# Santa Fe SD45-2 Bicentennial



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

The Santa Fe Bicentennial was my biggest and most challenging project of the summer! About 120 hours went into the 5700.
The first challenge was to transform Aristo Craft’s SD45 into an SD45-2. First I had to extend the frame 1.25 inches to come out with a scale 68’ 10”. Next, the flared radiator fans were removed and new ones were scratch built. The dynamic brake blister needed to be redone so that it would match up with the new radiator section. I also redid the trucks to make them look more like the prototypical Flexicoil trucks. The brake wheel was removed as well as many other minor changes. Details were added to the cab and pilots along with underbody piping.
Now that the easy part was done, it was ready for paint. This is by far the most challenging paint job I have ever done. Thankfully, I had Athearn’s HO scale model to get some accurate measurements off of. The warbonnet and stripes were indeed a challenge! Decals were done by Jeff at Shawmut Carshops.
If you would like to see the whole process, start to finish as well as a parts list, please check out the PDF file below. I have made a step by step photo documentary of the project. 
_https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=4d22acc9-ef5a-4dae-ada7-8ab282f118a9_
















































Before:








After:


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Cab details:




























New radiator section:


----------



## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

Very Nice work!


----------



## ShadsTrains (Dec 27, 2007)

Thumbs up!! Very well done!!


----------



## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Michael......... that is fabulous. A wonderful job. Thanks for posting the images.


----------



## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tough one to do. 


I was involved in a project to make 2 (5700 and 5703) for a computer train simulator game and getting it right took quite some time, and finding a high res image of the shield was especially hard. So I know what you must have gone through.


Your bicentennial looks great










This is what our train simulator version ended up as:


----------



## Colin Stewart (Jan 28, 2008)

Great work, thanks for sharing

Colin


----------



## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

VERY COOOOOL


----------



## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Yup i would have to agree, great job...


----------



## DTI356 (Jan 3, 2008)

Michael,

Fantastic job!

Excellent attention to detail. You are a very talented young man.

I've been kicking around doing the Bicentennial scheme for the DT&I engine myself.....it's on the long list of to-do's.

Again, Great work! Congrats.


----------



## Bryan Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice!!!!! I like it!


----------



## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

My favorite engine is an SD45, so I really like this one. Very well done. Thanks for showing it.
Paul


----------



## Terl (Jan 2, 2008)

Excellant! Well done on a challenging paint job. 

Terl


----------



## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW, outstanding!! Very well done!! 

Enjoyed your website too, keep up the good work!!


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Great job. I'm not enough of a diesel guy to really tell what you moved where, but the simple fact that you can't tell anything was moved from looking at the photos speaks volumes to the quality of the work. The paint job's top drawer as well. I do think some light weathering will really bring the loco to life--not enough to where it looks dirty and decrepit, but some dust around the radiators, some light rust and grime on the trucks, a very light coating of dilute black/brown paint over the white to bring out the details in the hood... that kind of thing. It's already a fantastic job, and (in my opinion) a bit of weathering would really take it to the next level. 

Later, 

K


----------



## Jim Agnew (Jan 2, 2008)

very impressive, thanks for sharing. I agree with Kevin, a light dusting would really be the icing on the cake.


----------



## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Outstanding!! What did you use for the clear xenon strobes on the sides of the cab roof? Very impressive modeling, thanks for sharing! MIke


----------



## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Just absolutely beautiful work. I have to agree that is just about the best looking engine ever--I remember them from my childhood. Seems like just about every road did a bicentenial unit--Santa Fe's was the best for sure. You are a true craftsman and the model really captures the prototype. Just a thought, since you apparently documented the conversion (must admit I have not checked out the link yet--next on my to do list) enter that bad boy in an NMRA contest, you are sure to go home with a ribbon or two. Something 'bout the size of 1/29 that really impresses judges. I personally think its a good thing for our scale for them small scale folks to see what awsome stuff goes on in this scale. 

Just a thought, please NO NMRA vs Large Scale discussions please!! I am not trying to hyjack a thread. 

Regards, 

Matt


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Thanks for all of your comments! 

