I have a Kato SD45 mechanism and an undecorrated SD40-2 shell. I would like to combine the two to make an SD40. outside of the water level sight window what other visual dicrepancies are there? Are the truck centers the same?
The SD40 and SD40-2 have different truck centers (as well as different trucks, the one exception being Conrail's SD40-2's). Also, the SD40-2 rides on a longer frame than the SD40, giving it a longer walkway and "porches" on the ends (the hood lengths are the same). Plus, there are some subtle differences in sheetmetal between the two, mainly in the cab and battery boxes. Don't rely too much on the sight glass as a Dash-2 spotting feature, since EMD built some late SD40's, SD45's, and SD39's with the sight glass. Other things, like the short hood length, intake grills, fans, and exhaust varied over the SD40-2's production span, making things even more different. After all, that's what EMD stands for = Every Model Different.
The SD45 mech is a good starting point. It has the correct wheelbase and trucks for an SD40. I would use the SD40-2 shell and an SD35 Atlas shell (or just use a little styrene and putty on the SD35 shell), it is possible. I believe that the SD40 handails are available from Kato (if not, I have some. Contact me off-line). You will have to be a little creative on the sill but it should not be hard.
