BVLC No. 17 - An On30 SW9
I've always liked the EMD SW series diesels, mainly due to the way they look. So, about a year ago, I bought a Proto 2000 SW9 with a view to making an On30 version of this diesel. Recently, I got around to doing it.
I started with the donor locomotive, as well as some cabs left over from previous projects. I went with the (maroon) one made from plastic, as the texture and window shapes on the 3D printed one weren't suitable.
After marking out the footplate, I used the original model's footplate to trace out where the gap would need to be cut to accommodate the hood.
After removing the hood from the original cab of the model, I glued it in place. I had to file the cut hole slightly, but it fit in place.
I added some styrene strips along the sides, to hold the body slightly higher than it had been originally.
With that done, I added the pilots and a bit of an overhang.
My next step was to install the electronics. With the speaker suspended over the rear truck, I was able to put the TSU-1100 and keepalive on top of it. I did have to widen the hole at the rear to accommodate this, but that will be covered by the cab.
With that done, I added some footplate details and the cab itself. I then test-fit it. After this, I raised the body by another 1mm, to allow a bit more space for the electronics.
The cab I recycled had a flattened lead weight glued to the roof which I couldn't remove, so I needed to account for this. The wires for the rear headlight actually run through this weight.
With that done, the model was ready to paint. On my previous On30 diesels, I usually painted the body in Tamiya 'Hull Red', with a black footplate. This time, however, I decided to do something a bit different.
I'd painted a few N scale diesels in a custom livery for my N scale 'Inglenook Harbour' shelf layout:
These had the blue and grey painted on, with decal lining separating the two colours. I decided to do a similar livery for the On30 SW9.
After priming the body, I masked off the bits that I wanted to remain red.
I then airbrushed Tamiya 'NATO Black', which is really a very dark grey, over the model. After removing the masking tape, I was left with red panels around the side. I then put black paint on the radiator grilles, to add some depth.
After a coat of lacquer, I applied the decals. I used Microscale HO scale 4" wide white striping, and 'Block Gothic' lettering. The usual 'Railroad Roman' that I've used on my other locomotives didn't seem to fit, as this is a more modern diesel.
After a bit of weathering, I put the locomotive together and programmed it.