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Post by onequiknova on Jan 26, 2022 20:06:32 GMT -8
It's been a while since I've done one of these threads. I've been working on finishing a long abandoned project the last few weeks. A model of Rock Island E6 #630, as it looked in the mid 70's. This won't be an in depth build thread, since the model is ready for paint, but I'll highlight some of the work done. The model is based off of a Broadway Limited model. The prototype, in all it's 70's gaudy glory. www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=474603 Much of this build is very similar to E7 639 I had a thread on quite a few years ago now. It can be found in the project archives. Most of the photo etched parts were designed for that project. We'll start up front. Proto 2000 did a pretty terrible job with the windshields and upper nose contours on their old E6 from decades ago, and BLI copied the errors to a T. To get the nose looking like something I can live with, I spliced in the windshields and a small section of the top of the nose from a Highliner shell. I used the small section of nose to reshape the top and cheeks of the remaining BLI nose, using styrene and filler. Once happy with it's new shape, I added some modified Highliner number boards. I also ditched the ill fitting lower headlight in favor of some styrene tube turned to size on a lathe and raised it's location a few scale inches. The upper headlight is a bit off, especially that flared area under the light, but I left it alone. I bought this model used from eBay, and it only came with an open pilot, so I cut off the anti-climber and glued a closed Proto 2000 pilot to it. That seemed easier at the time than trying to close up the Huge opening on the original pilot. An appropriate sized coupler opening was cut, and the extendable buffer was milled out of styrene. The cut bars are soldered together from .012" brass wire along with some scraps of brass sheet. The pilot steps are a couple of left over Cannon EMD steps trimmed to fit the opening. Since this model will likely always lead, I have a 3D printed Dummy "Sergent" type F coupler coming, and I'd like to build some scale draftgear before I start painting. To be continued....
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jan 26, 2022 20:42:28 GMT -8
Please do!
And WOW.
Ed
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Post by GP40P-2 on Jan 26, 2022 20:48:05 GMT -8
I have been missing these RI E-units builds. Glad to see this! Cool unit.
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Post by csxt8400 on Jan 27, 2022 0:05:37 GMT -8
This is truly spectacular. I could, and will, look at it over atleast two cups of coffee. Those pilots are immaculate, and the offset numberboards give it the familiar face. Very clean work!
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Post by rockfan on Jan 27, 2022 0:29:34 GMT -8
Looks great so far.
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Post by stevef45 on Jan 27, 2022 4:44:39 GMT -8
Looking good.
We need more build threads!
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Post by edgecrusher on Jan 27, 2022 7:35:17 GMT -8
Its really good to see you back at the bench. Can't wait the see the rest of this build.
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Post by TBird1958 on Jan 27, 2022 7:39:54 GMT -8
Looks great! Bring it home!
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cnwman
New Member
Modeling the C&NW's Harvard Subdivision circa summer 1978.
Posts: 21
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Post by cnwman on Jan 27, 2022 8:40:28 GMT -8
Very happy to see you back here with another E-unit project underway! Superb modeling, John - looking forward to the rest of the story!
Mark
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Post by rockfan on Jan 27, 2022 9:01:12 GMT -8
Are you doing yellow or gold "wings"?
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Post by trainboyy on Jan 27, 2022 10:03:28 GMT -8
Are you doing yellow or gold "wings"? Judging by how he posted the gold unit I believe he's going with that but we'd have to hear from him.
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Post by gevohogger on Jan 27, 2022 10:12:52 GMT -8
If he's doing the mid-70s, it would be the gold wings, since they date from 1972.
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Post by kpack on Jan 27, 2022 10:41:11 GMT -8
Ahh, this takes me back to the old Protomodeler days. I miss that forum and the incredible work that was shown on it.
I love seeing builds like this. My favorite is seeing the pictures right before priming and paint. That's where I can really appreciate the work and effort that went into the model. The various parts of the shell grafted together, body filler, brass bits, etc. Part of me would like to leave models just like this.
Love the model. Excellent pictures as well.
-Kevin
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Post by rockfan on Jan 27, 2022 10:51:27 GMT -8
I know when they were painted gold, just asking a question.
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 27, 2022 11:01:37 GMT -8
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 27, 2022 20:20:56 GMT -8
A large portion of the work on this model involved the roof. I was fortunate in that a fellow RI modeler on Facebook shared a couple dozen roof shots he took on top of 630 before it was restored a few years ago. He also included a tape measure in many of them, so they were a huge help. Much of this detailing would have been guess work without them. We'll start with the cab roof. The .005 brass square represents the patch welded over the old cab vent. You can also see where the original single chime horn on the conductor side would have been mounted. I modeled that with a horn cap from an old DA plastic horn kit and some .008" brass wire. The Nathan P5 sits where the Engineer side single chime horn would have been. You can just make out the forward mount under the longest bell. Speaking of that Nathan, it is a beautiful, yet delicate 3D printed horn I received from a fellow RI modeler. It is just sitting there, crooked, for the photos. I'll glue it place after paint. The oil coolers were scratch built. The coolers themselves are made from styrene that I milled the angled fins into. The piping is .028" wire, and the unions and brackets came from my etch set. The grabs are hand bent and I used Railflyer etched mounting flanges. Moving back... The old radiators were opened up on the mill and the opening was framed for the new etched radiators. Again, the same as the E7 I built. Only this time I had to substitute .010" x.020" styrene strips for the bolted flanges that hold the cores together. They were tricky eight years ago when my eyes were still good. Now, it ain't happening. I milled out a hole under those brass roof vents and pre painted them black. Getting paint under them after I glued them on would be tough. To the rear..... The HEP fans are long gone from 630's roof, but the rectangular fan base is still there, so I did have it's dimensions from those previously mention roof shots to estimate the fan size. I turned those fan housings from styrene tube on my mini lathe. The fan "grille" is made from Plano walkway material, and is just pinned in place so I can paint under it. As you can see, there are no fan blades. My initial thought was you wouldn't be able to see through the grille material very well, so I was just going to print some fan blade decals and set them in there. Now I'm second guessing that. You can also see one of my blunders on full display. My original intent for the HEP hatch bolts was to drill .008" holes with the aid of my milling machine and insert bits of wire for the bolt heads. After breaking a couple expensive bits, and realizing what a pain in the ass installing all those bits of wire was going to be, I filled in the holes, and will used Archer rivet decals instead. Those Farr grilles over the side intakes are cut up Plano E unit grilles. I included those on my original etches, but 630 has a longer grille along the HEP unit, and besides, the Plano grilles are much nicer than mine. To be continued.....
