[OldNoob]

As a fan of the Santa Fe, I'd definitely choose the Santa Fe.
But maybe go the route of a "Paducah" Cab GP7u, since your dynamic brake blister looked to be destroyed beyond repair.
Also has the shorter fuel tank.

ATSF 2055 & 2237 (Hayford)

ATSF 2055 & 2237 (Hayford)

www.rrpicturearchives.net

Thats a good shot.. I have a GP9 I think i will use the SF scheme for it and convert it to a GP9u

 

[OldNoob]

Many times it might be easier to re-cover the old tank and make it larger with plastic then totally build a new one from scratch, thus the mounting places for the tank are still in place.

trainman

the Lionel's tanks are molded to their frame. so i had to cut the tank out of the old frame. Looks like i'm going to have to create mounting tabs

 

[Paul Burch]

Old Noob,
I think the Lionel GP20 represents a phase II locomotive. The photo you posted of Santa Fe 3069 has holes in the side sill making it a phase I. . The NS photo has no holes in the side sill making it a phase II. As far as I can tell all Santa Fe GP20's were all phase I. Might help in your decision

 

[OldNoob]

Well the LGB speaker was just dead could not get it to work,, and this 3" 0.5w was the only speaker i had,, so i had to mod the tank a bit to get everything to work. On the plus side i wont have to take the shell off to work on the sound in the future.
I added a directional switch so that the engine will play nice with other engines. The side skirt just does hang over it so it is not seen

If i decide to add a capacitor bank later .. it might get a bit hairy

 

[Scott]

I am a lifetime Santa Fe lover. It's your loco paint it how you want.

 

[OldNoob]

Well these pilots have been badly mutilated. I'm not sure i can repair them.
They were either superglued or liquid welded to the frame and cut rather inconsistently. I had a bear of a time separating them from the frame.
I would like to figure out a way to reattach them to the bogies like the original Lionel's were as that is more practical for narrow turns. but that may not happen.
im going to have to stare at them a while until inspiration hits.

 

[OldNoob]

This main crack was a bit too large for plastic weld so i decided to do the old tried and true rebar trick.

It melted in and covered nicely

And just for a bit of insurance, i reinforced the whole side

I'm not sure who "RW" is , possibly the person i bought it from.

 

[OldNoob]

Since I do a lot of re-dues the hardest part of a re-due is finding the correct G scale decals. Microscale and other have just about discounted G scale decals, I know you can have them special made, but the cost is getting in the $50.00 range, which is not beyond my limit, but it is getting to where does commonsense stops and stupid starts. Being a modeler first and a train runner second it getting to the point where I have to pick my projects differently then what I did in the past, just because the cost does not out weigh the final results and personal satisfaction like it did at one time. All being said, I still have some pretty pricey re-dues.

trainman

So true, the cost of decals in G scale is ridiculous
Conversely I found some white waterslide decal paper for about 6 dollars.. it's O..K however it takes some getting used to and can be tricky. With the NS scheme its possible i can tape off most of it.

 

[OldNoob]

Not accurate ... but i think it will look better than it did.

 

[Nick Jr]

Noob, like what I am watching, great progress.

 

[ewarhol]

Ok.... ya gotta talk about the rebar process more and how you melted that in. That looks quite interesting.

 

[OldNoob]

Ok.... ya gotta talk about the rebar process more and how you melted that in. That looks quite interesting.

Cut a metal wire to the desired size and shape, or use a staple for smaller projects. Set the plastic on a cold metal surface like a saw table. put the wire over the crack where you want it. then take a soldering iron and gently press on the wire until it melts down into the plastic at or just below the surface. Then let everything cool down.
Once the plastic is cool again go back with the soldering iron with a large flat tip ad wipe the plastic over the wire to cover it and then let it cool again. Once its cool sand the rough area down smooth again if so desired. ( setting the plastic on a cold metal surface while doing this is super important as it helps prevent the visible or outward side from distorting )

 

[ewarhol]

Very interesting. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I assume you "wipe" the soldering iron over the wire (I'm guessing steel) to distribute the heat?

Greg

 

[Michael Glavin]

OldNoob, name?

The "REBAR" idea is great!. Please share how your bonding the shell and your reinforcement patch. I've had mixed results herein.

Michael

 

[OldNoob]

I assume you "wipe" the soldering iron over the wire (I'm guessing steel) to distribute the heat?

Greg

Yep that's a tricky part. because one end can pop up while you are melting the other end in.
One could use brass wire but i find that the brass is too flexible.
Something that works is placing a piece of brass over the wire that helps disperse the heat from the iron evenly over the steel wire.

P.S. Recognize that second fan Greg??

 

[OldNoob]

Gloss black is an excellent tool for finding those flaws you thought you fixed but apparently not.

 

[Nick Jr]

Noob, do like your 're-bar' repair. And yes, priming does bring out flaws I thought I fixed. Glad to do that so the finished product is as good as possible. Great project.

 

[OldNoob]

Well ... that just happened.

I really cant justify it except to say , that full window reminded me too much of an Alco

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Missed the question, that second fan looks like the inlet to a hair dryer or a heat gun, but I'm most likely wrong.