As I searched Scott’s store

As I searched Scott’s store to determine what other goodies he has, I was intrigued by parts described as intake shutters and grills for CF7s. Wow. The photos looked interesting, so I ordered a few sets to try out.

The shutters are on the bottom and their vanes can be positioned open, closed, or somewhere in between. The grills are on the top and are see through. (the lighting reflection off the metal obscures their fine detail.)

The target loco for this installation is the CF7 chronicled in my previous blog, Never Buy a Locomotive Assembled on Sacred Burial Ground. So before starting, I took the CF7 to Uncle Doobies’ Voodoo Accessories and Shoe Repair to have the curse removed. (I bought the basic anti-burial ground curse removal package for $19.95 and got a complimentary shoe shine)

Naivety Rears Its Ugly Head

Seems pretty simple; cut rectangular holes in the shell without destroying the shell and install the parts. Should be simple; just some minor paint and weathering touch up. We all know how that usually works out.

The CF7s are sound units with DSM-8 speakers shoe-horned in the rear of the shell so they have to be removed for the shell modification. And as the DSMs will obscure both the see though perception and any sound which could escape through the grills, I need new speakers.  

The list of collateral tasks is growing:

Remove the LED lights

Remove the speakers

Cut the holes

Dress the openings

Trial fit the shutters and grills; fine tune opening as needed

Evaluate alternative speakers and where they will mount.

Install shutters and grills

Touch up the paint and weathering

Reinstall railings, cab, etc.

Removing the delicate parts from the surround

Use side cutters such as offered by Xuron as these are thin parts and dull or misaligned cutters can distort the part during the removal process. Cut as close to the surround as possible to reduce the amount of needed filing to remove any nubs.

Cutting the Shell

This was a trial and error approach. In a perfect world where I actually owned a milling machine, this would no doubt be a piece of cake. But it is not a perfect word and I do not own this tool. (Worse still, neither do any of my friends.)

The shutter part Is almost the exact dimension of the molded (inside) grill area. Go a fat hair, or two wider. Sorry for being technical, but it is important. The grill cover is dead-on in its fit over the molded grill mounting flange so there is no additional trimming needed beyond that for the shutters.

Work slowly and accurately. There are several methods which will remove the shell material to create the openings. Dremel with plastic appropriate cutting discs; Dremel with a cutter bit; or a suitable drill bit and a fine toothed blade. I experimented with all three.

My preference was a Dremel #100 cutter bit to remove the bulk of the shell material. This tip worked well at chewing through the plastic and was easy to control.  Again, this is merely the rough cut stage.

This is the shell after the rough cuts.​

Next step uses a fine toothed Micro Mark #15 saw blade for final cuts before filing. (I found it easier to control by holding it in my fingers instead of mounting into its handle.)​

The blade allows trimming the remaining plastic very close to the inner edge of the molded grill frame on the shell. I finished the opening with a very small flat file for the straight edges and a small box file for the corner areas. Use the flat file to remove any remaining material on the face of the shell such as rivet detail. It is important the KV grill fit flush against the shell.

After this stage, trial fit the KV grill shutters to determine if any additional material requires removal. While the outside edge dimensions of the KV grill are the same as the shell’s molded piece, none of the shell opening perimeter should be visible behind the grill screen. Carefully file to remove and check the  progress frequently. A small piece of tape will hold the grill in position while you inspect the fit.

If the shutter vanes are to be positioned in an open posiiton, they must fit within the shell opening. The first one required a trial fit and just a wee bit of supplemental filling before it was correct. Be careful and don’t go too wide in either direction. While the outside grill cover provides a small margin for error, proceed slowly. Do all four openings before installing the shutters to avoid accidental damage to the shutters as you are fine tuning the opening.

Opening the Shutter Vanes

The shutters can be positioned open using the tip of a #11 blade to pivot the vanes. A small piece of wood makes a good work surface for this.

They can be readjusted once installed but use care when handling the shutters as their hinge points are delicate.

