EMD SD40 differences

[Simon Moore]

At the start of the month i was given some money for my birthday off my grandparents & my grandma tells me i must spend it on something for the railway . My grandma always asks to look at what i am working on because she enjoys seeing what i am up too. Anyway there wasnt much i wanted to be honest so whilst trawling ebay today i found a loco i wanted & it comes with 7 EMD SD40T-2 shells with cannon & co cabs which is a real brucie bonus.

I know that the SD40T-2 was only really used by the Rio Grande & Southern pacific railway & although i fancy a couple of Rio Grande locos it leaves me with 5 shells which i would like to put in CSX livery because that is my main American interest & i wanted to identify if the shells would be possible to convert to standard SD40-2's??? The shells are at the very basic form so i will need to source chassis's for all of them along the way & final detailing so is it possible to make them into SD40-2's??

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[pH]

Simon, IMO it would not be easy to convert SD40T-2s to standard SD40-2s. Here's a couple of broadside photos of DRGW SD40T-2s:

 

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/drgw/drgw5354asb.jpg

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=289903&nseq=88

 

and a couple of CSX SD40-2s:

 

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/csx/csx8001amg.jpg

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=358721&nseq=16

 

As you can see, there are major differences - the low air intakes on the tunnel motor and the length of the long hood are the most obvious.

 

Incidentally, there were more railroads than the Rio Grande used SD40T-2s. Southern Pacific and St Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) bought them new, Union Pacific inherited them from all the original owners, and they have gone secondhand to a number of other railroads. Some of these second-hand owners, such as Buffalo & Pittsburgh, New York Susquahanna & Western, R.J. Corman and Wheeling & Lake Erie connect with CSX !

[dave1905]

The front "porch" would have to be added and the rear third of the long hood along with the rear "porch" would have to be added. It would be ugly. I would second the motion that you take the shells and paint them for 2nd hand operators of the ex-SP/DRGW engines, either shortlines or leasing companies, and have them operate on the CSX.

[Simon Moore]

Thanks for the replys guys i think it is the leasing groups way running on CSX metals, Might possibly be the option of making some money on them too selling a couple of them on because i do after all have 7 of them. I can see where your coming from with differences now i didnt really take note last night but i see it now .

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[dave1905]

On the other hand the easiest way to convert them to an SD40-2 involves the mechanism.

 

The SD40T-2 uses the same underframe as the SD40-2. So if you are going to power the shells, I would suggest buying an SD40-2 model, put the SD40T-2 shell in the SD40-2 box and just use the SD40-2.

[Oldddudders]

Sorry to intrude, but I think it important that everyone realises this thread is actually about SD40-2, and its Tunnel Motor derivative, the SD40T-2, not the earlier SD40, which had a frame 3 feet shorter. ISTR that GM EMD charged an extra $20k per loco to provide the alternative cooling arrangement.

[Zunnan]

Checking the drawings that I have, the SD40T-2 is 1' 9 3/4" longer than the SD40-2 to accept the revised intake arrangement although the bogie centres are near identical as far as I can tell. The main difference is that the Tunnel Motor intake obliterates the normally spacious rear porch of the SD40-2 frame necessitating the rear steps to be significantly altered and with the addition of a full width anticlimber as well as the body being completely different from the rear of the dynamic brake blister. To convert a T-2 back to a SD40-2 would require a complete scratch build of the long hood after the blister, fabrication of the rear walkway and steps and the removal of the anticlimber at the very least. Then at the front end you may need to consider the short hood. Depending on which T-2 your shells represent there are 5 main variants if you take into consideration the light packages used by the original roads and handbrake arrangement; DRGW 81" w ratchet brake, SP 88" w brake wheel, DRGW 88" w brake wheel, SP 116" w ratchet brake and SP 123" w brake wheel. Most if not all of these short hood arrangements will be different to those found on a CSX unit so would also need amending.

 

For the sake of easier work, I'd side with the suggestion of a repaint and just amend the detailing for those Tunnel Motor units now employed in shortline service that find themselves in CSX territory. Largely the detail changes are externally just stripped out SP/DRGW light packages, alterations to radio equipment and revised bell location, and sometimes a removed air con unit or modified/removed plough.

[F-UnitMad]

...this thread is actually about SD40-2,... not the earlier SD40, which had a frame 3 feet shorter. ...

...As I found out when researching recently whilst deciding what Soo Line number my latest Atlas O Scale loco would be... being an SD-40 but with a later cab (less side windows) reduced the choice quite dramatically!!!