[Sandman_Sandro]

I am attempting to convert my SD70M to an SD70MAC and paint it in the Alaska Railway livery. I build scale models at a professional level, but this is the first time I am attempting a scale train. I will be regularly posting updates to this page, and any of your input will be greatly greatly appreciated. ENJOY!

 

[Fire21]

Welcome to the forum! Looking forward to seeing your pics as you progress.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

The base model has been revealed, lots of work to be done. Not sure if I have to extend the body or not.



I'm very happy these parts pop out so easily, i won't have to cut up the body.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

On the SD70MAC left walkway I noticed it was elevated for a big portion, I used a combination of 0.5mm and 1.0mm styrene to create the elevated walkway.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

I added a 0.3mm photo etch square grate, this is a protective mesh so that birds won't be able to nest in the exhaust system.



Looking down into exhaust from above after a quick prime.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

The body shell has been primed and now you can see the elevated walkway that will be glued to the side.



The walkway has been added to the shell and is now permanently part of the body. It looks bent because this was taken prior to gluing.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

Now for the design and production part. Since all of the added pieces are scratch built from styrene sheet, exact measurements are a must. This is a 2-D drawing of the flared section onthe left side of the body that is close to the cab as seen on the Southern Pacific SD70MAC. This will be cut accordingly and bent to form a 3-D piece.




Now after bending and gluing:

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

Added details for the walkway supports:

 

[Magic]

This should be a very interesting thread, will follow closely.

Magic

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

Thank you for you interest. Any input regarding what I should do will be very much appreciated.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

The next step is to add the elevated platform that is just aft of the left side cabs rear window. Again more styrene upon styrene.

These pictures were taken prior to being puttied and sanded down

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

I turned away from the walkway while I wait for the anti-skid flooring to still arrive in the mail. I am focusing on the cab headlights. Incidentally all Alaskan SD70MAC locomotives have the nose headlights, so something has to be done...

The blade I used to slice out the molded roof headlights was so sharp it cut right through the door framework as I was chiseling out the nose section. After I evened out the sides, I placed two sheets of styrene to act as the new walls of the light housing. You can see where the blade cut through the doorframe

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

I had to use the molded roof headlights as the nose headlights because I had no other master copy. I had to use what Xacto calls their "sharpest blade ever" so sharp it in fact sliced into my finger even when I applied the smallest amount force to remove the headlights. With the soft plastic, the knife cut through the material like butter. I bent a piece of styrene to glue the light fixtures to.

Once I had the proper sizing done, it was time to insert the new nose headlights. I drilled out the holes to insert the light bulbs in the future. I won't be gluing in this piece until I sand down the styrene to make it flush with the rest of the nose.

 

[DonR]

Wow

Watching this thread is like watching an artist
paint a portrait. Fantastic work.

Don

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

Now I have to patch up the giant hole in the roof from the previous removal. This will be tricky because I have to make sure that there is enough room for the number boards to be free standing. If it's too hard I'll just remove them completely and scratch build new ones.

The piece fits well but looks a little uneven on one side. If the putty doesn't help me achieve a flush result I will remove the number boards and make new ones after I finish the cab.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

As much as I hate cutting up the body, this one detail is imperative! I have to move the emergency brake wheel manifold to the open space next to it.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

I have removed the manifold and now am moving on to the space next to it. After carefully carving out the section I have finally achieved a desireable result.

Both sections have been windowed out and are ready to get a makeover!

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

The putty on the cab has dried. I can finally come back to finishing the nose section. I hate jumping around different pieces, but now I can finally finish up the cab once and for all. The nose light is permanently glued in and needs a few more touch ups with the putty and sanding. I also removed the number boards on top because it was just too much to sand around them.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

The end result is slightly less than up to my standards so I'm going to have to go in again with the putty to seal up the last standing imperfections. However; it looks like an SD70MAC cab now.

So enough with the cab, it's time to get back to the emergency brake wheel. I am happy to say that it is getting there after an hour of sanding carving and more sanding and carving.

 

[Sandman_Sandro]

This is an update. The SD70M to MAC conversion is coming along very nice. even at only 1/4 completion, you can already see the results. However; being an original SD70M locomotive, I do not wish to alter the length of the actual shell because I would have to change the chassis and powercore, which wouldn't make any sense to do this conversion. I hope you like the progress so far. Please post any comments or inquiries, I look forward to reading them.