SWEEP - GP SW Switcher

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hello all. This is my first post and ironically my first scratch build. I am trying to model a ‘SWEEP’. It is not going to be exact, but I would like to do it as nice as possible. To do it correctly I would have to cut the ‘Athearn’ chassis down and I am not ready to do that.

Anyhow [V] ( I tend to ramble ) I am looking for anything on a ‘Sweep’ particularly the roof detail. All the pictures that I have seen are of the side or the back. I am also looking for the cab. I have been told that it is a cab from a S12 and not from the SW series, and I have to agree. I have not seen a SW cab that looks like the one on a ‘SWEEP’.

[:0] Oh I do not know the proper name for this locomotive. I can tell you that there were only a few made. They were operated on the Canadian National System.

If anyone out there can help, I would appreaciate it.

Thankyou

2

sorry, I have no information to offer you. I will keep this post up by posting now, maybe somebody will see it that knows. Sorry I can’t help on your first post/thread. Welcome, though.

3

I have never heard of a SWEEP. However, a cross between a GP and a SW sounds like the RS1325.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/cim/cim.html

4

The “Sweeps” were made using SW1200RS switchers and replacing the hoods with those from GP-9’s - SW + Geep = Sweep; CN called them GS-413’s. I made one many years ago, and my article on its making appeared in Railroad Model Craftsman (Nov. 1987). I used Athearn components, an SW-7 and a GP-9 (or -7, I can never remember what they call it!). I just cut off the SW-7 hood at the walkway, did the same with the GP-9 and merged the two. The only change with the GP-9 hood is the dyanamic brake fan has to be removed and the roof changed to being the same level as the rest of the roof in the area. New exhaust stacks were mounted in the space.

I made my model using only a single three-quarter front view of the prototype, so the rear of the cab on mine was left stock. I later discovered the prototype has a different window arrangement, with additional windows below the main center ones.

There are probably photos of the prototype in the CNLine SIG website :http://www.cnlines.com/index.html but I’ve never checked.

Good luck!

Bob Boudreau

5

FEC302,

The locomotive, CN 7300, is illustrated on Page 208 of the “Contemporary Diesel Spotters Guide - 2nd Edition”.The only offical title is the CN class GS-413 since it is now 1300 HP.

It is a CN SW1200RS fitted with a GP Hood. This allowed the use of GP radiators and electric fans rather than the mechanical fan on the standard SW1200RS, and reduced maintenance. The UP “SW10” used the same modification, but kept (most of) the original hood.

The reason the cab looks odd is that CN fitted the SW1200RS with full illuminated number boards and headlights for road use.

To model it, you should start with an SW1200 or SW7, remove the hood and apply a shortened GP hood (with dynamic brakes). the cab end radiators of the GP are removed. The dynamic brake fan is removed, and the grid blisters are fitted with air filters. This loco, CN 7300, has a winterisation hatch over the engine side radiator fan.

One reason to use an SW frame and cab is that 7300 has “Flexicoil” trucks. These are shorter wheelbase than GP “Blomberg” trucks. If you use an Athearn SW, you can buy the correct sideframes as spares.

If you have bought a GP, use it for something else - there are a lot of modified GPs (with Alco style vee front cabs) on CN that would make a good partner for 7300. (Or use the hood for 7300 on a SW chassis!)

I don’t have roof photos, but there will be no dynamic brake fan (because there are no dynamic brakes, even if the “blister” is still there) and there are no cab end radiator fans (because there are no cab end radiators). If you make those changes, you will be mainly accurate.

If you don’t mind different protype roads, you can also model Santa Fe 1160, the “Beep”, a Baldwin VO-1000 with a complete, non dynamic brake, hood. You could use an Athearn S-12, but you might have to modify it to take GP “Blomberg” trucks.

I hope this helps!

Peter

6

Thankyou for your information on my project ‘SWEEP’. I would like to especially thank FUNDYNORTHERN for the location of an article on my project. I located the magazine from a friend in a local Model Railroad Club. My project is underway again. I would like to show my locomotive to all when finished. Is there somewhere that we can post pictures like that?

Thanks again
FEC

7

FEC302:

Glad to help! By the way, I did not point you to “AN” article, but to “MY” article on making a SWEEP! [:D]

Bob Boudreau