livery.  The detail parts for them are tricky to get hold of, especially the trucks, but I've continued to collect parts as and when they pop up on eBay.

In the meantime I had the chance to pick up a dismantled Kato SD90mac from one of the chaps at the club, a beautifully detailed locomotive which I had thought I could also convert into an SD80.  The frame for this locomotive also comes pre-milled ready for a speaker.

However when I looked at the Kato model I realised that the rear dynamic brake section on the Kato shell was a seperate piece.   I started investigating the availability of a replacement part for that section, which would be easier than attempting to alter such a detailed part.

Kato don't do the dynamic brake section as a seperate part, so I would need to spend $40 on an undecorated shell just for the part, but after a few online 'wanted' ads I was lucky enough to find a forum poster with not just a dynamic brake, but an entire SD80 shell going spare.

It arrived today and it is even better than I expected, the shell is a Conrail version and it is pretty much mint condition, complete with detail bag of handrails and other parts.  So all I need to do is get a Sound decoder and then put it all back together and my first SD80 will be hitting the rails.

Close up view showing the Conrail high numberboard cab and the attractive white stripe paint Conrail Quality paint scheme.

The rear of the shell with the dynmaic brake and sanding box that caused all the problems.  Having one of these will also make it much easier to kitbash my two Railpower SD90 shells into SD80's.

Update on NS patched Conrail GP38-2 project.

I managed to find some time to work on my GP38-2 project this week, adding the rest of the decals and some weathering to the shell. 

I applied the decals before weathering, thinking that would give a more realistic appearance, but it turned out that I should definitely have done things the other way around.  Some of the drybrushing has clung to the white conrail logos and numberboards, so I will need to re-apply some of the decals to fix.

I was originally hoping to have this engine done in time for the NMRA convention in Bournemouth next weekend, but with work being so busy, it's not looking likely that I will have it finished.  Hopefully I will find some time this week to work on the remaining details.