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 27, 2022 20:49:53 GMT -8
Ahh, this takes me back to the old Protomodeler days. I miss that forum and the incredible work that was shown on it. I love seeing builds like this. My favorite is seeing the pictures right before priming and paint. That's where I can really appreciate the work and effort that went into the model. The various parts of the shell grafted together, body filler, brass bits, etc. Part of me would like to leave models just like this. Love the model. Excellent pictures as well. -Kevin I miss those days as well. It seems most guys moved over to Facebook, and their format just doesn't work very well for this kind of content IMO.
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 28, 2022 15:52:44 GMT -8
A little update on the pilot. I found a packet of Sergent tightlock couplers in my stash, which I don't remember buying, so I went to work on some scale draftgear. I made the box from styrene on the mill. On the prototype, the buffer and draftgear were a single unit, and could be retracted, and the pilot doors shut. Of coarse that was long since disabled by the 70's. John.
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Post by slowfreight on Jan 28, 2022 16:06:30 GMT -8
Ahh, this takes me back to the old Protomodeler days. I miss that forum and the incredible work that was shown on it. I love seeing builds like this. My favorite is seeing the pictures right before priming and paint. That's where I can really appreciate the work and effort that went into the model. The various parts of the shell grafted together, body filler, brass bits, etc. Part of me would like to leave models just like this. Love the model. Excellent pictures as well. -Kevin I miss those days as well. It seems most guys moved over to Facebook, and their format just doesn't work very well for this kind of content IMO. DieselDetailer did the same. I just don't do Facebook. I want to be able to find these projects later. Jerry picked a paid forum host (not ProBoards), and while we kept it going for a while, they did one too many software upgrades and we didn't have the energy to reformat everything to be legible again. It's really a shame but we just had to give it up.
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Post by tom on Jan 28, 2022 17:51:34 GMT -8
Amazing work especially grafting the Highliner windshield to the BLI nose. Making that first cut into the nose must have been a little nerve racking.
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Post by kpack on Jan 28, 2022 20:51:17 GMT -8
That coupler cut lever....so nice.
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Post by tom on Jan 29, 2022 4:10:39 GMT -8
Excellent work.....especially grafting on the Highliner windshield to the BLI nost.
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Post by slowfreight on Jan 29, 2022 6:48:24 GMT -8
What size were the HEP fans?
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 29, 2022 7:08:36 GMT -8
What size were the HEP fans? The fans were removed and plated over when it was taken out of service, so all I had to work with were the dimensions of the rectangular fan base, which when scaled down measures .436"x.800". The fans were a guesstimate, and have an outer dimension of .375" and an inner dimension of .333". The side profile of the housing has a C shape to them.
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ADK
Junior Member
Posts: 78
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Post by ADK on Jan 29, 2022 8:10:14 GMT -8
Fantastic modeling, I really love the Sergent coupler on the front. It always kills the realism for me when an otherwise fantastic model is fitted with a grossly oversized Kadee!
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sp3205
Junior Member
Posts: 93
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Post by sp3205 on Jan 29, 2022 8:35:23 GMT -8
It's been a while since I've done one of these threads. Yes it has, and they've been missed! It's such fantastic modeling, I really enjoy seeing your work, and am always a bit blown away by the etchings you use on these models. It also helps motivate me to get gong on at least some of the long stagnant project around here.
Elizabeth
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 29, 2022 12:15:01 GMT -8
Thanks everyone.
John.
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Post by onequiknova on Jan 29, 2022 12:38:00 GMT -8
Let's wrap up the detailing phase of this project. The rear of the unit received the door and frame from a Highliner shell, and was modified with styrene to match the prototype. The cut levers were scratch built like on the front, and are mounted to styrene brackets pinned to the shell with brass wire. Hopefully that will keep them in place. The motor cradle was milled off flush with the bottom of the shell to make room for the underbody detail. I cut down one of my resin E8 tanks for the fuel tank. The battery boxes and cab signal cabinet were milled from clear acrylic. I didn't get carried away under here. I just added what can be seen when it's on the rails. A little paint makes those clear acrylic parts pop. Milling off the motor cradle causes some problems. It raises the motor a little over a 1/4 inch, and the BLI drive shafts don't like to run on an angle. I solved that problem by using A-line hex drive flywheels and drive shafts. I also replaced the motor with a Kato motor while I was in there. One of the flywheels had to be shortened a bit on the lathe, but it runs silky smooth now. The Kato motor mounted using the BLI motor mounts and some styrene shims to take up the slack from the thinner Kato motor. The model is currently being painted, so I should have some more progress to post soon. John.
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Post by GP40P-2 on Jan 29, 2022 12:55:23 GMT -8
Just utterly amazing. I can't wait to see it in paint, though the unpainted version is pretty amazing as well. I wish I could do work that clean!
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Post by cannon on Jan 29, 2022 15:02:58 GMT -8
Really nice, inspiring work.
Dave Hussey Cannon and Company
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