07/15/05
| PROJECT EJ&E SD38-2 |
This project started about the spring of 2001. I did not get to far on it. Only as much as cutting everything off the deck of an Athearn SD40-2. Then it was put
away. I was not ready yet to tackle such a project and make it the way I really wanted it. Originally it was going to be the mating of an Athearn SD40-2 deck
with an Athearn GP38-2 hood and then of course all the necessary Cannon & Company parts plus other needed detail parts. The years went by and I took a
break from modeling. Even though I took a break, my mind was still at the bench and upon my return to modeling I had formed many new ideas of how I
wanted to build this model. In the mean time Kato announced and released their SD38-2 model. With a little hope, I looked forward to Kato's offering.
Unfortunately it did not meet with my expectations. I am not going to bash the model. It is a needed model for the ready to run crowd and fills a modeling void.
With a little effort, it can be salvaged for prototype modeling. What I rejoiced over was now I had a dynamic brake hatch I could use for my project instead of
having to kit bash one from SD40-2 hatches.
So now I am back at the bench and have picked up where I left off. It is a good thing I took the break because I have found out some more detail information
as well. Depending on if I can find the decals or get the art work so I can have them made myself, I would like to build the first SD38-2 model as EJ&E #668 in
bicentennial colors. My plan is to build five models. Two from the first order, two from the second order and one from the third order. The first build will be from
the third order.
away. I was not ready yet to tackle such a project and make it the way I really wanted it. Originally it was going to be the mating of an Athearn SD40-2 deck
with an Athearn GP38-2 hood and then of course all the necessary Cannon & Company parts plus other needed detail parts. The years went by and I took a
break from modeling. Even though I took a break, my mind was still at the bench and upon my return to modeling I had formed many new ideas of how I
wanted to build this model. In the mean time Kato announced and released their SD38-2 model. With a little hope, I looked forward to Kato's offering.
Unfortunately it did not meet with my expectations. I am not going to bash the model. It is a needed model for the ready to run crowd and fills a modeling void.
With a little effort, it can be salvaged for prototype modeling. What I rejoiced over was now I had a dynamic brake hatch I could use for my project instead of
having to kit bash one from SD40-2 hatches.
So now I am back at the bench and have picked up where I left off. It is a good thing I took the break because I have found out some more detail information
as well. Depending on if I can find the decals or get the art work so I can have them made myself, I would like to build the first SD38-2 model as EJ&E #668 in
bicentennial colors. My plan is to build five models. Two from the first order, two from the second order and one from the third order. The first build will be from
the third order.
What you see at the left is basically where I left off about
three or so years ago. Except for the Cannon & Company
jacking pads and air reservoirs, I have cut the long hood and
cab sub-base off the sill/ walkway. At the time I did this, I was
unaware of the step well differences. Since then though I
have done a lot more research and for this unit I want to
build a last order SD38-2 which has the notched step well.
So I cut the inner step well out. Thanks to Lee Stewart who
was kind enough to make duplicates of the photos he took of
unit 668, I have some great reference shots of the step
wells. I also found out that the Athearn step well does not
have the correct size opening. I'll be using Cannon &
Company etched steps (SS-2003) for the Kato SD40/45
which also fits the Kato SD40-2 model. Reworking the step
well should be pretty easy.
three or so years ago. Except for the Cannon & Company
jacking pads and air reservoirs, I have cut the long hood and
cab sub-base off the sill/ walkway. At the time I did this, I was
unaware of the step well differences. Since then though I
have done a lot more research and for this unit I want to
build a last order SD38-2 which has the notched step well.
So I cut the inner step well out. Thanks to Lee Stewart who
was kind enough to make duplicates of the photos he took of
unit 668, I have some great reference shots of the step
wells. I also found out that the Athearn step well does not
have the correct size opening. I'll be using Cannon &
Company etched steps (SS-2003) for the Kato SD40/45
which also fits the Kato SD40-2 model. Reworking the step
well should be pretty easy.
