mickoo
Western Thunderer
Okay, are we sitting comfortable, good, time for a GEVO update.
Having lost (currently) my trip overseas, the GEVO itch is too troublesome to ignore any further, and I have to confess the US bubble is also in full force.
A while ago I picked up a MTH 2 rail GEVO and having plundered the world wide web for images, found that MTH had managed to make a model that did not match any of the 10,000+ real engines.
It is a bit of a hybrid model and for the technophobes is essentially an ES44AC, however, that's about where reality ends. It has a MK II cab with the nose door on the left, that feature is/was a product of earlier engines, notably the AC44CW that came before. There are a few MK II cabs with doors on the left, but not many and mostly DC variants (ES44DC) from BNSF and CN.
The cab withstanding, the other niggle is the radiator section, the doors on the side are from the past and match the AC44CW class, not the later ES44 classes.
So, in a nut shell we are looking for a ES44AC, with a MK II cab and AC44CW radiator doors and there is a small batch delivered to BNSF that matches (least number of remaining issues) the model the closest, namely 5718 - 5955.
This is where it gets tricky, the first few (5718 - 5747) engines whilst grouped in the ES44AC category are actually coded as AC4400CW by BNSF, after 5747 they are coded ES44AC. More importantly, these first few carried on with the BNSF Heritage II paint scheme, the fable cigar band logo on the nose.
After much digging we now have a batch of engines, small as it is at just 30 that the MTH model can be adapted to.
With such a small class I'm amazed to have photographed three of them
5721 at Keenbrook.
5747, again at Keenbrook
5734 stomping up Ash Hill near Ludlow
Now the model and a brief reminder of what it looked like out of the box.
And after a couple of hours with knives and screwdrivers.
Couple of points to note, the inverter cubicle side comes off, that's obviously how MTH change between AC DC variant, however, no DC variants have the AC4400CW radiator doors
The dynamic brake openings show all three openings, the BNSF batch have a 0-1-1 configuration, so the foremost one will need blanking off, the same applies to the other side too. Some engines do have a 1-1-1 set up, others 1-0-1 and not always the same each side. Dynamic brake openings is a minefield in it's own right, most are flush with the body side but a couple of batches for BNSF and UP have the LH ones in a raised housing, more on that in the etch model at a later date.
Also of note is that all the walkways are thin etch sheets stuck down with double sided tape, excellent, means I do not need to sand them down.....
On the far right, MTH vent for the generator cubicle, in the middle, my more accurate 3D print, on the left MTH raised dynamic grill enclosure, they should be flush, not to worry as the vanes are pretty good so I'll trim these, add and etch overlay for the support strip and refit.
More concerning is the walkways, spot the bleedin obvious mistake....they have lozenge tread grips, GE does not do lozenge tread grips, only EMD does that. GE has raised pimples.
EMD furthest, GE closest, the plan here is all new overlays with pimples around the whole engine.
Moving to the nose.
The door had to go, hideous! as did pretty much everything else, note the NS brow headlight and number boards, these have to go and the headlight section filled. The plan is to add an overlay across the whole windscreen area, it'll cover up the headlight opening and already has new number boards of the correct style added. The existing windscreen openings will be enlarged, this will allow thin glazing to be added directly behind the new etch and give a much better appearance.
I've just sent of my V2 GEVO etch test build, on there are spare windscreen fronts and number boards, what I forgot to add is the nose headlight recess, bahh. The solution is to cut a hole in the nose, unsolder the headlight recess from my V1 test etch build and insert.
A new footplate etch will give the correct pimpled tread grips, I will also work up a whole new etch front end with pilot, steps and such like once I'm sure the V2 etch works fine. The same will happen at the rear.
On the drivers side the battery box covers also comes off, not sure what variant MTH would replace here, with out detailed digging I think they're all the same format as seen here. Once again, incorrect tread grips and worst of all, not hatches for the battery compartments.
The drivers cab door also had to go, I've already 3D printed one as a test, that'll be fitted and allow almost flush glazing and I'm seriously tempted to smooth off the cab side windows and add new more accurate overlays, again there are test ones already on etch V2, if they work, then I'll add them here as well.
I also dropped in a 3D test print of the larger generator cabinet filter, either mine is too narrow, or MTH is too wide. I will probably change this print, the flat flange plate with bolts does not print too well, but the vent does, I'll change it to just the vent in 3D and then add a etched surround to mimic the flange and bolts.
The electrical cubicle roof is pretty accurate so no work needed there.
The roof antennas had to go but the large middle bubble pack will have to go back, looking at MTH's shape it does not seem to match the BNSF antenna bubble, a gain a 3D print will suffice. The trench right down the middle of the roof is a mystery so some filler and sand smooth will correct that.
At the rear end the radiator grill section has already been striped of paint and I'm impressed with the level of detail, very impressed actually, if the rest of the shell is to this level then I can see me grabbing more of these and making up super detail kits. Having said that, outside of the 30 BNSF ones, all others will require a lot more work.
