scratch G scale ES44AC-H #2010 build w/ charging lights

I'm working on the cooling radiators and heat exchanger.....

Hey Joe, in the second pic, what are the bananas for? LOL  I wish I was as skilled as you at scratch building.  You R the man!!!   Nice!!!

Rick

Very cool work.......

I kit bashed a few diesels when I was in HO...SD40-2 and tunnel motor among them. 

I have had experience handling several different materials. That helps me work the plastic. I think many people here could do this. It just involves some time and desire. With practice, the models hopefully will get better!

 The nice thing about modern diesels is that all the panels are flat pieces of steel. Getting the angles right on the cabs, takes a bit of practice.

Plastic is my preference for building too.  But no matter the material I enjoy seeing others work. 

My O scale intermodal well car....I hope to build about 10....3 down! 

AMCDave posted:

Plastic is my preference for building too.  But no matter the material I enjoy seeing others work. 

My O scale intermodal well car....I hope to build about 10....3 down! 

That looks great! thanks for sharing. I want that in G scale!

Playing around a little more...

I like looking back, but I hate doing it!

just laid into place for now. I have to decide whether to flush mount or protrude out a bit?

OK, raining again and I'm bored. So I did a little bit more. I cut stuff up for the inter cooler thinger.

I made a plate to fit the hole, cut in 2 circles. Then I attached a piece of fine mesh screen. Filed it to fit. 

I made a pair of fans for looks too. I will mount them to a scrap bar of plastic.

Impressive Joe....hope it rains more

Nice work Joe. You could give the mfgs. a few modeling tips.

willygee posted:

Impressive Joe....hope it rains more

Thanks. Now it looks like 80% chance of rain, 80% of the week.

So............ I'm back at it.

It's just the layout stages so be kind.

Soon I'll figure out where to go next! Lots of screens to make.  & I hate screens!

It's like being at the GE factory in Texas...now where is the prime mover station?

I would love to be able to work with brass. I would try and have the doors open and a model of the prime mover and generator inside.

I have a feeling you'd want me to show it really start up too!

Started the cab. Just the sides and cutting out the window openings.

Nice..whose trucks do you use?

They will be the six axle trucks from a MTH Dash 8 gauge 1. I prefer to use those when I can get my hands on them. Metal gears make them last forever.

The drawings I'm using from the article in Model RR mag are missing lines near the front of the GE's cab up top. There's something that the drawing took liberty and doesn't appear to be totally accurate. I found out the hard way and now have to re-cut several pieces a little longer. The cab has plates of metal that end short of the front and the drawing seems to have mixed these with the front edges.

All I can say for anyone wishing to build these is stay with it! All the angles can drive you stir crazy. I just have to do a little bit at a time, and stay at it as long as I can. I think that the EMD ( Cat ) cab of the SD70ACE was easier. There's a few more angles on the GE cab that are tougher to nail down exactly.

Sometimes it's better to start over!

Lots of fine tuning and playing with geometry still to go.

Got a little bit farther along...

"All together now" 1, 2, 3, 4...

"All together now" 1, 2, 3, 4....  

and a quick beauty shot of some extra parts thrown at her:

I could have settled for a MTH Dash 8 fuel tank.... well maybe if I could have got an extra one?

It doesn't have the right profile so I really got into something here. This tank maybe just as tuff to build as the cab?

It probably will take me days to finish. There's a shelf that needs to be cut in for the air tanks still to go. Some type of mounting flanges and the shelves on the sides.

 I may make my own custom truck sideframes as well? Just a few more years to go.... (Mike Wolf help!)

I added the frame rails now,

How about a quick air tank? Now to make a duplicate....

Hey Joe, nice work. The cab and fuel tank look good. How are you going to make the X panels on the AC cabinet?

I block sanded a thick flat panel, last time I tried.

Hmmm, no photos here of the other side of the engine?

https://ogrforum.com/...cratch-built-sd70ace

here's the other side

http://www.gscaletrainforum.co...est-post/&page=3

I'm going to call this an air tank shelf. I finally cut the new fuel tank to install it. I don't know why I was shy about starting this?

It's just laid in place for a test fit.

Joe, I just read your whole thread and WOW! Great work, where do you get the base for tis or do you make it also? Im guessing you just have motors laying around to put in there! LOL

mike g. posted:

Joe, I just read your whole thread and WOW! Great work, where do you get the base for tis or do you make it also? Im guessing you just have motors laying around to put in there! LOL

The base? If you mean the drawings that I'm building from, they were in Model RR mag.

If you mean the frame and trucks, I scratch built the frame and the trucks are from a MTH Dash 8 ( I have 2 extra sets).

Thank you.

Hi Joe, I was talking about the Frame! Thanks for the update!

Thanks for the interest!

Here's a dry test fit of the air tanks...

Does anyone know what became of this engine GE #2010?

Who bought it? Still owned by GE? 

So yesterday, I didn't get anything done. Today started off the same. I did get some ballast to start things off. My girl made pizza and there was extra sauce left. So I did think of a good use for it!

... oh and I did get a little more done on the fuel tank. I still have to flush the edges of the thin top cover panels.

Well, I tried to spread ballast but the rain came again.

So I went inside and tried to make some cab roof panels.

Joe

Nice work.

Same here with rain, was trying to put down some more track.

Larry

 Seems like a very wet August so far for us!

I started cutting panels for detail. I'll have to figure out how to make the no slip raised centers on them?

I also need to make the triangular lift rings that are on this GE's roof panels. Maybe someone already makes them in brass?

I started work on the lights. I cut in the front headlight recess and added the panel. I also did the rear (tail?) lights. I will still need to cut in the sand fill panel on the rear and add plates to hold the front ditch lights.

I'm putting in the lights and wiring. I installed a PS2 harness and added a polarity switch for nothing. Now I found a PS3 kit so I'll start over!