Yesterday, the UPS guy dropped off a box, which contained a new in the package Rail Power UP SD90MAC shell and a whole lotta details to go with it![:D] I probably would have told about it yesterday, if I wasn’t at the work bench putting it together.[:D] So far, I’ve put on the rear etched brass steps, sunshades, large nose grab irons, and all the little plexiglass windows. I would have had the holes drilled for the rest of the grab irons, but my drill bit broke.[:(] Oh, well, looks like I’ll have to pay another visit to Hobbyland (I need some UP yellow paint anyway).[:)] It’s a little late right now, so I’ll post some pictures tomorrow instead.[:)]
It’ll still be a while before I get the mechanism, due to the fact that I need extra money for Christmas shopping, and the mechanism is $89. But when it’s all finished, I’ll be sure to post pictures of it.[:)] If any of you guys also want the Rail Power shells, A Line should still have some left, both painted and unpainted.[:D]
Front view, showing windows, sunshades, large grab irons, and drilled headlight lenses.
View of the steps. Notice the fine etched grating.
Right side view
When the shell is finished, I might post some pictures if I get around to it. If I don’t, then I’ll just post the pictures of the finished engine when I get the mechanism later.[:D]
No, I’m going to use the Proto Power West mechanism. I tried putting it on a Kato frame, but it didn’t quiet fit, mostly because there are bumps on each end of the Kato frame that my shell can’t go over, and the frame detail also gets in the way. The PPW mechanism should work great, based on the quality of their motors and the process they go through to make the Athearn trucks work perfectly, and it uses the Rail Power frame.[:D]
I recently picked up the same RPP SD90MAC kit at a local show for $10. I’ve only added a few of the included detail parts so far, mostly because I’m hesitant to start painting it until I hone my airbrushing skills on a few of my old car models… Are you using the detailing parts from PPW? They look pretty good to me, but I’d like a more informed opinion. BTW I’m planning on powering it with an Athearn motor out of a dropped (and smashed) AC4400 that I bought at the same show. I figured on using the PPW power trucks as well.
That’s probably a good idea to practice painting before you do the SD90. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not really too hard.[:)]
Yup, I’m using the A Line/PPW parts. The etched brass steps look great, and aren’t really too hard to do. You just have to make sure you put them in the right spots. I accidentilly switched the two middle steps around, so the small one was on top and the larger one was on the bottom, but I fixed that pretty quickly.[:)] The grab irons are very fine, and I’m guessing they’re about as close to scale size and thickness as you can get. The windows are laser cut plexiglass, and fit perfectly in the window frames. I glued them in by putting gloss clear paint around the insides of the window frames, and then carefully pressing the windows in. The handrails are like Athearn BB handrails, but they’re pretty fine and look pretty good. The sunshades are fine etched brass, and also look great.[:)] The windshield wipers are about as fine as you can get, so you have to be careful with them. The handrail chain is real fine, and should look great once it’s on.[:)] I’m very pleased with my shell and all the parts that came with it, if you couldn’t already tell.[:D]
I could tell… Thanks for the info. I’m actually getting kind of excited about having a running unit that I’ve “built” myself, rather than just pulling it out of a box and slapping it onto the rails.
