I really appreciate the balance you are able to strike between very skilled craftsman and encouraging mentor. I also like it when you leave in, or reference, an "oops" moment (like the ditch light plates on backwards)...making and owning mistakes (and you have often mentioned having to try again) really illustrates that achieving great modelling success is not always linear! Really looking forward to the next installment of Boomer-level locomotive detailing.
I appreciate that. Sometimes I think I make mistakes as I get older, but in reflection, I made the same ones when I was young . . . lol. Cheers ~ Boomer.
Dear Boomer, absolutely awesome vid and locomotive restoration! Love the way you showed all the different steps and parts to become integral details on the work horse. Those fans, magnificent! The uncoupler bars beautiful! The diesel tank, completely stunning with the fill pipes and hoses added. Very curious for the paint job! Cheerio
Nathan K5, Musicians know it as a B Major 6th chord. 😉 My understanding is the ones produced before the 1980's were "prettier" than those produced after for some reason. In High School, as a trombone player it was a challenge to figure out the composition of different train horns and of course introduce the Doppler effect much to the annoyance of the band director and flute section! Love build even though it's not a steamer!!
If you add the echoing in the canyon they sound awesome as well. I used to fish in the cheakamus canyon and the highlight was hearing BCR Nathan's coming down the grade. The squamish highway had dozens of uncontrolled crossings so they were common experiences.😁
Thanks, Boomer, for the great content. I respect the skill and level of paintence you have for modeling in HO, but you just made me appreciate modeling in O even more. I'm not falling for your rivet counter claim, though, since your locomotives are diesels 😊. Ho rivets would make it more challenging to model, though. I get eye jitters from trying to focus on fine details for extended periods and would end up with twice as many rivets and would probably blow a retina and end up with a claw. Happy rails
Hi Boomer, very detailed explanation. You are lucky to have al those small manufacturers of different details in Canada en Northern America. Here in Europe it is extremely difficult to find those. Thanks for another great video. Cheers Ronald
Boomer, your attention to detail is mind-boggling, especially on things like the fuel tank, ditch lights, fans and grilles. It’s so much fun to watch you work your magic.
Thanks for sharing. 35:29 Coupler lift bars? Yep. I did it in N scale. Drove me nuts. I had to take a month off form working on the four shells I installed them on. But now that they are done. I kinda need to do a few others. I super detail my N scale locomotives too. I wish they had a Cannon and Company for N. I do the see through grills, and fans too. Not ease. But worth it.
Enjoying this series thus far, as a ( retired) engineer I can't get enough detail on a lok. The ditch lights you use are definitely going on the list but I'm afraid Cal- Scale lift bar kits are all I have access to. The snowplow build was informative too. Thanks for a locomotive series of this magnitude.
Perfect timing for this video boomer as I'm embarking on my first ever detailing project on my ho CF7 with photo etch parts from KV models and detail asscitates and this is a helpful video for me especially with the couple lift bar part DA #2204. I'm also using Details West MU hoses (mu266) on my locomotive which is also challenging because the CF7's were built from Santa fe's aging F 7's & 9's fleet back in the 70's although I do have two reference books on the CF7's but there's very few photos to work with,I have zeroed in on two good photos though and the other is a older book put out by athearn years ago which is basically a handbook on a handful of popular locomotives and consist of older articles from RMC on how to upgrade and detail BB locomotives,and most importantly it comes a full list of detail parts W/p#'s from details west, details associates and other manufacturers as well.
