I posted this on the N forum, so it may be a duplicate post for some. I'm building an SDL39. The shell was cast by Jim Semikoski. He also cast the truck sideframes and fuel tank. He sold these and several other shells at one time but is no longer in the business, which is too bad for us. The mechanism is an Atlas RSD5. Parts of the frame had to be cut away to allow it to fit into the shell. Many details to add yet but I finally got the courage up to bend and solder the handrails. It should be pretty much downhill from here.
Superb work, Bill, superb. Soldered handrails are one of the things I haven't had the nerve to tackle just yet. Maybe if I invested in a decent soldering outfit...
Wow..... Excellent work, Bill! She'll look even better in Orange and black... What, BTW, is an SDL39? What was it designed for? I haven't heard much about these. Are they CMStP&P specific, like Big Boys are UP specific?
Ten SDL39's were built specifically for the Milwaukee Road for use on light rail branch lines. AFAIK they ran in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota.
Correct. One of them was wrecked early on. Can't think of which one right now. They were also brought out west for a few months, prior to the final embargo. Two, perhaps three that I can recall. In Washington, they were assigned to 904/905. The reason was CP detouring potash loads south via Huntingdon/Sumas. This due to a bridge problem. Interesting fact- CP wanted to make it a permanent move, as the Milw was getting these to Portland 1-2 days faster than normal routing via BN through Vancouver, BC. It was, and would have been a profitable operation for the Milw. Oh well. Boxcab E50
#581 in Sacred Heart, Minnesota. Nice model. I am attempting some handrail soldering this week, myself. Have plenty of solder and Valium. Mark
Mark- Was it rebuilt? Or replaced? Supposedly only ten were ever built. Must have been the former? Late 1970's rosters show a #581. Have fun with the hand rails. A shaky left hand precludes my enjoying such frustrations! Boxcab E50
Boxcab, I don't know. I did some quick research on the SDL39's and #581 was in a crash in Sacred Heart MN in 1981. It was listed as scrapped on one of the sites I visited. PS-Caught "Red Green" while working on adding the "Dells" to my layout (remember when it was called a, "pike"?). Thought it a wee bit ironic, even more so as the duct tape was within easy reach. If the women don't find you handsome...... Mark [ October 10, 2005, 02:52 PM: Message edited by: cmstpmark ]
Yup. I remember using the word "pike." Apparently I'm out of luck. My wife doesn't find me handsome. Why do I know? We have a good supply of duct tape around here. Oh well. It could be worse than being thought of as simply being "handy." Boxcab E50