San Juan, the simulation is incredible - what simulator is that for? I will put weathering on my list of to-dos. I have a hard time weathering locomotives, I have done them in HO but G is a different matter. Mike, the strobes were another challenge on this engine. I used a RamTrack Dual Flashing kit to make the strobes. The O scale lense covers provided in the kit were about the perfect size. The strobe stands are made from brass.


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Posted By Dr G on 08 Sep 2009 12:29 PM 
Just absolutely beautiful work. I have to agree that is just about the best looking engine ever--I remember them from my childhood. Seems like just about every road did a bicentenial unit--Santa Fe's was the best for sure. You are a true craftsman and the model really captures the prototype. Just a thought, since you apparently documented the conversion (must admit I have not checked out the link yet--next on my to do list) enter that bad boy in an NMRA contest, you are sure to go home with a ribbon or two. Something 'bout the size of 1/29 that really impresses judges. I personally think its a good thing for our scale for them small scale folks to see what awsome stuff goes on in this scale. 

Just a thought, please NO NMRA vs Large Scale discussions please!! I am not trying to hyjack a thread. 

Regards, 

Matt I would like to enter it into a contest. I went to a SFRH&MS contest a year ago and was laughed at as the toy train maker. While my entry wasn’t nearly as good as the Bicentennial, it was not what I consider a toy train. Ever since then I have been hesitant to enter contests or join the NMRA because I feel they don’t want to see G scale. I should give it another shot though.


----------



## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By mrh044 on 09 Sep 2009 09:38 AM 
Thanks for all of your comments! 

San Juan, the simulation is incredible - what simulator is that for?

It's for Microsoft Train Simulator (MSTS). Old game but it still has an active community of users.




I noticed you don't have ACI plates on either of your Bicentennial locos (G and HO). Athearn failed to include them on their HO model. I'm referring to those rectangular things on the walkways with a multicolored barcode. You might want to add them if you are going to enter your loco in a contest. Those NMRA guys are a pain when it comes to omitting details. And most are likely old enough to remember ACI plates.


Here are some "G" scale decals of ACI plates:

Microscale ACI Plates


Here's some info on ACI plates if you're not familiar with them:

How to read ACI Plates 


Pretty much everything Santa Fe had ACI plates during the era when the Bicentennials roamed the rails. You'll have to make some thin styrene backs for ACI decals, but that shouldn't be too hard. Using your images, here is what the placement of ACI plates would look like. 





















If you'd like, feel free to use this high resolution Bicentennial Shield I made for the Train Sim version:














I'm sure you've already used this online resource for your model, but if not it's a great one (scroll down a bit in the doc for the section on the Bicentennials):


http://www.atsfrr.com/Reviews/HO/Diesel/SD45-2/SD45-2 Fleet.pdfSanta Fe SD45-2 Fleet

And here's some interesting reading about trying to photograph a Bicentennial loco:

Bicentennial Photography


You might notice how clean #5702 is in that photography link. So I would keep the weathering to a minimum on your loco. Santa Fe kept these locos very clean when they were used on the point of the Super C.


----------



## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Wow, that is super cool!!! 

Chris


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

I never even noticed those plates! I had no idea what they were for or how important they were - thanks for pointing that out. So, what is the proper color configuration for this engine?

I'm glad they make those decals in G scale. Before this goes to any contest, I have a few more things to do:
- ACI Plates
- Other misc. decals like "Fire Extinguisher Inside" and the gear ratio (59:18 I believe)
- Anticlimber. The first thing I did on this build was the front pilot. At the time, I had no intention of ever making it so prototypical. Now I need to go back and make one.

On the engineers side of the hood there is a window that was used for something?.? I don't know any way that I could include that. Other than those things, it is darn close!

On the weathering front, I modeled this bicentennial from photos dated February 21, 1975. This is when the unit was freshly painted in San Bernardino. The standard beacon stand had not been removed yet but rather just painted over. At a later date, it was removed.

Thanks so much for the information! Maybe I can get the time at Thanksgiving or Christmas to finish her up!


----------



## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By mrh044 on 10 Sep 2009 10:02 AM 
I never even noticed those plates! I had no idea what they were for or how important they were - thanks for pointing that out. So, what is the proper color configuration for this engine?