As mentioned above, EJ&E placed three orders with EMD for their SD38-2 locomotives. Units 656 to 659 were delivered in 1/74, units 660 to 664 were
delivered in 1/75 and units 665 to 668 were delivered in 11/74. Unit 668 was chosen to wear the bicentennial colors for our nations 200th birthday. It was
delivered painted all white except for the under frame and trucks were silver and it wore a polished brass bell. The J shop crews applied the red and blue to
finish off the paint scheme. I read an interesting post on the EJ&E list that one of the members a while back was fortunate enough to get a tour of the round
house in Joliet. He found the original drawing marked up in crayon by the shop crews on how they were going to paint unit 668. Over the years though he lost
the drawing. That is to bad, it would have been a great artifact to have and share.
When wanting to build an accurate prototype model of these locomotives, you need to pay close attention to what EMD really stands for. Though you may
think it is the acronym for ELECTRO-MOTIVE DIVISION, it really stands for EVERYTHING MADE DIFFERENT! Though I do not know of anyone listing phase
differences for the SD38-2, there are differences. I do not know how much of a change in a specific model is needed before a new "phase" designation is
given and as we all know, a phase designation is not given by the manufacturer. It is a term we modelers use to denote variations in the production life of a
specific locomotive. With the three EJ&E orders I have pin pointed three different changes and all have to do with the pilots and step wells. Everything above
the deck appears unchanged.
FIRST ORDER (units 656 to 659): Straight cut pilots with bottom step nub. Straight coupler lift bar with hand grab across top face of the pilot. No notched pilot
corners for hand access to coupler lift bar. Standard inner step well angle. Straight vertical cut inner step well. Photo from David Collicoitt, Fallen Flags web
site.
SECOND ORDER (units 660 to 664): Straight cut pilots with bottom step nub. New style AAR type 1 coupler lift bars. Notched upper pilot corners for hand
access to coupler lift bar. Lifting lug cutout at upper pilot face. Standard inner step well angle. Angled vertical cut to inner step well. Photo from Bill Navari
collection, Fallen Flags web site
THIRD ORDER (units 665 to 668): Straight cut pilots with bottom step well nub. New style AAR type 1 coupler lift bar. Notched upper pilot corners for hand
access to coupler lift bar. Lifting lug cutout at upper pilot face. Notched inner step well. Photo from Bill Navari collection, Fallen Flags web site.
delivered in 1/75 and units 665 to 668 were delivered in 11/74. Unit 668 was chosen to wear the bicentennial colors for our nations 200th birthday. It was
delivered painted all white except for the under frame and trucks were silver and it wore a polished brass bell. The J shop crews applied the red and blue to
finish off the paint scheme. I read an interesting post on the EJ&E list that one of the members a while back was fortunate enough to get a tour of the round
house in Joliet. He found the original drawing marked up in crayon by the shop crews on how they were going to paint unit 668. Over the years though he lost
the drawing. That is to bad, it would have been a great artifact to have and share.
When wanting to build an accurate prototype model of these locomotives, you need to pay close attention to what EMD really stands for. Though you may
think it is the acronym for ELECTRO-MOTIVE DIVISION, it really stands for EVERYTHING MADE DIFFERENT! Though I do not know of anyone listing phase
differences for the SD38-2, there are differences. I do not know how much of a change in a specific model is needed before a new "phase" designation is
given and as we all know, a phase designation is not given by the manufacturer. It is a term we modelers use to denote variations in the production life of a
specific locomotive. With the three EJ&E orders I have pin pointed three different changes and all have to do with the pilots and step wells. Everything above
the deck appears unchanged.
FIRST ORDER (units 656 to 659): Straight cut pilots with bottom step nub. Straight coupler lift bar with hand grab across top face of the pilot. No notched pilot
corners for hand access to coupler lift bar. Standard inner step well angle. Straight vertical cut inner step well. Photo from David Collicoitt, Fallen Flags web
site.
