Model Building HO Southern Pacific Consist Part 15 - Cotton Belt B30-7 7787 Body and Cab
The SP Consist Build series is about Dan's efforts to recreate a set of 5 locomotives he photographed on the front of a Southern Pacific grain train in Truckee, California in 1993. There were two SP SD45Rs, a Cotton Belt B30-7, a Conrail SD40, and an EMD Leasing GP38-2.
In the last episode of the Southern Pacific consist build, Dan completed his HO scale model of Conrail SD40 6283.
In this episode Dan resumes work on the only General Electric locomotive in the build, Cotton Belt B30-7 7787.
Dan is modeling this locomotive as it appeared when he photographed it, in traditional scarlet and gray paint. Not long after this photo was taken, SP repainted 7787 into the 1990s era speed lettering scheme.
When Dan photographed it, SSW 7787 had been “lobotomized”, losing its oscillating lights and emergency lights. It gained a beacon, but had not yet been fitted with ditch lights.
In this episode Dan finishes most of the details for the locomotive body.
He also cuts into the cab, doing some surgery to change it from a generic B30-7 cab to a prototype-specific cab appropriate for SP and Cotton Belt.
Like many SP diesels, these Cotton Belt units were delivered with “L” shaped engineer’s windows. Over time SP replaced the odd shaped piece of glass with two separate panes, putting a post in the middle.
The resulting windows are larger than the stock GE windows.
Cotton Belt and some Southern Pacific GE’s also had a rooftop air conditioner that was recessed slightly into the arched roof. Modeling this requires cutting out a section of the roof and replacing it with some sheet styrene.
Dan also shows how he molded the antenna box behind the A/C unit.
Join Dan for some HO scale diesel detailing fun!
#train #modeltrains #scalemodels