As a Brit who models American Railroads this informative video is outstanding. I've started to change my locos corporate colours to my own Montana Southern Railroad company. Detail matters and your tutorial helps me to take it to another level. Thanks for sharing
Believe it or not, Boomer, it brings back memories of when I worked at EMD in Chicago. Seeing the different sections of a diesel being built, the fuel tanks; cabs; generator housings; engine blocks; all parts and pieces to be shipped over to LaGrange, for final assembly. Which I wish I had been able to see in person. But other than a visit there once (FT Anniversary) and seeing a locomotive on the "roller platform" where they can roll one upside-down. I had to settle for touring the locomotives they had on display. One (a favorite) a CN, SD50F "Drapper Tapper." EMD's are something! But, when it comes down to it... there is nothing lost on the art forms of all the other builders GE; Alco; GMDD; MLW; F-M; BLDW; Lima. Looking forward to your Part #2. Here's to Grant's 🐿/🌲 lol! Cheers! 🍻
Boomer! It's good to see that SD35 is getting a good home! This video has been very inspiring to get modeling on a few locomotive projects I've had idle!!! Take care! Andy
Greetings From Colorful Colorado WJ, Another GREAT tutorial full of info. You are right about making your common factory built model a "Personalized One-Of-A-Kind Model", No one else will have the exact same thing. I'm looking forward to the rest of the build. Your Faithful Student. John
Thank you so much for the run-through! I've been planning and collecting parts for an SD38 rebuild of my own and a lot of the information you shared in this will be a great resource! This build will be my first total rebuild and I've only done rather simple detail jobs in the past. Hoping to do many more in the future. Simply as a side job since due to health complications working as a welder-fabricator isn't somthing I can quite keep up with anymore. Great information in a nice rather easy to take in shorter video. Thanks again, I greatly look up to your modeling skills! Definately appreciate your videos!
This video hits me right where I live! I'm one of those who simply can't seem to pass up a locomotive factory painted in my railroads colors. Only to get it home and be dismayed because of some "mistakes" they made, or lack of details, or something, only to end up stripping it and going the route you are taking. It's thrilling to see someone as talented as you doing a project like this. Can't wait for part three (I just know you'll not be able to satisfy yourself in time for just two ;-) BTW, about your reply to davidwilson. I've found we really don't make more mistakes as we age, we do whoever, seem to question ourselves a lot more. Bart
I get that way with every locomotive I own. I have to alter or modify it in some way - or completely rebuild it in order to be happy with it. Don't get me wrong, the new stuff is excellent but just not quite personal enough for me. That sounds about right . . . 😉
Howdy Boomer! Nice!!!! Really enjoy this level of detail. You show amazing patience with your how-to videos. I'm finding out just how challenging recording things like this is. Well done, bring on #2, and thanks for sharing 🤠
This should be good since I purchased a new sd 35 Atlas unit in N scale last week. I didn't have one on my roster. Interested in seeing what you have in-store for this one. Also I have to spend more money for a decoder now !
Boomer, great video. I love that we both have a passion for heavily modifying locomotives, it's lots of fun and rewarding. And thanks for the LED shoutout!
Boomer, what attention to detail, With my eyes and fingers, I don't think I could now do this sort of detailing work, but, man, it is great to watch a master at work. Incredible. The parts are certainly maing your loco one of a kind. I am looking forward to the next installment. Thank you for sharing, cheers, and stay safe, Michael
Great tutorial! I wish I had seen this before I started my kitbash of an Atlas HH660 into an IC HH600 a couple of months ago. Try Scale Sound Systems speakers. They are my go to speaker now. They have speakers with the enclosure designed to fit in various loco models and the bass is outstanding for an HO scale application.
Yeah. He uses the "snare" drum membrane effect (very thin plastic in one small area on the box), on his enclosures, to get extra pop from the bass. Not hard to do out of styrene plastic. I like to custom on the fly, rather than pre-order for something that might change along the way. My scratch built speaker enclosures in the GP9 and MP15 sound awesome. And then there is my four speaker GP40 which sounds awesome as well. Thanks for sharing. Cheers ~ Boomer. ;-)
Boomer, A very nice start. I know you don't need me to tell you how to suck egg's. But if you ever need to model pipes with very sharp corners the sprues that come with kits do a very good job. For long pipes sprues from Tamiya kits are very handy. The plastic fan's you removed are great for air-condition units on and around buildings. Cheers, Chris Perry.
