HO Scale SLSF 1102

A big THANK YOU to the folks that helped on this project with information advise and photos, this project was made much more enyoyable with your input, I would have made alot more mistakes than I have without your help!
This started out a Blue box Athearn. Plugged all the roof holes, and cast on details added Detail Associates and a host of other parts were used, the smoke jack was made from a parts sprue. .015 brass wire used for handrails and cupola braces and brake beams, Cal-Scale triple valve, air res and slack adjuster were were put on. Mixed some model masters paint for the project and used decals from Micro Scale Oddballs and made a few of my own. AMB glazing and Tahoe wodel works trucks were put under it, after I moved the truck bolsters about 1/8" farther apart. Did some boneheaded things on it too like I didn't realize I used KD #5's instead of 58's till I was looking at the pictures OH well.
Cheers
Tom |-|

 

Thanks for the kind words and additional information. Had allot of fun building it. Mixed the color of paint from Model Masters Brown Red and a little Insignia Yellow. Attached are the additional pictures requested of the bottom.
Tom

 

OK, OK, I give! It seems extra fine sand paper with a little water just takes all that bn stuff, right off. It really never seemed right anyway, got an SD 45 to undo too. I also rescued the boxcar attached.
Mr. Ken Wulfert was kind enough to sell me another SLSF GP 50 shell and frame, think I will number the former bn 3100 to the SLSF 970 and Mr. Wulfert's SLSF 3100 Geep the 97something. It seems I will model the Frisco and QA&P like the merger never happened, as I do seem to enjoy some of the modern stuff too.
I have never done an article about building or detailing anything, would be glad to give it a try but would need some help from you guys to get it done.
Cheers
Tom|-|

 

Tom -

I look forward to seeing that SLSF GP50 in any form you want to do it in ..... as long as it is red/orange & white!

I believe the Frisco GP50's (they were going to call them GP50-2's per my SLSF locomotive program record sheet) were to be numbered SLSF 790 to SLSF 799.

I'm not sure EMD ever called them -2's.

Interestingly, SLSF 791 is the one that became SLSF/BN 3100 as it was completed and sent to the paint shop before the first unit in the order. Thus, SLSF 790 became BN 3101. The rest of the units, SLSF 792-799, followed in numerical order, BN 3102-3109.

Ken

 

Thanks Ken
It will indeed be O/W, I did not know that about the 791, 790 and such, interesting information. Always more to learn for me.
A couple questions;
What kind of antenna was most used on these Frisco units? The same as GP 40-2's I would guess
Did they use the weed cutter type plow front and rear?
Of all the Frisco books I enjoy there are almost never pictures of the rear end of these things.
Any corrections, comments, suggestions, advise is always appreciated.
Tom|-|

 

Tom -

EMD photo of SLSF 791/BN 3100 attached. You can see it had the weedcutter pilot. I've never seen a pic of the rear of one of these so I don't know what was carried back there.

The roof had the normal Frisco yellow rotary beacon plus Frisco's favorite five-bell Leslie horn - 3 forward, 2 rear. I can see no radio antenna on the few pics of 3100 I have, but I can't believe there wasn't a radio. Perhaps a whip.

Perhaps it was delivered without a radio and then whatever BN's standard was added. I don't know.

Others in frisco.org will likely have more reference data on the GP50's than I do.

Ken

 

Excellent work, Tom (especially on the underframe). Do you have any "in progress" photos? I also appreciate the description of your work!

Best Regards,

 

Thanks for the comments, and no don't have any in progress photos.
Just one of the many, many problems I have, is patience, or the lack of.. I can see in my head, how I want something to look, so I'm on a kind of mission until the project is where it should be. Stopping to set it up to take pictures honestly has not crossed my mind. Although the picture set up and taking, seems to be easier for me the more I do. The 3100 shell I got from Mr. Ken Wulfert will be my first, for an ongoing process with photos. Although the coupler cut bars, MU hoses and GYRA light I have already added. I will start taking picture progress pictures now. This can be applied to any RTR SLSF unit with the shell removed. The one thing I don't want, is to come off like I am some kind of pompous jerk.
Here we go,
Tom

 

|-|Here are the first shots of SLSF 3100 with the cut bars, Gryra light and MU hoses added. Those hoses must be expensive as more than one shot of the Frisco units I have, show less than a full compliment of hoses. As you can see the bottoms of the pilots have been trimmed so the plow and pilot can be added and mounted flush. I made some jigs that hold grab irons that can be painted and added to the shell later, they hold eye bolts too. You cannot have enough those self-closing tweezers to hold small parts for painting.|-| I should add that the cut bars are mounted with Detail Associates 2206 eye bolts, they are not exact but are very good for mounting for everyday use. Personally, I have little use for a museum quality loco I am afraid to take to a swap meet and run or touch.
Tom

 

Tom - Nice! Which gyralite part do you use?

Ken

 

Thanks Ken, I use the Detail Associates (DA) # 229-1001 (plastic) oscillating Gyra light.
Tonight the shell is drying from a coat of gloss coat.
So the frame gets the attention tonight.
I filed and sanded the casting seams and such from the frame, newer Athearn frames don't seem to need as much attention. After that I drilled a hole in the frame, with a #55 bit where the fuel filler will be located Precision Scale (PSC) #39079 this is the brass part# they also make plastic ones but they are not robust at all, then glued with ACC one each side use the pictures for locations. Next was the DA 3101 fuel sight glass on the side of the fuel tank a # 41 bit is best for a snug fit, did not use glue for this, it is pressed in place and the paint will hold it, it is common for this detail to applied to the Engineer's side on Frisco units.
DA 3102 is a good general fuel tank detail and guage kit. There are more parts than you need for this project but at $1.00 it's a good deal. I used tweezers to hold the narrow sight glass while a exacto blade is pressed into it to hold for glueing. It is designed to fit the contour of the Athearn tank, so is easy to place and glue with ACC, there is one of these on each side.
Next I used a Details West (DW) BP 111 for a fuel tank Vent, cut it and bent it to the shape I wanted, again drilled the Firemans side, top of fuel tank, with a #57 bit and glued in place with ACC. Also added tonight, was the airbox drain, centered at rear of the fuel tank, simple .022 brass wire was used for this, drill a #73 hole up thru the center of the frame just behind the fuel tank, and glue with ACC.
The .020X.020 styrene plastic glued accross the bottom rear of the fuel tank is another auxilary drain and was glued with ACC.
It needs to be said, that there are many many other more detailed, more complicated, more accurate, manufacturers of details parts for what was used tonight. All I am trying to do is a very basic set of details I try to put on each unit I build. You can spend allot more money and time and do a much better job. The retail coast of all the details used tonight is less than $5.00. And if your more than 6 inches away it's hard to tell the difference.
If some of you want we can go all out on a locomotive one day.
But not this time.
have fun!
Tom|-|

 

Thanks for the input Bob.
The Sunrise parts are indeed quality, but, like you say, getting more difficult to find. I have been very satisfied with some Utah Pacific parts, I am testing the shelf life of some of them too. I did not know you could get them from Tomar, I will have to get a handful of those NG 85's. Thanks for the part #'s
Always something for me to learn here.
You can drive yourself, your family and friends loony tunes with details and detail parts for these things, and spend some cash doing it.
On a few engines I went so far as to soldier blobs of soldier to .015 brass wire and took jewelers files, carved and filed reasonable, imitations of MU Hose cut out cocks for the underside of the frame. Won't be doing that anymore That was just plain nuts and unless I pick up the engine, hold it on its side and show you, no one, will ever know they are there.
Tom