Hemi i wished I seen this sooner are you units as delivered or on the road for a while? If they are as delivered the gray is BLACK....On the road weathered black works great.... Just my 2 cents....can't wait to see them finished....
Nick, I mixed up a deep gray to represent not quite brand-new, but not beat to heck. I think it works well.
The paint shop is done! This means by no stratch of the imagination that we are done yet... ALL the trucks, fuel tanks, grabs, handrails, fans, fan grilles, horns, beacons, antennas, ad nauseum need to be painted & installed. That's the tedious part! But it really looks like I'm getting somewhere now!
Great work Jere! I find it easier & more interesting to work projects like this in pairs as opposed to singles - saves time and gives twice the satisfaction! BTW, judging by the photos, that black paint mix does give the slight appearance of oxidation.
The gray is a slight bit lighter than the photos show, but I think it looks correct for a nearly factory-fresh unit. These engines (438, 440) were delivered in July/Sept 1969, and absorbed into BN March 1970. They likely received new BN numbers almost immediately after M day, and Cascade Green paint just a few short years later. They certainly wouldn't have been around long enough in this paint scheme to look ratty like a UP loco does now. GN took great care in their fleet. They didn't wash them in winter for obvious reasons, but it's rare to find a filthy loco on the point of a GN train in any season other than winter! And you are absolutely correct--working in multiples makes the work go faster. Assembly-line style! And the payoff is even bigger!
odd1rails said...If they are as delivered the gray is BLACK....On the road weathered black works great.... They most certainly were not black. I have dozens of pictures of as delivered and road painted BSB and they were gray.
Here's BN 6613 nee GN-440 http://archive.trainpix.com/BN/EMDORIG/F45/6613.HTM GN-438 was re-numbered BN-6611 :tb-cool:
Sorry but the colors were Dark Grey/White/Big Sky Blue. The grey was very close to NYC Dark Grey and could very well appear black due to weathering, etc. Many photo's taken often made the grey look black, thus many people also thought black was the color used. For reference: Great Northern Color Pictorial - Volume 2. :tb-biggrin:
$%&#@!! I bought the wrong size drop grabs. The project is stalled until my BLMA order comes in. I found out when I started installing them. They were way too narrow! Crap!
GNS F45s were built in 1969, so they'd definately have the engineroom vent, as well as all open-top fan grills...
That paint job is sick sick sick! Frickin amazing work there. I just got home from work and couldn't sleep, boy am I glad I logged in to check on the progress. You can be really proud of this project Hemi. Keep the photos coming please, I can at least live vicariously through you as my kit sits on the shelf. Joe
Thanks for the info, Robbman! I guesstimated the size, and used .020x.060, and .020 x .040" styrene strip to build the vents. Thanks for the very kind words--the incorrect drop grabs slowed me a bit, but tonite I was back at it full swing! Here's the tally of details added; some are absolutely microscopic, and some are slightly larger.... Lift rings, stirrup steps on the sides, speed recorders, fans & fan grilles for both radiators and DBs, beacons, horns, firecracker antennas, and some oddly-shaped nose grabs. I had to form them by hand, as no currently available detail part I had on hand was long enough. They look like passenger car grabs. Anyways, those are installed, and glued in place. I plan to eat dinner, and go back down, and paint some more details before taking photos.
I hadn't realized when I started this project (even after doing a pair earlier this year) just how immense this project would become Effort, time and other expenditures have been much more than I expected. I installed a boatload of details tonite, and a boatload is yet to go! Here's the speed recorder, painted as per proto photos: (I need to adjust my lighting down lower) The details on the cab roof are next. I think the firecracker antenna is too small. I might replace it with something bigger. The beacons need to be painted, but I need to find a bottle of Testor's turn signal amber paint. Walmart here doesn't carry ANY testor's paint anymore!! Fan grilles and fans, then lift rings went on next:
I found the beacon paint! It was hiding in a box on the floor, buried under a stack of notebooks I don't use anymore. That, and a bunch of weathering chalks. So, the beacons are painted. I hope to start decals tonite.
Decals are about 75% done. Still need to add side sill safety stripes, and numbers on the cab numberboards. No pics, time to get to bed. Actually gotta go to work tomorrw. Bummer. After the ecals are done, I'll seal it, and then finish the detailing.
Awesome work! I finally found time to read the entire thread, and now I'm inspired all over again! Loved the way your paint job left the grill holes open! Joe Cox showed me his ATSF units last year at the Denver convention and I got as far as those bleepin grill covers, but was so disappointed at the gaps, the project just ground to a halt. But now the shop crew will be motivated to git r done! Thanks for sharing!
