Proto 2000 GP18 repaint

[Robatron86]

I recently purchased a P2K GP18 undecorated, so I needed to paint it. 

 

The Santa Fe never had any GP18s, but the GP20 is very similar so I'm numbering it up as one of them. Rule one and all that. 

 

Still a work in progress at the moment. Microscale decals, Tamiya Camel Yellow and Revell Lufthansa Blau with a touch of black. The yellow is from a rattle can, the blue was hand painted. 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

An excellent paint-job. Rule 1 is ok, but no dynamic brakes will look a little different in a Santa Fe roster. In fact, of 260 GP20s, only the 15 for New York Central lacked them. As for GP18, near-neighbour Rock Island had about 20, none with dynamics, a feature they neither needed nor trusted. Mopac were no different, lacking dynamics on their 150-odd examples. 

[Robatron86]

7 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

An excellent paint-job. Rule 1 is ok, but no dynamic brakes will look a little different in a Santa Fe roster. In fact, of 260 GP20s, only the 15 for New York Central lacked them. As for GP18, near-neighbour Rock Island had about 20, none with dynamics, a feature they neither needed nor trusted. Mopac were no different, lacking dynamics on their 150-odd examples. 

 

Yes, the lack of the dynamic brakes is the biggest concern for me. As the layout is set in LA, I can't really use Rock Island as an interloper. 

[Robatron86]

Actually, the lack of dynamic brakes has inspired me to dig through my spares box. Finding an old Athearn GP38-2 shell, I've now modified the locomotive appropriately. 

 

[John M Upton]

If I may ask, did you have to cut into the Proto 2000 long hood to install the Athearn Dynamic Brake part or does this model actually have a separate section?

 

One thing I have found rather annoying with the same manufacturer's GP7's and GP9's is that the DB blister is not interchangeable, the whole long hood is one piece.  Athearn got it right with the separate part years ago.

Edited April 19, 2021 by John M Upton

[Robatron86]

9 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

If I may ask, did you have to cut into the Proto 2000 long hood to install the Athearn Dynamic Brake part of does this model actually have a separate section?

 

One thing I have found rather annoying with the same manufacturer's GP7's and GP9's is that the DB blister is not interchangeable, the whole long hood is one piece.  Athearn got it right with the separate part years ago.

 

The Proto unit is one piece as they offer it with or without dynamic brakes. So yes I had to take a hacksaw to the Proto unit and cut very careful. I did also have to trim the Athearn part as it had sections that aren't on the GP20 dynamic section. 

[Oldddudders]

Tyco did a GP20 many years ago. They opted for no dynamic brakes, and provided moulded numbers for the illuminated unit numbers above the cab windows. They chose 5628, which was the number of a GM demonstrator unit, but then painted it in several other liveries.....

[Barclay]

The colours look good. I had been trying to find a suitable pair of Santa Fe colours that can be obtained in the UK. I finally settled on Model Master Blue Angels Yellow and Insignia Blue, but will report back when I have tried them. I'm not really a colour pedant but they do need to match up with the Microscale decals, and yours seem to do so really well.

[Robatron86]

7 hours ago, Barclay said:

The colours look good. I had been trying to find a suitable pair of Santa Fe colours that can be obtained in the UK. I finally settled on Model Master Blue Angels Yellow and Insignia Blue, but will report back when I have tried them. I'm not really a colour pedant but they do need to match up with the Microscale decals, and yours seem to do so really well.

 

Thank you, although the Camel Yellow is a bit darker than Santa Fe yellow, once it has been sealed, varnished and weathered, you won't be able to tell the difference.