MP24 Page 7

Page 7

...of rounded corners) hatch was made by taking a DETAILS WEST winterization hatch and wrapping it in .015 styrene. Before using the styrene, cut out the grille section of the D/W hatch. Using .015 x .125 styrene strip glue the four pieces to the sides and ends of the hatch. Next, cut a piece from a .015 styrene sheet to fit on top of the hatch. You now have a rectangular box. Sand as needed for flush and square corners. Using a No. 8 washer as a pattern, cut a round hole as far forward as you can over the open grille cut in the D/W hatch. Use a sharp pencil to trace around the washer. You'll find that the circle will be a little larger than the washer. Not to worry. It should be a bit larger to conform with prototype dimensions. Once the vent hole is made, install .015 x .030" pieces as retainers on the hatch sides. Locate these retainer pieces 5/32" from the rear of the hatch. See photo No. 3 for component positioning. Add a piece of 40 mesh nylon screen on the inside. Nylon is a fussy material and you may want to use contact cement. You'll have to cut two small notches to accommodate the band on top of the hood to allow the hatch to fit snugly without a gap. Paint the hatch prior to installation. If the colors don't match too well, just weather the hatch with a diluted spray (6 Dio-Sol-1 color) of FLOQUIL grimy black. Any other desired weathering can be done after all of the new detail parts are added.

Please view photo No. 4 before starting this phase.


Photo No. 4. This photo shows the added details (horn, bell & spark arresters) in an unpainted form for better visibility.

For the bell installation, drill a #52 hole, on the long hood centerline, halfway between the exhaust stacks. The bell ringer is normally located to the engineer's side (right). Drill a #70 hole to accommodate the bell ringer. Before painting, take needle nose pliers and squeeze the outside hood to match the bell contour.

To install the spark arresters, the inside bottom of the exhaust stacks will have to be drilled and filed. This is so the arrestor will fit down inside and the bottom will be flush with the top of the stack.

There is a convenient casting sprue "dimple" in the top center of the cab that aids in locating the three chime airhorn. A #60 hole will be required to mount the airhorn. Be advised that this D/W airhorn is not accurate for the GN prototype. The long chime is on the wrong side. D/W is planning to produce a Leslie three chime airhorn, in the near future, that will be accurate. Use a touch of contact cement to hold in the present airhorn so that it can be easily removed when the new one becomes available. Why do I use the present D/W airhorn? Because it is brass and is more durable than the plastic alternative, it is readily available in most hobby shops, and it looks good.


Photo No. 5. This photo shows a comparison of the "before" and "after" roof details.

With our added details painted and installed, it is time to paint the handrails around the steps with safety white. How do I get paint to stick to the slick plastic of the handrails you ask? Choose the paint of your choice (ACCUPAINT, SCALECOAT or FLOQUIL), but not the acrylic or other water-based paint. Add a...