|
Post by URR566 on May 3, 2012 17:07:59 GMT -5
Here are some photos of two Athearn F7A shells that will eventually become B&LE 727 and 728 as they appeared in the 1990s working the Western Allegheny division. I acquired these engines about 10 years ago but never did anything with them. They were already detailed as Bessemer units which is why I decided to buy them. Whoever had them before I got them never finished them-no decals at all and on one of the shells the back is still in primer. The striping between the orange and black is pretty rough and it appears some of the orange got peeled away from some masking tape. These two locos will be paint stripped and finished as Bessemer F units. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 3, 2012 17:10:39 GMT -5
A front view of one of the shells shows some of the details-extra grab irons and windshield wipers. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 3, 2012 17:13:19 GMT -5
A rooftop view showing how the previous owner never finished painting the units. The steam generator detail found on Athearn F7 shells was removed and a winterization hatch was added. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by BleBob on May 3, 2012 20:06:12 GMT -5
Please keep us posted as they come along. Great thing about F's on the WA is they tended to be in rough shape(at least on the outside) so small mistakes in painting can be fixed with weathering...... I hope to do a set in N scale myself some day.
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 4, 2012 16:47:46 GMT -5
I showed the two F7A units so here is the B unit I'm working on. When its complete this will become B&LE 721B. I paint stripped this unit last night and did some detailing today. I removed the steam generator from the roof and added the vertical handrails to the sides. The railings are 24 gauge brass wire. I still have to go back and add the L shaped grab irons on the roof and a winterization hatch as well. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 4, 2012 17:06:37 GMT -5
Another detail I added was the extra step that the Bessemer added to their F7s. I made this from 26 gauge copper wire. I tried using 24 gauge on this but it didnt look right so I went with 26 gauge. Heres a photo of the real B&LE 721B which shows the extra step the railroad added. www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble721b-ags.jpgI will keep everyone posted as these come along. What decals should I use on these units? Champion use to make a BLE set but they dont any more and Highball Graphics does a set now but they are for modern hood units-there are 2 different logos on that set-the older logo (which I guess is the same size as what the F7s used in the 1990s) and the newer logo found on the tunnel motors. Any other sets out there that I dont know of? Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by BleBob on May 5, 2012 9:55:28 GMT -5
URR,
I have a set of the Highball Graphics decals in N. As far as I can tell the heralds are correct for something being modeled in the early 1990s time frame. The sets however do not include the “B” you will need for the B unit number. This will be an issue for me as well when I start my units. For you HO guys its probably not as big of an issue. Again great project and I am looking forward to more updates.
Bob
|
|
|
Post by dieseldetailer on May 5, 2012 21:58:54 GMT -5
Nice. I built a lot of those over the years.
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 6, 2012 5:33:44 GMT -5
Thanks for the info about the decals. Not only will I need a “B” but an “A” too-727 was numbered 727A even though there never was a 727B. Also while I’m on individual locomotive details the 727A featured a 48 inch dynamic brake fan which means I will have to modify that on the Athearn shell. Both 727A and 728 had the 48 inch fans however 727A had a pan top fan instead of the more traditional flared top fan which sister 728 had. www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble727a-agd.jpgThe 728 didn’t feature the “A” suffix that 727A had so I wont need another letter A. However, it appears 728 wore a different number font than any other B&LE F7. The font looks like a much smaller version of what was used on the Bessemers hood units at that time. www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble728cgd.jpgAs far as detail goes on the 728 it has an MU receptacle on the nose and 3 MU cables on the left front pilot with a small box to hold the cables in when not in use. I will add the 3 cables but currently debating weather to add the box or not. www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble728bgd.jpg
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 7, 2012 15:59:19 GMT -5
Got one of the A units paint stripped. Now starting some additional detailing on it. After paint stripping the unit the filler used to fill in the nose door headlight came out so I have to refill that. While I was at it I decided to modify the pilots by filling in where the factory footboards use to be. Still need to smooth out the pilots a bit more but just wanted to show this little modification. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 21, 2012 15:44:58 GMT -5
Finally have an update on these units. I took so long to post something because I was waiting to order some detail parts that I needed for them and I kept putting it off. Also got decals for them-I went with the Highball Graphics set but I still need numbers since the set I got was for hood units. Heres the future 728 which still needs some more work but is closer to being finished that it was in the last post. So far I have added the winterization hatch, the 48 inch flared dynamic brake fan, and the MU box on the front. Still need to put the 3 mu cables on the pilot, the box that holds them, and the cut lever. Heres a photo of the real 728 showing the MU box that the Bessemer added to the left front of the unit. www.rr-fallenflags.org/ble/ble728abn.jpgAttachments:
|
|
|
Post by BleBob on May 22, 2012 7:27:36 GMT -5
Well it sure is looking good, can’t wait for that paint! You bring up a great point that has me a little discouraged being an N scale modeler. I never thought of the fact that the unit numbers for hood units would be different than those on an F unit. Now I am wondering how I will get unit numbers for these in N…..
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 22, 2012 13:06:37 GMT -5
Getting numbers for these seemed difficult for me at first. There were no F unit numbers on the Bessemer decal set. However I did some browsing around and found this set-while its not EXACT as to what the B&LE used its fairly close. www.mgdecals.com/Clarendon%20Font.htmI made some more progress on the 728 last night-I put the small box on the pilot that holds the MU hoses in place and currently working on getting the cut levers installed. Once I get that complete Ill go ahead and add some smaller detail parts that I actually removed from the locomotive to avoid damaging them during construction. As far as paint goes that may take about another week or two at most-I want to paint all 3 F units at the same time. While I have 728 and 721B almost complete I left poor old 727A behind. It still needs paint stripped and built up yet.
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 23, 2012 16:29:18 GMT -5
728 ready for paint. May need to do a bit more sanding to some areas to get them smoother but this is basically ready. Although it is ready for paint I will not paint it until all three F units I'm working on are complete. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by URR566 on May 23, 2012 16:37:04 GMT -5
721B ready for paint. While I was looking at prototype photos of 721B I noticed that the logo was offset towards the front. On the Athearn F7B there was a hatch in that location that I had to remove in order to be able to put the logo in the correct spot. Still need to do more sanding to get things perfectly smoothened out. 721B also features a winterization hatch and the L shaped grab irons on the front (F7B units had them on the front instead of the rear like their companion A units). Attachments:
|
|