Having lost (currently) my trip overseas, the GEVO itch is too troublesome to ignore any further, and I have to confess the US bubble is also in full force.
A while ago I picked up a MTH 2 rail GEVO and having plundered the world wide web for images, found that MTH had managed to make a model that did not match any of the 10,000+ real engines.
It is a bit of a hybrid model and for the technophobes is essentially an ES44AC, however, that's about where reality ends. It has a MK II cab with the nose door on the left, that feature is/was a product of earlier engines, notably the AC44CW that came before. There are a few MK II cabs with doors on the left, but not many and mostly DC variants (ES44DC) from BNSF and CN.
The cab withstanding, the other niggle is the radiator section, the doors on the side are from the past and match the AC44CW class, not the later ES44 classes.
So, in a nut shell we are looking for a ES44AC, with a MK II cab and AC44CW radiator doors and there is a small batch delivered to BNSF that matches (least number of remaining issues) the model the closest, namely 5718 - 5955.
This is where it gets tricky, the first few (5718 - 5747) engines whilst grouped in the ES44AC category are actually coded as AC4400CW by BNSF, after 5747 they are coded ES44AC. More importantly, these first few carried on with the BNSF Heritage II paint scheme, the fable cigar band logo on the nose.
After much digging we now have a batch of engines, small as it is at just 30 that the MTH model can be adapted to.
With such a small class I'm amazed to have photographed three of them
5721 at Keenbrook.
5747, again at Keenbrook
5734 stomping up Ash Hill near Ludlow
Now the model and a brief reminder of what it looked like out of the box.
And after a couple of hours with knives and screwdrivers.
Couple of points to note, the inverter cubicle side comes off, that's obviously how MTH change between AC DC variant, however, no DC variants have the AC4400CW radiator doors
The dynamic brake openings show all three openings, the BNSF batch have a 0-1-1 configuration, so the foremost one will need blanking off, the same applies to the other side too. Some engines do have a 1-1-1 set up, others 1-0-1 and not always the same each side. Dynamic brake openings is a minefield in it's own right, most are flush with the body side but a couple of batches for BNSF and UP have the LH ones in a raised housing, more on that in the etch model at a later date.
Also of note is that all the walkways are thin etch sheets stuck down with double sided tape, excellent, means I do not need to sand them down.....
On the far right, MTH vent for the generator cubicle, in the middle, my more accurate 3D print, on the left MTH raised dynamic grill enclosure, they should be flush, not to worry as the vanes are pretty good so I'll trim these, add and etch overlay for the support strip and refit.
More concerning is the walkways, spot the bleedin obvious mistake....they have lozenge tread grips, GE does not do lozenge tread grips, only EMD does that. GE has raised pimples.
EMD furthest, GE closest, the plan here is all new overlays with pimples around the whole engine.
Moving to the nose.
The door had to go, hideous! as did pretty much everything else, note the NS brow headlight and number boards, these have to go and the headlight section filled. The plan is to add an overlay across the whole windscreen area, it'll cover up the headlight opening and already has new number boards of the correct style added. The existing windscreen openings will be enlarged, this will allow thin glazing to be added directly behind the new etch and give a much better appearance.
I've just sent of my V2 GEVO etch test build, on there are spare windscreen fronts and number boards, what I forgot to add is the nose headlight recess, bahh. The solution is to cut a hole in the nose, unsolder the headlight recess from my V1 test etch build and insert.
A new footplate etch will give the correct pimpled tread grips, I will also work up a whole new etch front end with pilot, steps and such like once I'm sure the V2 etch works fine. The same will happen at the rear.
On the drivers side the battery box covers also comes off, not sure what variant MTH would replace here, with out detailed digging I think they're all the same format as seen here. Once again, incorrect tread grips and worst of all, not hatches for the battery compartments.
The drivers cab door also had to go, I've already 3D printed one as a test, that'll be fitted and allow almost flush glazing and I'm seriously tempted to smooth off the cab side windows and add new more accurate overlays, again there are test ones already on etch V2, if they work, then I'll add them here as well.
I also dropped in a 3D test print of the larger generator cabinet filter, either mine is too narrow, or MTH is too wide. I will probably change this print, the flat flange plate with bolts does not print too well, but the vent does, I'll change it to just the vent in 3D and then add a etched surround to mimic the flange and bolts.
The electrical cubicle roof is pretty accurate so no work needed there.
The roof antennas had to go but the large middle bubble pack will have to go back, looking at MTH's shape it does not seem to match the BNSF antenna bubble, a gain a 3D print will suffice. The trench right down the middle of the roof is a mystery so some filler and sand smooth will correct that.
At the rear end the radiator grill section has already been striped of paint and I'm impressed with the level of detail, very impressed actually, if the rest of the shell is to this level then I can see me grabbing more of these and making up super detail kits. Having said that, outside of the 30 BNSF ones, all others will require a lot more work.