I found a better website that explains the color codes.

Here's a link to that website:

ACI Code

However I'm not sure excactly what the true color code should be for #5700. It's a little hard to see what the colors are in the book _Santa Fe Heritage Volume Four_ which has excellent photos of the Santa Fe Bicentennial locos. Obviously there will be a start code and a stop code. And then the number 5700. But I don't know what the Santa Fe code for locomotives is, what the unit type is, nor what the suffix is. Without knowing all of the right numbers, I can't calculate what the check code would be either. 

But no one will know the real code either, so you would be fine using any ACI decal. However the code would be the same on both sides of the loco. Hopefully the Microscale decal set has matching pairs.


----------



## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Michael, 

I would encourage you to make the changes and enter the contest you are contemplating. I did and was very pleasantly suprised with the helpful information and the response I got from those small scale folks (ok, in interest of full disclosure--I am a semi-reformed HO scale rivet counter). I got a few awards and best in show for my FEC GP-38-2. Document the engine well and adding photos and information like you mentioned above really adds to the points--they love stuff like that. Let us know how it goes. I'll post a photo of my engine, I think yours is easily a more involved project and very very well done with excellent craftsmanship. 

Again, great work. 

Matt


----------



## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Here is the engine I built:



















Like I said, I think yours was a much more involved build and should do well at a contest. Good luck.

Matt


----------



## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Wowza's! Nice engines!


----------



## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

She's a beauty! I agree with the light weathering as well,it would really bring the loco to life. As far as those guys laughing at ya, I honestly think they are just jealous, our trains are much cooler. 
I have a portable large scale layout when i took it to my first show (all small scale stuff) a few guys watched me put it together and laughed at me calling them toys. Others told me I was wasting my time that HO scale was where it was at. (funny thing the N scale guys said the same thing) Once the show started my big F scale narrowgauge loggers stole the show. people would hear the whistle and the chug of the steamers and literally walk away from the other guys stuff to see what I had goin' on back in the corner. When the "small scale" guys would look over and scowl I'd just give em a toot o' the whistle an smile. 

Terry


----------



## Gary To (Jan 5, 2008)

Hello Michael, 
Fantastic job, I also like the sideframe you built, well done. 
Gary


----------



## Gary To (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By Dr G on 10 Sep 2009 01:37 PM 
Here is the engine I built:



















Like I said, I think yours was a much more involved build and should do well at a contest. Good luck.

Matt
Hello Matt,
Good looking for that weathered engine, very cool and realistic, would you tell me what weathering technic you applied , brushing or weathering powder? I also detailed two HH SD45, one is Guildfold, another is NW, I agree with you a light weathering will give the engine look great!!
Regards,
Gary


----------



## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Gary,

Weathering is fun--just got to be ready to go with trial and error. A good prototype photo is also helpful--does not need to be the exact car or engine. I ususally get mine off the internet.

I usually start with a good wash with water colors. Usually something dark to settle in the cracks. I like water colors because if you make a "mistake" you just wash it off. This is a good time to mention sealing each "layer" of weathering. I seal the paint and decals with a flat fixative--in this case "Future" floor polish 10:1 with Tamaya flat additive--gives a good "eggshell" finish and when dry is tough enough to , well walk on!! Yah I ain't kidding I use floor polish from the grocery store. It goes on a little cloudy from the airbrush but that clears and levels itself out as it dries.

After I am happy with the washes I begin with weathering powders by AIM--do a google search you will find their web site. They are better than chalk as they have some kind of binder in them that makes them "stick" to the model. Be warned they stick to everything as well--what a mess on my workbench--I now put something disposable down when I use them. They will mostly wash off if you aren't happy with the first attempt. Then I seal them in with another coat of Future and Tamaya flat.

One real great trick I found on the internet is for "crusty-rusty" spots it to mix the powders with cheap hair spary and dab the mix on. It dries to look powdery and streaks well, but will stay put-cemented on better than that big hair you had in the '80's.

Again I follow up with a spray of Future and Tamaya flat.

I then dry brush with acrylic paints to "fade the stripes" and highlight the details. At this time I "wear off the paint" on the handrails and grab irons and create wear spots in the walkways with a soft #2 pencil. The graphite looks like worn metal and has a nice metalic sheen.

