basement subdivision, The

First please note that I now have an e-mail address. This month we're going to add some details to the Society's GP7 custom lettered in the Futura Demi-Bold paint scheme.

I've got a few revisions to the table published in the February 1999 Magazine. Based on photos, I can report that the following C&O Phase II GP7s had dynamic brakes: 5844, 5845, 5846, 5851, and 5853. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that units 5840-5900 were delivered with dynamics, vs. units 5860-5900. I do have a photo of No. 5837 - without dynamics - so at least some of the 5831-5839 units don't have them.

The other error is in the Phase III GP9 section. When I originally prepared this chart I didn't have any overhead photos of these engines so I made my best guess based on the roster and built dates from Extra 2200 South and the "Phases at a Glance" which appeared in Mainline Modeler some years back. In the same February issue (on the cover, no less) is a photo which clearly shows unit No. 6258 with 36" fans instead of 48" fans. The revised chart presented below is numbered, as I have no doubt that other errors and omissions will be found.

UPGRADING THE

LIFE-LIKE/C&OHS GP7

Now let's get started on that Geep. Life-Like has done their usual excellent job on the GP7 PhI and only minor work is required to fully "C&Oize" it. Some of the work also involves personal preference on my part. As usual, start by carefully,stripping unwanted parts from the shell. I removed the eyebolts, horn, sand filler hatches, hood-top grab irons, the crew from the cab, and the MU hose assemblies from the pilots.

Remove the MU hoses carefully as we'll reuse them. While LifeLike has molded them in black, I still like to paint the couplings on the end with a spot of silver followed by some rust and it's easier to do when they are off the shell. Remove the plastic eyebolts by inserting the tip of a finely pointed pair of tweezers into the hole and pulling straight away from the shell.

Install the new eyebolts first. It always seems that the eyebolts and the brass horn have their paint worn away first due to their exposed location. I threaded a package of eyebolts onto a piece of fine wire and dunked them in "Hobby-Black" along with the Cal-Scale horn to blacken them. We'll see if this holds up any better than paint. The only eyebolts which have to be trimmed shorter were those in the cab roof. The horn is easy -just enlarge the existing hole in the shell to fit the larger Cal-Scale mounting pin. You can also use the D.A. five-chime horn. It's a beautiful part but is also extremely fragile.

Replace the sand filler hatches with ones from D.A. There's nothing wrong with the Life-Like hatches - I just think the D.A. part looks better. With a pin vise drill out the square hole from the existing sand hatch with a #45 bit, then ream with larger bits up to #40. Be careful, as you don't want to mar the surface of the light bar under the roof . Glue the new hatches in place.

Before installing the wire grab irons drill out the holes perpendicular to the shell. For some reason these holes are molded into the shell at an angle. Trim the excess wire before inserting into the shell, so the body can be remounted onto the drive. Use a piece of scale 4" thick plastic as a spacer to keep them all the same distance from the shell. Once they're all in position use a piece of drafting tape to hold them while applying CA glue to the inside. Look at the photo of No. 5844 to get some ideas on the MU stands. They are not like any part on the market, but not difficult to kitbash. Take one of the D.A. MU stands and trim it to 18" in length. Drill a hole in the bottom center to take a piece of .015" diameter styrene rod 2" or 3" (actual) long and glue in place. The extra length will be trimmed off after the handrails have been installed. From the sprue of receptacles take a square one and glue it to the top position. A large round one is installed below. Set the new stands aside to dry.

Install the rerail frogs hanging off the frame roughly centered on the rear truck. Make the hangers first. Drill two holes in the frame edge, one offset slightly from the hole in the side sill for the handrail, and the second towards the fuel tank. Cut four pieces of fine wire and glue into the holes, then gently bend them into a hook shape starting about 1/8" from the shell. Drill out the dimples on the rerail frogs and thread them onto the wires. Glue in place with CA and trim.

Turn the shell upside down now and look for the unopened (at least on mine) holes for the MU stands. They'll be right at the radius where the pilot and walkway meet. Drill them out with a #74 drill. Now insert a pair of the MU stands and conduit assembly. Temporarily install the end handrails to aid in the height adjustment of the MU stands. The top of the stand should be even with bottom of the handrail stanchion fitting. Glue the conduit from below. For added strength cut it off at the bottom of the pilot and glue the entire length.

Set the shell aside and add the sanders and speed recorder to the trucks. Drill a hole for an eyebolt under the outside journal on both sides of each truck. Drill a second hole inside the spring hanger and glue an eyebolt in place. Rubber cement will hold well in the Delrin. Take a piece of .010" diameter brass wire and bend it around a 1/4" diameter rod. Thread it through the eyebolts and trim after gluing, making sure that the top is cut off short enough so it won't foul the shell when running around sharp curves.

On to the most difficult part of the detailing: fabricating the sunshades. On this group of engines they were the cloth style. First, drill two holes in line with the end of the vertical portion of the drip strips above the cab windows and 12" below the end. Now bend a piece of .010" brass wire into a "U" shape to fit. Glue in place using a couple of 12x12 scraps to space it away from the cab side.

Cut a strip of .003" phosphor bronze or copper a scale 36" wide and about 1" to 1.5" long. Phosphor bronze sheet is available from Clover House. Bend the end up about a scale 6". Just be sure it's square. I used a pair of steel rules to make my bends - an NWSL bender would also work here. Before gluing the shade to the cab, polish the bottom with a bit of steel wool to clean it up for soldering. Spread a thin layer of contact cement on the shade and the cab and after the shade is installed follow it up with a touch of CA glue.

After the shades have set overnight bend them down until they touch the wire frame. Apply a noncorrosive flux to the joint before soldering. My favorite for this type of work (and things like engine wiring and rail feeders that can't be rinsed after soldering) is Burley's Soldering Paste Flux. It works as well as an acid flux but it's non-corrosive. The only address I have is The Burley Battery & Mfg. Corp., North East, PA 16428. After fluxing apply a bit of solder and a 20-35 watt iron to the opposite side and you'll have a completed sunshade which is also fairly sturdy.

Eyebolts, grab irons, horn, MU stand, and the frame of the sunshade are painted Enchantment Blue. The rerail frog is rust, and MU, sander, and speed recorder cables are Testors Rubber, with a touch of silver on the MU hose tips. Paint the sunshade a canvas color. The handrails in the stairwells up to the first stanchion are Federal Yellow. After weathering add the D.A. wind deflectors.

Edited by Russ Hass

RD2 Box 140

Kane, Pennsylvania 16735

Home (814) 837-4384

Work (814) 965-6455

e-mail: rhass@wii.com

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. May 1999
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