Alright, I bought a ATSF SD45 abotu a year ago to Patch. I’ve finally gotten around to doing so.
First I’ll give you a little back ground info. Back in 1995 WC had a “lease to Own” Deal with ATSF. In mid 1995 they could start patching them. Most of the ex ATSF SD45 either had just the number patched, and the new WC number below it, with the Santa Fe lettering still on the long hood still intact. Or the number had gotten patch with the new WC number below it, and the Santa Fe on the long hood Painted out. But a few escaped new Numbers. They ran around in WC reporting marks, but ATSF numbers.
Question 1. I need to take off the hand rails to get to the “Santa Fe” lettering on the long hood. How do I take off the hand railings without damaging them?
Question 2. How do I the of the nose hand railing, and the nose grab irons.
Question 3. How do I tape off the “Santa Fe” on the long hood, and what tape should I use?
I have my SCL SD45 right in front of my and tinkered with it.
Take the handrails off, take your time and pull off the bottoms of the short stanchions where they attach to the walkway. Yes, they do fit in tightly, so take your time. I didn’t have to use a screwdriver or pliers, just pinched my thumbnail and middle finger nail together around the bottom of a stanchion and pulled carefully with a very slight wiggle motion. Take your time.
I use my rail nippers as a lever to remove them (slip the blades behind the base of the stantion). Of course, it requires a very careful hand, but it works.
I don’t know about that exact shell, but my GP7 shell wasn’t too bad. Inside the shell you should be able to see spots where the handrails were drilled into the shell. Take your hobby knife and scrape off some of the glue/melted plastic to loosen up the stantions. Then on the outside of the shell, slide your hobby knife behind the stantion, and twist it a little and work them out of the shell.
You’ll break a few here and there, but you can CA them back on when your done.
This is how I did the same stuff when taking the noses off of my P2K U28B and Gp30s (added nose patch using testors flat black in a can).
1 and 2. Find an old needle that can be bent, and poke the stuff out from the inside. then pull from the outside once the bond from the glue is broken.
Masking tape. make sure that if fits in with the surface.