Again seal this layer.

The exhaust was mostly chalk, but I am not happy with it--too light, not opaque enough for my tastes, so I plan on going back with some engine black/grimy black Polly Scale in my airbrush on the exhaust stacks.

The secret to weathering is LAYERS. And I would advise restraint. Here is an example of what happens when you loose control (please note the real car is a MOW rust bucket--but I still think I went too far):










I just keep trying. I know these things are expensive and time consuming to build, but I figure this is a HOBBY and is for fun. So if I had fun doing it and it don't look too bad--SCORE!!!

Hope that helps.

Matt


----------



## Gary To (Jan 5, 2008)

Helo Matt, 
Thanks for the nice and detail explanation for your weathering job







, I also like the hopper you weathered, I am trying to weathering a NW SD-45 which the body in black color, a bit difficult to make it realistic cause it is not easy to highlight the weathering effect on a black color body







.
Regards,
Gary


----------



## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Gary, 

Black is almost as difficult as white. My observations are black turns grey and most of the weathering should be grey or "grimy black" The dirt along the trucks and frame and the grey soot along the roof will show up nicely, and I would "fade" the top surfaces with a grey color as well. A really subtle but interesting effect I have seen on a few models is a satin finish with FLAT weathering. I doubt it would show up in photos--but the effect in person is neat. I think Keven Strong described something similar on his steam engines. 

Matt


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

As Matt said, the trick to weathering a black locomotive is to not use black. Actually, you do use "black," but different shades of it. I like "Folk-Art" black, because it dries just a shade lighter than the Krylon black I use for my base. (I don't care what the small-scale gurus say, locomotives aren't dark grey to start, they're BLACK! This is especially noticeable outdoors.) Anyway... I prefer to use washes, which I think would work very well on a diesel loco, with all the detail in the hood. I apologize for interjecting steam into a thread on diesels, but I haven't yet attacked my little Davenport to use it as an example. 










In the case of this Heisler (Hey, it's a V-2 instead of a V-12--close-ish, right?) I washed the side of the cab with dilute black paint (The aforementioned Folk-Art, diluted probably 10:1, though that's hardly scientific--I just dab paint then swab on water to cover the surface. In this case, I wiped it off with a paper towel, leaving streaks under the rivets where rainwater would naturally deposit streaks of grime. On a diesel, this would leave the paint in the door details, around hinges, etc. 

Here's the same effect on a tender: 









A wider view shows how the satin sheen of the paint still shows through in the light under the weathering. 









Matt seals everything between layers, I don't. Both approaches work. I do let a few hours pass between layers so that the paint has a good chance to dry. I've gotten hasty too often, and had the top layer wash off the bottom one. The advantage of not sealing everything is that the sheen of the base paint can be preserved. On my steam locos, I've got boiler jackets that I want to keep glossy (polished metal), running boards that need to be rather flat, and painted cabs and tenders that tend to be somewhat satin, leaning towards glossy. If I were to overspray everything, the entire loco would take on that single sheen. By using paints and powders that don't need to be sealed, you can easily preserve the base finish. (That, and you don't have to mask your windows!) 









The nice thing about the wash is that you can go as light or as heavy as you'd like. This loco here is the "other" extreme. For this one, I just let the paint settle where it may, not wiping it off much, if at all. I also mixed a bit of brown in here and there for some subtle tonal differences. It's easy to do with washes--a little dab of color goes a long way. 

The frame and running gear is weathered with Bragdon's powders. These are similar to the AIM brand mentioned above, in that they have a binder in them that does not need to be sealed. I've got various shades (tan, light grey (ash), almost black (soot) and brown, as well as some rust tones. 









This frame was washed with a dilute brown paint instead of black, to show the effects of not only road grime, but the heat that would bake the paint on the firebox. Again, the base color was black. I'd probably do something like this on the trucks of a diesel loco, then follow up with powders. That's what I do on my freight car trucks--black paint, dilute brown wash, then powders. The wheels, I just paint brown; I don't worry about weathering them too much. One reason is that when I lube the journals, the oil invariably seeps out and spreads out around the center of the wheel quite prototypically, and picks up its own microscopic dust in the process adding to the realism. This is one of those times where the best way to simulate nature is to just let nature take its course. 

