Kadee

Lookin good clem, what a model diesel should look like

Hello Bob

I was at the apple store getting my computer and skills improved. this post and the other with the video where checking to see why I couldn't post photos or video. 

    I have six of these locomotives to do, I practiced on a dummy that will become a power unit. Did one last night, and this one is the dummy. Hope fully I can post more pictures when I get my act together.

    What looks like rust on the rails is actually dried Matt medium. peels right off.

Clem

Why peel it off? Why not try weathering all your track to make it appear more realistic?

Yes weathering the track is on the to do list. Wish I would have done it before scenery but it is still doable.  Thanks for the reminder Hot Water I need someone to keep me going

Clem

By the way, did you also fix those pilots after adding Kadee couplers?  It is a shame that a smaller opening snow plow pilot assembly isn't available. That way after up=grading to Kadee couplers, that huge gap for the lobster claw would NOT be so visible.

Yes I did fix the pilots, the first one took forever, now that I know the way that works for me I am doing all six units. Found out that that rolling stock that has the new Kadee#745 or 740's will not couple to the snowplow front. the trip pin on the coupler is longer.

Posted on the other post I just did with the Atlas boxcars is a picture of the front of the engine before I painted.

Clem are you going to do those hand rails as well? That would be the way To go for sure! 

Just cut the trip pin off and put a scale air hose on there. Then they will couple up. Unless you are using the trip pin for uncoupling with the magnets, it won't matter anyway, not to mention it looks so much better without the trip pin.

My Dash 8's are mainline units and I don't switch with them so the trip pin gets cut off. The 740 couplers work just fine with the plow.

The GP30 is used for switching with Kadee magnets so the trip pin stays and the air hose is left off. I just can't look at the trip pin and an air hose on the engines....it's either one or the other for me.

you can drill holes in the plow extensions to allow for a closer fit to the pilot. 

The coupler on the engine is not the problem, it is whatever your trying to hook to. the older Kadee have a shorter trip pin. I would have to cut the pin on all the rolling stock and locomotives that have the new coupler. I did move the plow in closer by drilling new holes in the mounting bracket. I agree it looks a lot better without the trip pin. What I need is a different plow, probably could not be V shaped and would have to be really tight to the pilot. Or I could just use the older style Kadee, or don't use plows. I do plan on extending the hand rails and getting the truck side frames in tighter.

   Jeff, Martin,Laidoffsick and Hot water thanks for all the feedback. If it wasn't for this forum I would have never done  this. 

Once again thank you

Clem

Same thing happened to me.  I was modifying a non-powered sd70m and when I installed the 740 coupler and put the snowplow, running it backwards after the powered engine proved a problem.  I would hook up a freight car with 743 coupler and the pin from the freight car would slide across the snow plow and become uncoupled.

Ultimately, I redrilled the holes to attach the plow and move it closer to the engine.  It solved the problem, but it took a lot of time and several iterations before I got everything to work.

Anyways, in that case, cutting the pin on the front engine coupler would not have solved that uncoupling problem.

Good morning Martin

I wonder if I take off the original MU hose's if I could make it closer?

Clem

Well I run multiple unit consists, so one engine couples to another, hence the solution of cutting the trip pin off. If you only run one engine, the cars couple to the rear of the engine where there is no plow, so it shouldn't be an issue. Even if you were to run a 2 engine consist, if the rear unit faces forward, again the cars couple to the rear of the engine...no plow, no problem.

That's the correct style plow for those UP engines so I wouldn't use a different style. Make sure the Kadee trip pin is set at the proper height according to the Kadee Height Gauge, and maybe trim the bottom of the plow to allow clearance for the trip pin.

I would definitely modify the coupler/pin before I started messing with the details on the engine.

Nice job, Clem. Aren't those SD40-2s a lot of fun to convert? I need to get the inspiration to do a couple that I have waiting. I thought about buying the PS3 Santa Fes when they were released, but the thought of converting the pilots is kind of a damper on the idea.

To anyone who converts these, I suggest cutting off those ridiculous cast-on foot boards on the pilots. That will allow you re-position the plow closer to the pilot.

RM

Laidoffsick~ I also like to run locomotive consist from two to six. Just like the real thing I like having one facing each way on the ends. I think i'm going to cut them off just for the better appearance. Going to try cutting the pin on one car just a little shorter first and see if they still work. 

   When I saw your terrific MU hoses thats when I thought of getting rid of mine, are those stock parts from a supplier? 

Rich~  

   The first one was a real pain to figure out, now that I now what parts to make it is pretty easy. My hands and eyes don't work as good as they use to, but once I get all four pieces perfect, I think I can set them up on a machine and cut a bunch at one time. I'm cutting another set now and should be able to post pictures of the pieces needed. The cast in foot boards are actually not in the way the openings in the plow fit right over them.

Clem