I have an SD40-2 that Kato made for the Milwaukee road and they made the incorrect size gas tank. The Milwaukee road was famous for there GP’s and SD40’s to have shortened gas tanks so…I decided to try.
I had to take the whole locomotive apart to even saw the section of weight that needed to be removed. I used a jewlers saw for this to cut a straight line, and it took me 2.5 hours!
Next I needed to shorten the gas tank. I cut 2 sections out of the tank and glued them back together. Had to make sure that the tank was exactly on or it wouldn’t fit the frame at all.
The Milwaukee road also extended out the sand pipes on the back of the front truck, instead of hiding them in between the traction motors. ( I think it looks pretty good) I put those on also.
In all it took me 3.5 hours to do these 2 things.
The tank extended real close to the lead truck before this.
Do you think I was crazy for doing such a thing![:p]
James: You did a great job on that locomotive. I’m a freelance modeler myself but have been modeling Milw Rd in the past. When I wanted a Milw 2-8-0 I had to build one from a PFM ATSF 2-8-0. It took a good bit of doing but came out pretty good. Was it worth it? I’d say yes and was a fun project. I’ve still got that loco and will use it on my freelance layout for interchange action. No you’re not crazy just a good modeler.
Well, to be a Model Railroader you have to be a little crazy… Did you have fun making the changes and do you like what you have now better? Of course, or you wouldn’t be posting it here. [8D][8D][8D]
Looks great! Very well done. (Don’t tell anyone i said that! I don’t want to give up my image as a Diseasal hater…[;)])
Well I’m glad there are are a few of you who agree with me… I am planning on getting to or three more. One curtainly has to come from Overland models since they make the correct style of tank, and I just like the detail. The other couple are coming from Kato and I will do the same thing with the tank.
Thanks for all that post. I do agree that you have to be a little crazy to model railroad the prototypical thing.
That’s what determines a prototype modeler. The knowledge that their particular prototype had some idiosyncrasies, and the desire and time to reproduce those on their models.
Part of the fun of this hobby for many, is learning about the protoype and reproducing it. You have done a good job with the modification and have a better match for your specific road.
Enjoy
Paul
[}:)] Yea, You are crazy… But then aren’t we all?? It was obviously important enough for you to tackle it so why care what we think?? FWIW, you did do a nice job… If you know someone with a milling machine, it might make the task a little easier… I would invite you over for the task but I see that you’re in MN… Quite a way from MI [:D]… Show us the fleet as it expands…
nice looking unit my friend also wants to model the milw road’s electrified division. he got a mylw rd gp68-2 or a 40 not sure and made by i think athearn.
Well, maybe not crazy, but… Anyway, would you be the only one in the world that knows that the fuel tank is 3/32" too long? So if you want to shorten it go ahead, but you know you cannot stop there, now you have to check the bottom to see if the frame bolting arrangement is in the proper sequence and all the underframe plumbing is prototypically correct, piping, sand hoses, electrical conduits, proper size brackets, couplings, reinforcing steel, rivet and bolt placement, etc, etc. etc. that’s what prototyping is all about, it’s like baking 1/2 a pie, you must do it all, now all you have to do is completely remodel the interior(how many hours??) There, (tongue in cheek) I’ve said it. By the way that’s a terrific job of the locomotive, I used to have a bee in my bonnet about “prototype” modellers (rivet counters?) but then I saw some of my retired buddies sitting in a bar all day or sidled up to a bottle of McCheachern’s single malt scotch whisky and drinking the rest of their lives away, what a waste of humanity. So keep doing what you are doing, it’s the right thing, and, again, nice work.
Nope, not crazy at all. Although I don’t go to that level of accuracy I can admire the work of those that do. Bottom line - if you enjoy doing such work - then have at it!!
I firmly believe that there is no right way or wrong way to this hobby. If one enjoys having everything to scale accurate or if one enjoys running impact cars behind a 4-4-0 the only thing that I use to “rate” a model railroader is what I call the “fun factor.” If you’re having fun then you’re doing it right!
I get a little crazy myself. I will put many hours of research in just to get a single passenger car just right. I am one of those guys that don’t have much time for a layout because of the amount of time I spend modeling. I think it is a blast though.
That’s a beautiful job there, and no, you are absolutely NOT crazy to want as prototypical a locomotive for your railroad as possible. I think it’s a psychological thing with we modelers, if we’re modeling a prototypical railroad, we tend to adopt the railroad–think posessively about it. You decided immediately that “No, MY Milwaukee does not use that style of diesel with that type of fuel tank” and set about correcting it. Cheers to you!!
I’ve had to do the same thing in order to get an ‘affordable’ F-81 2-10-2 for my D&RGW locomotive roster. Started with an old PFM ‘junker’ ATSF 2-10-2 which had very close to the same dimensions as the F-81, got out the hacksaw, took a deep breath and just went to work. A year and a whole bunch of miscellaneous parts later, I had a fair representation of an F-81. Not perfect, mind you, but pretty darn close–close enough that a lot of people can’t tell the difference. It LOOKS Rio Grande–just like your diesel LOOKS Milwaukee.
That’s one handsome diesel you’ve got there–always liked the Milwaukee paint scheme.
Tom [tup]
You did a great job and no, I do not think you are crazy. The small tank is one of the spotting features that make the Milwaukee units stand out. Much like the winterization hatch on the SOO units, it is what gives it character. I wonder if the Kato SD-38-2 3200 gal tank would work for any future attempts? Just a thought.
The smallest tank I ever saw was on the ex Milwaukee SDL-39s after the WC purchased them from the SOO. Too bad they are gone.