Later, 

K


----------



## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

K, 

Great work, I really like the mixture of not only weathering washes, but the contrast of the different sheens. I am a converted small scaler (HO) and satiln or gloss finishes tend to look toy like in the small scales. But I think that the G (whatever your scale is) trains are large enough to benefit from the approach you use to achieve a subtle realism seldom seen in the smaller scales. Ironic actually, most small scalers view our trains as toys. I think one look at your work will dispell any of those thoughts. 

I can't wait to try such a technique on my next project. 

Matt


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job on the SD45. Also thanks to the folks providing all the various ways to weather equipment. Cool. Later RJD


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Michael, I just read your web site to discover you're just going into college. WOW! Between you and Dylan, anyone who thinks the younger generation has no interest in modelbuilding is painfully uninformed. BTW, it's amazing what you can build in a dorm room with just hand tools. I kept my stuff in two shoeboxes. Good luck with the ME studies. I started down that road myself before discovering I was more well suited for a less mathematically-based form of creativity.  

Later, 

K


----------



## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

Awesome model and documentation on the Bicentennial... One of my favorite Diesel paint themes from before my time. Very inspirational I may have to follow your lead... 

Did you use an airbrush or rattlecan?


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

I used rattle cans for the red, white, and blue. Thanks for looking though the website!


----------



## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

Sweet, I always like seeing stuff done with he rattle can. Helps me justify putting off the expense of the airbrush and buying another loco.


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Adding the Anticlimber…
I have been looking at the front pilot for a while now and I just can’t get past the anticlimber. So, today’s project was to finish up the bicentennial. I used a brass strip to form the basic outline of the anticlimber and filled the rest in with plastic.
















































ACI Plates and other decals…
Other decals like “59-18 Gear Ratio,” “Danger 600 Volts,” “Fire Extinguisher Inside,” etc. were added as well as the two ACI plates. (For rivet counters, the start and stop lines as well as Santa Fe’s equipment/ owner code, 0022, is accurate.)


----------



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Just keeps getting better all the time.(Someone should write that in a song!  Oh yeah, the Beatles did.


----------



## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

That is one beautiful looking locomotive Mike. 

Chris


----------



## pk (Jul 6, 2008)

Excellent looking model but may I ask why you didn't just use the correct Flexicoil trucks from under the USA SD40-2? 

Regards, 
pk


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Posted By pk on 24 Nov 2009 07:36 PM 
Excellent looking model but may I ask why you didn't just use the correct Flexicoil trucks from under the USA SD40-2? 

Regards, 
pk 

To be honest, the thought never came to my mind!


----------



## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Well done









She looks all ready to pull the Super C.


----------



## TAAudi (Dec 6, 2012)

hi Michael,

great job, all your projects .....

some day I will have a MILW Bicentennial SD-40-2









greetings
Thomas


----------



## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

My outdoor layout is only three years old and all rolling stock is shiny new, right out of the CCRR paint shop. I may someday add weathering and I learned a lot from this thread. Thanks guys for sharing your expertise. 

A question for Matt: are the red & white safety stripes painted on or glued-on printed material? I have some similar strips on some of my intermodal containers. They were self-adhesive paper which blcukled and stretched after only one summer, although they were over sprayed with Krylon. 

JackM


----------



## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

While I have seen this thread before, I hope, Mike,.. you will go back and repaint, detail / weather the couplers .... 

Couplers in the real world are not allowed to be painted, at all...!!! can't hide the cracks... 

:~ } 

Dark brown primer works with some silver - shinny wear points from pulling and slammmmming those things together..!! and rust also -' course.. 

Dirk - DMS Ry.


----------



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Glad to see that this thread came back!

Dirk, I modeled this unit as it appeared in 1976 and they were still painting the couplers silver on these units. But, I agree with you for other models!


l5700++01.jpg


----------



## TAAudi (Dec 6, 2012)

MILW bicentennial coupler was painted blue, completely ..... 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/sh...?id=355162

greetings 
Thomas


----------