SECOND ORDER (units 660 to 664): Straight cut pilots with bottom step nub. New style AAR type 1 coupler lift bars. Notched upper pilot corners for hand
access to coupler lift bar. Lifting lug cutout at upper pilot face. Standard inner step well angle. Angled vertical cut to inner step well. Photo from Bill Navari
collection, Fallen Flags web site
THIRD ORDER (units 665 to 668): Straight cut pilots with bottom step well nub. New style AAR type 1 coupler lift bar. Notched upper pilot corners for hand
access to coupler lift bar. Lifting lug cutout at upper pilot face. Notched inner step well. Photo from Bill Navari collection, Fallen Flags web site.
Since I needed to change the step well, I decided to go
ahead and cut it all out and finish off the underside of the
deck. I had to trim just under the deck surface because
Athearn casts in the step well light. I'll replace this with a
Cannon & Co. light. The little white piece of styrene you see
in the photo is the new frame piece that you see behind the
top step. I'll need to build in the new inner step well angle. A
little bit later I will talk about the frame itself. Some things are
happening with the frame that I am pretty excited about so if
it all pans out, I will show it all, For now though I will work on
the step wells and the pilot faces.
The step well is pretty much like the phase II GP38-2 notched
step well. If you look in the photo below, you will see a
SD38-3 rebuild step well. The bottom step is your standard
angled bottom step. There is a piece of sheet metal vertically
welded in the notch to fill in the right angel at the bottom and
allow the use of the standard angled bottom step. The as
delivered step well has a rectangular bottom step like the
phase II GP38-2. The second step is like the rear steps on
the SD40/45T-2. The top step is your standard angled top
step except it does not sit back as far as usual. The kick
plate is even with the deck edge. The middle step also has
an inner kick plate and also serves as a sort of filler piece in
the notch. The inner step well at the top step uses the
standard angle.
ahead and cut it all out and finish off the underside of the
deck. I had to trim just under the deck surface because
Athearn casts in the step well light. I'll replace this with a
Cannon & Co. light. The little white piece of styrene you see
in the photo is the new frame piece that you see behind the
top step. I'll need to build in the new inner step well angle. A
little bit later I will talk about the frame itself. Some things are
happening with the frame that I am pretty excited about so if
it all pans out, I will show it all, For now though I will work on
the step wells and the pilot faces.
The step well is pretty much like the phase II GP38-2 notched
step well. If you look in the photo below, you will see a
SD38-3 rebuild step well. The bottom step is your standard
angled bottom step. There is a piece of sheet metal vertically
welded in the notch to fill in the right angel at the bottom and
allow the use of the standard angled bottom step. The as
delivered step well has a rectangular bottom step like the
phase II GP38-2. The second step is like the rear steps on
the SD40/45T-2. The top step is your standard angled top
step except it does not sit back as far as usual. The kick
plate is even with the deck edge. The middle step also has
an inner kick plate and also serves as a sort of filler piece in
the notch. The inner step well at the top step uses the
standard angle.
I think the best approach for this is to start by building the
top step area. First off I will build the inner frame. You saw
this in the photo above with the white styrene piece glued
into the Athearn sill. Some of you may be asking how did I
know how far to set this piece in. Well, that will be shown
very soon, but to give you an idea. I designed a very special
frame to sill adapter plate. I used the master for this plate to
know where to set the frame edge. After the plate gets cast,
I will glue it in place between the white frame pieces. Again,
all this will be explained when I get the new frame, fuel tanks
and adapter plates cast. Did you say fuel tanks???????
Last year I was fortunate enough to find a UP GP60 and an
SP phase II GP38-2 coupled to each other in a siding in
Tempe, AZ. I took measurements of the step wells and I will
use those measurements as a reference to build this step
well. Using the Cannon & Co. etched steps for the Kato
SD40-2, I will set the location of the top step. From the
photo, you can tell the front face of the top step is even with
the kick plate on the lower step. From that, I know the size
of the top step area. I already mentioned that the Athearn
Step well is not the correct size so I will cut a new piece of
0.030" styrene and build a new upper/inner step well. Using
a Kato sill/ walkway, I measured the inner step well angle
and size at the top.
top step area. First off I will build the inner frame. You saw
this in the photo above with the white styrene piece glued
into the Athearn sill. Some of you may be asking how did I
know how far to set this piece in. Well, that will be shown
very soon, but to give you an idea. I designed a very special
frame to sill adapter plate. I used the master for this plate to
know where to set the frame edge. After the plate gets cast,
I will glue it in place between the white frame pieces. Again,
all this will be explained when I get the new frame, fuel tanks
and adapter plates cast. Did you say fuel tanks???????