Shutter and Grill Installation

The shutters are mounted against the inside wall of the shell with the vanes pointing toward the exterior. (They fit in the hole you created.) Position the first shutter in its opening and hold it in place (with a finger) to see how it looks from the outside. I tried a small piece of Tamiya tape to secure it but it just complicated any repositioning.

Once satisfied with the shutters’ fit on all four openings, it is easier to mount them if you lay the shell on its side so gravity helps keep the part in place while applying the CA. Use a tooth pick to capture a small drop of thin viscosity CA and apply it to the outer edge of the part where it touches the inner shell wall. In about 30 seconds, apply a second drop in another corner.

Secure four corners. Install all 4 shutters before moving on to the grills. Before applying the grill cover, paint the inside of the opening and flat shutter surfaces with the appropriate color if needed.

Position and secure the grill cover with a drop of CA cement. When cured, about 30 seconds, apply a very small amount of the CA to the perimeter to seal to the shell The tooth pick works well as capillary action will draw the CA around the grill frame perimeter.

Finishing

Painting is next followed by decaling. Reinstalling the lights and speakers will complete the project.

Sound considerations

At present, it looks like each CF7 will receive 3 close-coupled 13mm x 18mm x 13mm sugar cubes mounted just above the worm gear cover in the rear of the shell. Another consideration is speakers from Scale Sound Systems. Samples are being tested and the results will be made known in the July 2018 MRH podast. There will also be an interview with the developer of Scale Sound Systems.

Stay tuned.

Ok Duckee

You own me 82 bucks.    I just ordered two sets for my CF7's.

Thanks for posting the link. I like the products he has. Perhaps now I can get my CF7's built.

Bernd

Duck your photos seem to have

Duck your photos seem to have disappeared?

KVModels

Dear Duck,

Thanks for the feedback on KVModels. I'd seen their offerings on eBay and have been um-ing and ah-ing about taking the plunge. Will definitely revisit in light of your comments
(If only they had treadplate overlays for SW1500s, they'd be a serious threat to the Cannon & Co "Ath SW1500 dress-up kits", at a considerably cheaper price IIRC).

Did the stainless steel parts need any particular/special etching primer to handle painting?

I will be looking forward to hearing the speaker discussion, whats the reccomended way to access said podcast?

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Paul, did you delete your photos?

Photos

If you click on the small black square arrows, the pictures appears.

Of course there is a wrong manipulation when they were posted.

Browser dependent?

Dear Joe, Duck,

I see the clickable "little black squares" when viewing in IE 11,
(and by clicking on the icon, the image is shown standalone in a new page)

but the same do not appear when viewing the page in Chrome 67

FWIW...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

The little boxes do not show

The little boxes do not show up in  firefox on a mac, just empty space.

Pictures

I see the first picture. Then 6 black boxes and then the last 5 pictures. Using IE 11 in Windows 7 Professional.

Bernd

KV Models

I have used his parts on my SW1200 and they are Top Notch. I am starting a new GP7 project and am using his Doors. I see new parts frequently being added to his eBay page as well. 

John 

Don't know what happened

two comments

Famous last words...

"It should be simple."

Crap. Sorry. They showed on

Crap. Sorry. They showed on my screen and still do. Maybe I am gifted? Nope. Let me see what I can do. 

Thanks, Joe.

I uploaded as I have on previous blog entries using the MRH prescribed upload process. When I proofed the piece before posting, they were there.  Bad juju I guess. 

Scott

This is where the magic of the imagination comes in to play. On my units, the core was remounted horizontally to allow the see-through effect. Cooling performance was actually enhanced. 

Bernd, Prof

Bernd, my check is in the mail. 

Prof, I airbrushed primer on the parts while they were still on their sprue before applying theTruColor. 

Speaker options

One configuration being considered is the three sugar cube groupings I have used in previous projects. In trial fitting, with the speakers’ 18mm dimension spanning the shell width, they just clear the KV shutters.  On my preferred cubes, their deeper 13mm enclosure may be too deep to allow optimal placement after clearing the worm gear cover. This impacts how the sound will escape.  Roof fan open areas are minimal, and unfortunately, so is any pathway through the frame. More “what ifs” needed.

