Reading NW-2 #102 – The Cutting Starts

One walkway still to cut

One walkway still to cut - Bottom View of the All-Nation Shell

I started by cutting the ends platforms off the shell. Since the cab was not going to stay it was also cut off the body through the doors.

The Cab, and walkways have been removed.

The Cab, and walkways have been removed.

This photo is from the same time as the last. You can see the opposite fuel tank still below the walkway. Also you can see where I rough cut through the walkway floor and the cab walls. The finish cuts will be just inside those walls.

Here is the Mock-up with half of the engineer's side finish cut made.

Here is the Mock-up with half of the engineer

I stopped an put the cab and shell on the Atlas frame. I was checking to see if I needed to shorten the fram at the cab wall area. It did need that cut also. You can see that about half of the rough-cut material has been removed from this side.

NW2 hood with two of the three finish cut made.

NW2 hood with two of the three finish cut made.

This view shows the finish cut on the engineer’s side and along the cab wall. I still have to make the Fireman’s side cut. This view also show the roof line clean up that has been done so far.

Reading NW-2 #102

The beginning of the project.

The beginning of the project.

As with any project you build at some point you lay out the parts and see if they can be made into what you are thinking. Here we see the All-Nation NW-2 body. I bought this shell second hand at a meet. It shows signs of being striped of paint at least two different layers. Yet, if you look closely at this photo, the modelers never bothered to clean up the center seem on the body casting.

I had disassembled the NW-2 into its parts, the main body, cab front, cab rear and grill front. Before I could just start cutting, I had to see if I wanted to keep the All-Nation Cab that was on the shell. The All-Nation Cab has the correct windows for an NW-2 but it is crude compaired to teh Atlas cab. I’d rather cut the window arch into the Atlas cab than try to bring the All-Nation Cab up to the Atlas level of detail.

Cab Fronts showing what changes will need to be made to the Atlas cab.

Cab Fronts showing what changes will need to be made to the Atlas cab.

Rear Cab Walls

Rear Cab Walls

Rear Deck Details

Rear Deck Details

Reading 103

Reading 103

So I think I will use the Atlas cab in this project. Also I want to reuse the rear deck area of the Atlas model as it more closely represents the prototype.

Reading EMD Freight Cab Units DF-1, DF-2, DF-4

Reading DF-1 #252 A-B

Reading DF-2 EMD F3 #262

Reading DF-4 EMD F7 #266

 

No. Built RDG Class EMD Class HP Engine House Assignment Photos on this Site Photos Online
250 1/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
250 B 1/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
251 1/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
251 B 1/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
252 1/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
252 B 1/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
253 1/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
253 B 1/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
254 1/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
254 B 1/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
255 1/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
255 B 1/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
256 2/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
256 B 2/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
257 2/45 DF-1 FTA 1350
257 B 2/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
258 2/45 DF-1 FTA 1350 FF, FF, FF,
258 B 2/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
259 2/45 DF-1 FTA 1350 FF,
259 B 2/45 DF-1 FTB 1350
260 11/48 DF-2 F3A 1500 FF,
260 B 11/48 DF-2 F3B 1500
261 11/48 DF-2 F3A 1500 FF,
261 B 11/48 DF-2 F3B 1500
262 11/48 DF-2 F3A 1500
262 B 11/48 DF-2 F3B 1500
263 11/48 DF-2 F3A 1500 FF,
263 B 11/48 DF-2 F3B 1500
264 11/48 DF-2 F3A 1500 FF,
264 B 11/48 DF-2 F3B 1500
265 11/48 DF-2 F3A 1500
265 B 11/48 DF-2 F3B 1500
266 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500
266 B 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
267 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500
267 B 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
268 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500
268 B 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
269 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 FF,
269 B 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
270 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 FF,
270 B 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
271 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 FF,
271 B 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
272 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 NB FF,
273 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 NB FF,
274 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 FF,
275 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 FF,
276 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500 FF,
277 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 FF,
278 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
279 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500
280 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500 FF,
281 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500 NB FF,
282 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500
283 3/50 DF-4 F7A 1500
284 3/50 DF-4 F7B 1500

References:
Diesel Era – 1998 March/April – Reading’s First-Generation Diesels by by Paul K. Withers
FD&S – Vol. 12, No. 2 – Reading’s DF-2: TThe EMD F3 by Richard W. Jahn
Reading Diesels Volume 1 The First Generation – by Dale Woodland
The Revolutionary Diesel EMC’s FT – by Diesel ERA
Photograph’s from George Losse Collection either scaned from negatives or prints.

One That Got Away

MTH SW-1 shell on an Atlas SW-8 frame

MTH SW-1 shell on an Atlas SW-8 frame

I bought this MTH SW-1 shell a couple of years ago. The SW-8 frame has the same wheel spacing as the SW-1 so I thought I could drop the shell on top of the frame. You pretty much can but there are a couple of other thing you need to do to finish up the model. The SW-1 frame top is a different pattern then the longer hood of the SW-8. Atlas did not continue the sapty tread pattern of the deck under the hoo or cab of their SW-8. WHy should they you would never see it. But when the shorter SW-1 hood was placed on top the difference is easy to spot. In the photo it shows up as the unpaited and untextured area in front and behind the shell.

This meant that a new frame deck was needed. I did that and I even cut it slightly wider then the frame deck to take care of the second visual difference in the frames. The SW-1 had a top lip to its frame, the side of the SW-8/9 has a smooth side.

If you have seen this site in the last year you would know that I have been going back and forth about how to model the Elmira branch of the PRR, include Williamsport or Southport wasusualy the hang up. Williamsport did not allow enough Reading to meet my need and Southport gave more interchange but none with the Reading. Anyway, I kept going back and forth about this unit and never finished the conversion because I would need the SW-1 and then the yard would change and I would need an SW-9. Since that is no longer the question and I do not need the SW-1 in this idea of the Shamokin division I decided the shell needed a new home which it now has.

BTW the SW-9 doesn’t fit in the new layout time period. So an All-Nation NW-2 shell is going on top of the Atlas frame. More on that to come.

Upgrades to a Built-up NYC USRA twin

Intermountain NYC USRA Twin - Everything from the box

Intermountain NYC USRA Twin – Everything from the box

Starting from the bottom, the trucks were removed and then the hopper opening mechanism.Parts removed from underfram and the center crossmember on the interior.

Laying out the center brace on .030 styrene

Laying out the center brace on .030 styrene

Center brace is in the car and the interior rivet detail is being fitted. Note the castings in the forground. I built all the parts to detail the interiors and then made a rubber mold and cast the parts.

Center brace is in the car and the interior rivet detail is being fitted. Note the castings in the forground. I built all the parts to detail the interiors and then made a rubber mold and cast the parts.

Details have been added to one side of the model.

Details have been added to one side of the model.

Rivets detail and center braces have been added in theis view.

Rivets detail and center braces have been added in theis view.