Last year I was fortunate enough to find a UP GP60 and an
SP phase II GP38-2 coupled to each other in a siding in
Tempe, AZ. I took measurements of the step wells and I will
use those measurements as a reference to build this step
well. Using the Cannon & Co. etched steps for the Kato
SD40-2, I will set the location of the top step. From the
photo, you can tell the front face of the top step is even with
the kick plate on the lower step. From that, I know the size
of the top step area. I already mentioned that the Athearn
Step well is not the correct size so I will cut a new piece of
0.030" styrene and build a new upper/inner step well. Using
a Kato sill/ walkway, I measured the inner step well angle
and size at the top.
To start the step construction I used a Kato SD40-2 sill as a
reference. The reason I did this instead of using the
prototype measurements I took was because I was using
the Cannon & Company step set SS-2003. I wanted to
make sure the steps fit properly in the step well. Using a
caliper as you can see to the right I measured the opening
at the top. The measurement is 0.185".
After writing that down for reference, I moved to the next
measurement.
Some may be wondering why I am not just using the Kato
model to start with. There are a few reasons. The major
reason is because I like using Athearn parts, plus the frame
I am working on is a direct replacement for the Athearn
frame and the Athearn sill fits perfectly on it. Also Athearn
parts are MUCH easier to obtain than Kato parts at a
substantially reduced price. The Kato part you see in the
pictures will be used for a different project.
BTW, if you are building the modern last order SD38-3
rebuild. You will need to get Cannon & Co. GP35 step set
SS-2004. If you are building the as delivered last order
SD38-2. you will need Cannon & Co. GP60 step set. You
will use only the middle step from the SS-2003 set, the
bottom step from the SS-2004 set and the bottom step from
the SS-2009 set.
reference. The reason I did this instead of using the
prototype measurements I took was because I was using
the Cannon & Company step set SS-2003. I wanted to
make sure the steps fit properly in the step well. Using a
caliper as you can see to the right I measured the opening
at the top. The measurement is 0.185".
After writing that down for reference, I moved to the next
measurement.
Some may be wondering why I am not just using the Kato
model to start with. There are a few reasons. The major
reason is because I like using Athearn parts, plus the frame
I am working on is a direct replacement for the Athearn
frame and the Athearn sill fits perfectly on it. Also Athearn
parts are MUCH easier to obtain than Kato parts at a
substantially reduced price. The Kato part you see in the
pictures will be used for a different project.
BTW, if you are building the modern last order SD38-3
rebuild. You will need to get Cannon & Co. GP35 step set
SS-2004. If you are building the as delivered last order
SD38-2. you will need Cannon & Co. GP60 step set. You
will use only the middle step from the SS-2003 set, the
bottom step from the SS-2004 set and the bottom step from
the SS-2009 set.
Next up was to measure the step well angle. Again, I wanted
to make sure I matched the inner step angle the Cannon
&Co. etched steps had. The angle is 65 degrees.
These two steps are pretty painless unless you do not have
a set of calipers or an adjustable protractor. I use these
tools a lot in my modeling. Especially the calipers. One thing
I have learned over the years is that there is no substitute
for good tools.
to make sure I matched the inner step angle the Cannon
&Co. etched steps had. The angle is 65 degrees.
These two steps are pretty painless unless you do not have
a set of calipers or an adjustable protractor. I use these
tools a lot in my modeling. Especially the calipers. One thing
I have learned over the years is that there is no substitute
for good tools.
I am not the greatest photographer!
PHOTO COURTESY LEE STEWART (2004)
| 0.185" |
| This piece only on modern -3 rebuild |