Hi. Does anyone have a simple, proven technique they could perhaps write-up for the forum describing the best way to install a Utah Pacific, or equivalent, nose gyralight on EMD second generation Frisco diesels? I have several Frisco Atlas GP38's, Athearn GP40-2's, GP38-2's, SD40-2's, a GP50 and a Walthers GP15-1. I've yet to try to add the nose gyralight, for fear of messing up what is otherwise pretty good looking SLSF power - after I've added other details and finishing touches. Yet, they don't look right without the nose gyralight! Any thoughts? |-| Ken Meteor910
I mark the center of the Gyralite on the nose with a scribing tool. Using a bit whose diameter is approximately one half the width of the Gyralite, I drill a hole. Then I use files to open the hole and create a square opening. It's a slow process with lots of test fits. If I go too far, a little Squadron Putty fills the gaps.
Karl, you don't mention anything about making some kind of 'indented box' in the hood which holds the gyralite. Do you make one? I, too, have been afraid to install gyralites in a painted unit, although I guess the good thing is that it's in a white area which is easier to match.
Fortunately, the Utah Pacific part has its own "box". http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/755-85 The processs is just a bit slow, but not difficult. If you have concerns, practice on an old "blue box" Athearn unit. I will admit that I've never done it to a painted unit, so accept that caveat.
I think I'm going to "give it a go" on a dummy, but painted, Athearn Blue Box GP50, using the Utah Pacific brass gyralight. I also have one of those Walthers GP15-1's here staring me in the face. Maybe it would be the best one to practice on - the GP50 looks better! Plus, it needs a lot of other work as well. The GP15-1 runs very well, though. |-| Ken
No problem with the Details West Pyle Gyralite (235-115), except that it does not include the indented box mounting in the nose that the Frisco used. Take a look at the Utah Pacific Pyle Gyralite (755-70) or the Sunrise Pyle Gyralite (695-13108) instead - they are very close to the Frisco installation. Of course, to use the Utah Pacific or Sunrise gyralite, you have to drill/file a hole in the nose for the part to fit in. I've just finished doing this for the first time on a Walthers GP15-1 I'm doing as SLSF 105 (I used the Utah Pacific Pyle) - it turned out well. Ken |-|
Does anybody out there have any video of a Frisco unit running their Gyralight? If anybody does. Please share!!!! I for one would love to see it!!!!! frinyd
Steam Gauge Video Production's "Ship on the Frisco" covers the last days of the Frisco between Ada, Ok and Sherman, TX; Hobart, OK to Davidson, OK; and Ft Sill to Floydada, TX. It has video of the last run over the QAP as well as scenes of that line being retired. There are plenty of scenes with the Gyralight in action. It was produced in 1988 in VHS. Try 1519 Sweetbriar Dr., Wichita Falls, TX 76302, 817-767-4843. There still might be copies around.
Also note Don's pic of GP38-2 SLSF 696 he just posted tonight. It's a still shot, of course, but the nose gyralite is on. Neat! Ken
While we are on this subject, what color are you going to paint your Gyra Light? I have photos of the GP15's and they look like they are silver (or bare metal) while some of the photos I have seen of GP38's look like they are white. Are these post repaint? Thanks, FriscoFriend
Thanks, but I already have that. I am greedy sometimes!!!!! lol I was just hoping to see, if there was anymore video out there. I can't get enough Frisco video footage!
I painted the nose gyralite white with a silver collar (ring) around the MV lens I used in it on SLSF 105. What I did was to silver the hole the lens fits in first, then installed the lens. It looks good, with slight ring of silver appearing around the MV lens. I have several nose shots of the GP15-1's. The gyralite, to me, looks white when new, dirty gray/white when old. One or two could be silver - hard to tell. The face plate on the gyralite looks like an aluminum casting, so a replacement could have been left silver. When new, they looked painted on my pics. Anyway ... mine is white. Ken
I have 3 Frisco Atlas GP38's that need finished. They are nice shells but need Gyra lights installed. Thing is I got a bunch of Detail Associates 1001 Gyra lights but they come without the box. Got to looking at my scrap styrene box and had an idea. Why not us a piece of H beam? So here we go. The first photo shows the 1/4" H beam from Evergreen, second shows two of the webs removed making the deep channel beam. Then cut three lengths (one for each shell) of the channel about twice as long as the gyra light, to allow for trimming. Square one end of the channel and glue a strip of .015 styrene to the square end, trim that smooth on the sides leaving the top sticking up above the channel by .020. then glue the light to the end and bottom of the box. The bonus is the web of the channel has just a little of an angle to i,t that closely matches the prototype. Then used a drill to make a hole in the nose, and a square jewelers file to enlarge the hole for the box. after installing the box, trimmed the box to fit the contours of the nose, I noticed there was a little ridge on the back in front of the sand filler so I left that much of the back plate on. Still have some cosmetics to do to clean it up a bit, but all in all a cheap and easy way to use some parts I had on hand. Those Sunrise gyra light castings are all but impossible to find, and I don't have any of the Utah Pacific ones either. Thanks for looking.
Tom, you have fine modeling skills and a good eye for scrap box treasure. You made a tedious project look easy and wrote a good post explaining the process. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jim, I still have some putty and sanding to do but they are still coming along. Doing some underframe details on these too.
Then cut three lengths of the channel about twice as long as the gyra light is to allow for trimming Tom .. That confuses me .. Why cut three?
Hey, Ken, or anyone who may done so, have you ever traded out the painted over class lights on one of your E8s with a lens from MV Lens, and, if so, which part did you use? There is an E8 on ebay now with MV lens in the class light spot, but I can't figure out which lens would be appropriate for that engine. Thanks, Terry
In place of the cast in bumps, one could substitute 1.2mm 1.5v 15ma bulbs and illuminate the class lights as I have in other Frisco units, using one of the extra function outputs of the Tsunami decoders.