Boomer, your detailing is very cool, I love it! Quick and maybe a stupid question? You’re gonna paint the pilots first, then install the ditch lights, not in some way mask them? Can’t wait till Pt 2, maybe my dumb question will be answered then, LOL Ron
Hey Boomer I finally was able to get to the video . Very nice work indeed! Have you any plans for another appearance on the Second Section podcast in the near future Cheers Bob
Thanks for asking. Eventually I would like to and have been thinking about it as well. I have been quite busy lately and would like to develop a little more content before I revisit the show.
The fans are from Cannon & Company. You have to try and see if they fit or cut out the athearn and replace with these. Drill them out and trim or file to opening size.
An interesting trick that we don´t see often that should make Boomer smile is homemade silicone mold used so much in movie making. You have a big yard, with car / loco shop. But how to introduce equipment waiting for repairs or scrap ? May be your railroad does shop repairs for other railroads just like IC did in Paducah. Or simple a scrap yard or rebuilding. Railcar storage often seen on unused track of class 1 or shortline. Even railcar storage companies exist. Who would try to smash or have severe body damages on a plastic 50 $ boxcar or hard abuse gondola ? Usual method of melting plastic offer no fantastic result. You want somewhere 10 locos in highly bad shape or with missing parts. Are you buying brand new high cost ? NO ! Simple. Do them ! In arts store or Internet you can find silicone products used for molding with plenty of tutos on YT. You want to make a mold of a rock Or an old boxcar. You need release agent to unstick your mold from the rock or boxcar you used. Part A and B in EXACT measurement (by weight or volume) of those silicone products that you mix. Pouring must be very quick. Life span of products is just a few minutes. Same process as mixing fiberglass or resin, except must faster. No bad smell. Curing is very fast and you can start to reproduce in 12 hours or next day. Some of those products are skin safe. You can even mold yourself. Mold can last for casting many copies. Just to remember that some crevices in your master used, there is some shape that would be impossible to unmold. Watch tutos for these warnings. But....cause there is a but. Those products are quite expansive. You can swap with friends or trainshow some moldings. Silicone and alginate can be used. Alginate is made from algea. Roughly like jello. With alginate products you must use your mold fast cause it won´t keep its dimensions for long and is also expansive. I can copy a nice boxcar, put it on the ground for storage use and so what ? Well when you use your silicone mold for molding, if you bent it your reproduce part will be also. Now your storage boxcar have a big bent from a former wreck. Now it have history. Your gondolas with rough sides are prototypical. You can put your smashed locomotives on trackside with freshly ballasted track. A big wreck happened and you just reopen the line. That method is perfect when you scratchbuilt. Make the most perfect master. Then reproduce it as many time as you want easily. Is there limit ? Some shape or to small detail or to fragile to unmold. Watch tutos on silicone or alginate molding. You´ll never use your soldering iron to make indentations in your plastic freight cars. Thanks Boomer for your well detailed instructions. Pure joy 😊
Nice shout out for Second Section - great podcast, I never catch it live as it goes out about 2am where I live, but I enjoy listening the next day. Essential listening even for those of us not modelling North American, so much of what we do is universal the world over.
Dusty has not been feeling well. She will go into hiding and I can't find her at times for video. I hope she overcomes whatever it is she is going through.
Just hope she didn´t chew and swallow something that get stucked. That could explain vomitting. X Ray could show if something is in stomach or intestines. She´s so cute and calm. Your best partner on the layout. We wish the best to see her soon. Your scenery isn´t the same without her cuty eyes and face.❤
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P8Q3PMZ4ETo.htmlsi=kknIOFNINiO-g5Ur For those wanting idea on how to scrap locomotives. Watch those former UP and MP GE 6 36C 7I and their end on Estonian railway. Proof also that a loco can change of continent. Hope it will help you.