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 Posted - January 19 2013 : 4:56:58 PM
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You may recall my recent MDT rehab project- the first diesel was done in a blue and white scheme for a northern Minnesota mining company:
Well, I finally completed the painting and decals for the other MDT I was rebuilding:
The original concept had a more yellow color planned:
I ran into trouble using Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss spray paint, "Bright Idea", a corn-like color, as the edges of the model showed through the paint, and the paint itself was "heavier" than I wanted. I decided to switch to Model Master Desert Beige, where the texture is flat and the finer pigments lay better on the model, without blurring the details.
These Krylon colors work better on flat, less-detailed surfaces, as I was able to paint a box car easily with that same yellow color.
This leads me to think that it's time to become more of an airbrusher than I have been- I am a little hesitant about thinning paints properly, although I had no problem with Badger Modelflex Orange for my railroad color directly from the bottle, as it is pre-thinned.
I made the grabs and the front railing from .020 steel wire and reverse-wired a 3mm round top LED for the rear backup light (with a 470 ohn resistor, drilled where there was no light previously. The front light was replaced by another 3mm LED- a flat top- that used some reflective tape on the inside of the hood to enhance it.
As this model had a tight fit with the new motor, I didn't put any plastic tinted windows in- as was the case on the blue and white MDT model- but in close work at a grain facility, tinted windows would be a hindrance, not a benefit.
I made the decals with Bel clear paper, but used the RGB medium green analog color to the Model Master Medium Green I used on the cab top and the chassis for the lettering.
Granite Falls. MN sits southwest of the Twin Cities on the northern edge of the midwestern corn belt that runs through the center of the country, hence my desire to use a corn-like color in the scheme (the reason for the green is obvious). The actual town is very picturesque (as per the internet) and they do have grain elevators in the area serving the farming communties. The real town is within the "service area" of my MSL&W railroad, so it would be reasonable to see one of their engines up at the Sioux Lake Engine and Yard Facility being worked on by the shop and paint crews, to gain some income for the railroad.
As a late transition-era entity, the folks at the grain facility were tuned into modern graphics of the 1950s, hence the use of a large "G" and the remainder of the company name as it appears.(rumor has it one of the local high school drafting students came up with the logo in a scholarship competition- the young man went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree at U of Minnesota and recently retired from Mosaic, one of the large national agro companies).
Hope you like it- that ends my desire to work on the MDTs- two restorations are enough for my small pike. But, I never say never- if the right one comes along in reasonable shape.
Siouxlake/ Ron
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Posted - January 19 2013 : 5:29:36 PM
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Nice job...I had one of those once I was fond of...but I didnt do any "inside" work on it.
In the background of this photo...the shop switcher...
caboose 1
Edited by - caboose 1 on January 19 2013 5:31:24 PM
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Posted - January 20 2013 : 11:13:10 PM
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Looks great!
I like the addition of the rear light. You did not mention if it is directional. If so, how did you wire it? I am thinking of adding diode directional lighting to my next round of kitbashes.
As for paint, have you thought of using Floquil railroad colors? I airbrush them straight from the bottle. I use only the enamals though. I have not tried the acrylic versions via airbrush yet.
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Posted - January 21 2013 : 08:35:42 AM
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For the reverse lights on my engines, where feasible, i simply reverse the positive and negative wiring from the LED to the motor leads, incorporating a 470 ohm resistor behind the LED. To keep myself oriented, i always wire the resistor to the positive lead of the LED, although thats not critical.
The round top was used on the MDT as it looked better, where i was able to use the LED's plastic base rim as a "stop" for how far the front projected from the hole.
Paints- other than Modelflex- my reading of paint prep for airbrushing always refers to diluting the paint (if acrylic based, with water) ( if solvent based, with thinner).
Tell me more about your use of the Floquil without dilution, please.
Siouxlake/ Ron
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Posted - January 21 2013 : 11:31:54 AM
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Check here:
http://www.testors.com/category/133504/Floquil
I use both the railroad and military paint lines quite a bit. From my experience, the Floquil paints are VERY thin from the bottle. They often take several coats with a brush to get good coverage. But they are perfectly thinned for airbrushing! I ignore the directions on the bottle about thinning before airbrushing. But this only applies for a new bottle. Old, opened bottles tend to thicken and are perfect for use with a brush.
I spray with an old, Badger single action airbrush. Usually I spray at 20-25 psi.
This is probably an obviously stupid question, but... does the LED flow current in only 1 direction? I have always seen directional lights only using regular bulbs and a diode to control current flow.
Edited by - Hypoponera on January 21 2013 11:33:25 AM
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Posted - January 21 2013 : 12:33:11 PM
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Others may know more about this with the LED, but in a forward direction, the front LED lights as the current flow is positive to negative. When I reverse wire a rear LED, the engine motor is now flowing negative to positive, except that my rear LED now has the positive lead going to the motor negative lead, so the front remains unlit, while the rear LED lights in reverse.
Since I have done this several times on several engine rehabs- all of which have been posted on the TYCO forum, the procedure is now second nature to me. But, remember, this is DC wiring at this point, as I have not yet purchased a DCC system and have not done any DCC conversions yet.
The wiring protocols for DCC may be a bit more complex, given the circuit board and the multiple wires.
Ron
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Posted - January 21 2013 : 12:57:19 PM
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very good work
Maybe someday I'll get you to redo my G.I. Joe & Rambo locos 
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Jim
Little Six
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Posted - January 21 2013 : 4:54:49 PM
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| hmmm G.I Joe and Rambo locos?? do show pics!!! nice MDTs too!!!
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Posted - January 21 2013 : 7:28:31 PM
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well ok Long as caboose1 doesn't complain Which he won't
Well the Rambo loco was gutted by me years ago cause it didn't work 
So its a dummy now
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Posted - January 22 2013 : 10:58:54 AM
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Thanks for the info Ron! I will make a run down to Radio Shack and see what I can pick up. I am working on a GP20 right now and will try adding the LEDs to this project.
Not to worry. I am still a dinosaur when it comes to trains. I still run on DC only.
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Posted - January 22 2013 : 11:39:13 PM
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Another great looking Plymouth, Ron. I think I like it even better than the first one.
You gonna start selling these? 
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - January 23 2013 : 5:03:02 PM
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Nels:
If I was as confident in my modeling abilities as that, I would sell them, but I have a long way to go.
When I look back at the ones I have done so far ( all engines, not just MDTs ), I know I could do better, but as I know it's a learning curve thing, I will eventually actually do better- just when that will happen, is not certain.
Ron
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Jim
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Posted - January 23 2013 : 9:52:43 PM
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| Very nice G.I Joe engine!
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