Another possibility being considered are one of the engineered speaker and enclosures from JT Bowers Scale Sound Systems (www.scalesoundsystems.com). More to follow.

Closing An Open Wound

When our CF7 drama left off, the three shells still required painting, decal application, reattachment of all details, handrails, and installing lights and speakers. The project has been delayed as our home was for sale and I was “told” by the realtor the railroad had to go away. What? An adult cannot look at a room and mentally perceive what it will look like with their stuff in it? Maybe we should get rid of all our furniture and sleep on air mattresses so buyers can envision our home as theirs. Rant over.

I ordered TruColor paints in the appropriate colors and two different sets of decals for the Yellow Bonnet scheme, one of which included the curved blue section on the sides which creates the bonnet shape.

Another application of Scalecoat paint stripper was needed to take the bodies down to bare plastic. No big problem; just time. A light coat of gray primer was followed by the Santa Fe Yellow. Even though this was a new bottle of TruColor air brush ready paint, and applied the same as I have done many times, it was a mess. It looked as if I had mixed in rolled oats.

Stripped it again and added a little dash of acetone and re-sprayed. Still all wrong. Thick and looked like crap. Maybe Uncle Doobies failed to remove the curse completely? Stripped the shell yet again. At this rate, buying the paint stripper by the barrel might be a future consideration.

Ordered MODEL flex_TM paint. Applied their Santa Fe yellow to the nose, cab, side sills, and rear of the hood. The finish was smooth as silk. Thank goodness. But, and aren’t there too many buts in life, the color did not match the large “Santa Fe” decals. What the hey? Found an old bottle of MODEL flex_TM SF Yellow in my stash and the color was a proper match to the decals. Win!!

Masking and Painting the Blue

Masking the rear of the hood and areas around the front require appropriately narrow masking tape which, of course, I do not have and neither does the local train store. Planning ahead might be a good practice to adopt.

Time to make my own thin masking tape. Pretty simple, actually, using the tape of your choice (mine being Tamiya), sheet styrene for a non-stick surface, a straight edge, and an Exacto knife. Precise measurements are an option but so is eyeballing it in this application.

Because of all the hood door louvres, I decided to paint rather than decal. For the hood side warbonnet profile, carefully cut out the blue shape from the decal sheet and traced it onto overlapping strips of Tamiya. The overlapping provides stability allowing the completed template to be removed in one piece.

There is one for the engineer side and another for the fireman’s side. The first one became the template for the next two lending to uniformity. I cut them out using an Exacto knife and made any adjustments to the radius with small, sharp scissors.

I used http://www.rrpicturearchives.net to view numerous photos of ATSF CF7s, from both sides, to determine the proper position of the yellow bonnet relative to hood doors, etc. One thing I noticed was there were at least two positions depending on which shop did the prototype’s painting. The differences were minor in my opinion so I chose the one best fitting the decal.

As the yellow area cuts across the grills on the hood close to the cab, gently but thoroughly press the masking template into place. Also, aim the airbrush to shoot the paint from the front and side. This avoids paint coming from the rear where it could build up as a ridge against the edge of the tape. Painting came out well with just a little “filming” over the etched grills. A T-pin corrected it. As always, the Tamiya came off without any paint disturbances.

Decals

Decaling was straight forward but this particular set had thicker film than what is the norm from Microscale. Using the more aggressive Microscale decal setting solution still required multiple applications. The main area of concern was the hood’s large Santa Fe decal and its position across the door louvers.

Before applying the decal setting solution, I used a T-pin to perforate the clear sections of the film to provide openings. This allows the fluid to flow beneath the decal into the door shutters and recesses between doors. In the end, if needed (as was my case), gently slice the decal in these areas using a new #11 blade tip.

After drying, minor paint touch up of the yellow will correct any gaps which may have developed. (When the units receive their India ink wash and other weathering, it will all blend together.)

We all hate piecing together the cab numbers one at a time in small areas such as the cab number boards. Suggest you choose roster numbers which are 4 number sets on the decal sheet for both cab and number boards. After all was dry, time to Dullcote to protect the work before proceeding.

In my specific instance, the CF7s are always consisted together with the Topeka cab unit leading. So the trailing round cabs do not require lights but rather MV Products lenses in both ends. The lead loco has LED headlights and roof top rotary beacon as before.

Decoder and Speaker Considerations

I like the graphic equalizer in Soundtraxx’s products so the CF7s are being converted to Econami.  As I have upgraded many of my diesels to the Tsunami 2, I have a growing inventory of unemployed Tsunami 1s.  One will be used in the third CF7 as it is slated to be a sound dummy (by removing the driveline).

A confession; the Tsunami 1000 is out of a P2K E-unit which has been upgraded to Tsunami 2. Yep, the twin 567 version. In my world, this is not be big assault on realism. Aside from a few seconds of second prime mover start up, there is no difference in the operational sound and I save money for more Hydrocal. Or, new batteries for my hearing aid.

Speaker wise, the DSM-8s have to be replaced as their width and height makes them incompatible with the KV interior mounted shutters. I am using 35mm L x 15mm W x 13mm D Rectify speakers from Scale Sound Systems. They are mounted to the roof in the rear of the shell with the sound firing down.

I considered covering the inside of the intake shutters with thin, sound transparent cloth to mimic the prototype look and fire the sound up. But clearing the worm gear cover was a deal breaker. And the roof fan openings are miniscule so no help there. Facing down it is.

Other Details

On these locos, I am using KV Models windshield wipers and wind deflectors which come is several styles to match prototypes of EMD and GE. Like the grills and shutters used in this project, they are etched stainless steel.

As I mentioned in the “…Sacred Burial Ground” article, one side of the part has a very fine line cut a little deeper where it meets the surround. This cuts easily with a #11 blade freeing the parts without distorting the fragile wipers. Using tweezers or small needle nose pliers, bend the end of the wiper arm 90 degrees for mounting into a #78 or so hole in the cab.

Lights

I am using a different process for the LED headlights and roof beacon. Scale Sound Systems makes a light kit which comes with three 1206 LEDs (I specified warm white), appropriate wires, and resistors, etc. The unique aspect of the sample kit is the multiple 3D printed twin clear lens subassemblies in various lengths. I have always made individual lenses out of clear styrene rod, installed a 0402 LED into shrink tubing for each light. That is two for each headlight assembly. The 1206 is bright enough that it can easily illuminate both headlights. And the 3D parts are easily cut into two pieces for a roof beacons, ditch lights, whatever.

Being larger, it is also less of a challenge to solder the leads. I rely on the sense of smell when positioning the soldering tip on smd LEDs. Smoke smelling like flux is good; like burning skin or hair, bad.

The upper light in the photo is the roof top beacon and the lower is the front headlight. I appropriated a finger nail multi-tool from my wife’s vanity to polish both the base and the lens portion of the 3D part before bonding the LED to the lens using Krystal Klear. The joint is stabilized with shrink tube and secured into the cab with acrylic silicone (which facilitates future removal if needed).

Ready for weathering

And one last vestige of the original curse. This project began before the decision to sell our home and in
Oh, by the way, took the house off the market. As of this writing, the railroad construction begins anew. I feel so liberated.tearing down the railroad, one of the front handrails was lost. The one coming out of the front door on the fireman’s side. Looked for weeks on eBay without luck. Finally purchased a complete loco to get the missing piece. Yep.

Oh, by the way, took the house off the market. As of this writing, the railroad construction begins anew. I feel so liberated.

What the Realtor Says

Duckdogger, sad to say, the realtor is probably right.  Many years ago I put my home on the market.  I had a layout filling one of the spare bedrooms.  After six months on the market and not even a single offer, my contract with the agency expired and I hired a new one.  The new agent told me right up front the exact same thing.  So I relented and demoed the layout, and restored the room to pristine condition.

The offers started coming and I finally sold the house.

@JC Shall

Thank you for the insight. As we are delaying relisting the house by a period of months, I am rebuilding, but in moderation. I filled the time this summer with landscape projects but fall has negated that.

I need my trains and doing DCC installs for stores, etc. does not fill the bill. I know, I am weak.