Interesting Project.

[Santa Fe buff]

I'm converting my Alaska GP40 to a Burlington Northern GP40 No. 3019. For some reasons:

1. It's one of the locomotives Burlington Northern modified by moving the horn back.
2. Another modification is the lower headlight, and the headlight patch should pach up the area I'll try to cut out.
3. The weathering is both simple and complicated, so I can try various skills.
4. I've already have plans to order the 3 cabled MU houses from Walthers, lucky me that only the 3 cable style is on sale.
5. It's BN, a good scheme for a new painter!

My prototype photo I'm using:


I have some questions to ask:

1. Can someone find some more pictures of 3019 if possible?
2. Is there a place I can get a new nose, or will I have to alter the curent one?

That's all for this forum, I'm off the the Horns & Whistles board to seek infromation on what horn that is, if anyone knows, don't hesitate to tell me.

Joshua

[Guilford Guy]

Ew, Walthers... Order from Highball Graphics
If I were you I'd replace the Bachmann cab and nose with a Cannon Kit, but that requires a bit of experience with Cannon kits.
http://www.mgdecals.com/Cannon_Company.htm
1551
http://www.mgdecals.com/Detail_Associates.htm
Item number 1024, 1503, 2902
http://www.mgdecals.com/Details_West.htm
326, 266, 267,

[Santa Fe buff]

The locomotive was made from a simple Atheran Blue Box kit. Nevermind the Walthers, I decided against the order, and I ordered something else... Non-project relating.

Anyway, I've placed my order for all those parts. Now, where can I find the cab/nose again? I can't find Cannon's kits.

Thanks Alex,
Joshua

[jward]

the athearn unit is a gp40-2, whereas the unit in the photo is a straight gp40. bn had gp40-2s they got from frisco, numbered 3040 to 3064.

[Santa Fe buff]

Is there an external difference I have to fix to match it?

Joshua

[jward]

depending on which one you have. the most obvious difference between a phase 1 gp40-2 and a gp40 is the sight glass on the long hood. the gp40 doesn't have one, the gp40-2 does. other later gp40-2s have different length of nose, different radiators, an anticlimber on the rear of the unit.
i think the athearn is a phase 1 early gp40-2. you may be lucky enough to only have to fill in the sight glass.

[Santa Fe buff]

So there's no window behind the fireman's side?

Joshua

[Guilford Guy]

There is. The sight glass is a small oval in the hood below the radiators.

[jettrainfan]

I'm converting my Alaska GP40 to a Burlington Northern GP40 No. 3019. For some reasons:

1. It's one of the locomotives Burlington Northern modified by moving the horn back.
2. Another modification is the lower headlight, and the headlight patch should pach up the area I'll try to cut out.
3. The weathering is both simple and complicated, so I can try various skills.
4. I've already have plans to order the 3 cabled MU houses from Walthers, lucky me that only the 3 cable style is on sale.
5. It's BN, a good scheme for a new painter!

My prototype photo I'm using:


I have some questions to ask:

1. Can someone find some more pictures of 3019 if possible?
2. Is there a place I can get a new nose, or will I have to alter the curent one?

That's all for this forum, I'm off the the Horns & Whistles board to seek infromation on what horn that is, if anyone knows, don't hesitate to tell me.

Joshua

Well lets get you some pics to go with the order. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=72890 hmmmmm... must have had a paint job. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=17500 that looks like yours . i can only find those hope this helps

[Guilford Guy]

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/bn/bn3019adb.jpg

[jward]

jet,
the bn 3019 in the first photo you linked to is not the same one as in the other photo you linked to.

bn 3019, built 12-1966 as cb&q 189, rebuilt around 1990 to gp40e 3516, renumbered to bnsf 3015. this is the bn 3019 that santa fe buff wants to model.

the other locomotive is actually, from the date of the photo (1999) bnsf 3019. this locomotive was built in 2-1968 as cb&q 634, to bn 3034, rebuilt around 1990 to gp40e, 3520, then renumbered to bnsf 3019. most bnsf locomotives that were renumbered did not get repainted right away leaving this one in bn paint. as a matter of fact, on the cab side below the number you can see bnsf in white.......

[Santa Fe buff]

I have a couple of questions...

1. Why does GG's photo show is without a strobe and with marker lights, was that BEFORE they patched over the lights? Was that how CB&Q had it? If so, that means GG's was when BN just painted the locomotive.

2. What type of antenna is that on BN 3019? It looks like it go bent after getting it's patch.

3. So I'm actually modeling a GP40e?

Joshua

EDIT: Here's a theory: BN obtained the unit from CB&Q with the marker lights at the top, and the regular lights nose mounted (GG's picture). Later, they added the strobe, but the antenna got bend/damaged (Jet's second photo) so BN removed it, leaving it with the strobe only. (My photo.) Can anyone look up the photo's dates? I'll try mine, Jet, you try yours, and GG, you do whatever... You find stuff out pretty good, same with Jeff.

Wow, looks like this might be a team effort...

EDIT: Theroy part 1: PROVEN!

CB&Q GP40 No. 978 with MARKER LIGHTS!

[Santa Fe buff]

Double post:

Another part supporting, BN did have the antenna with the strobe, photo was likely taken in the 1980s. (Note the BN E8 unit for Metra.)



Joshua

[jward]

cb&q 979 is a gp35. cb&q had 40 gp40s, 170-189 became bn 3000-3019.
cb&q 620-639 became bn 3020-3039.

the unit in your original photo is a gp40, before they were rebuilt to gp40e.

in the mid to late 1980s, bn started painting their locomotives in a "whiteface" paint, like the bnsf 3019. your locomotive wears the earlier bn paint. all gp40e's got the whiteface paint as they were rebuilt. note that they probably all got the headlight raised to between the numberbpards at that time as well.

so.....your photo would have had to have been taken in the period when bn started to standardize on things like the strobe, and removal of the oscillatiing headlight between the number boards, and the time they were rebuilt to gp40e. i would guess your photo is from around 1980.

the antenna you mentioned is a "firecracker" style antenna which was very common of locomotives around the 1980 era. and yes, the antenna could be bent back if needed.

[Santa Fe buff]

Thanks, the story behind the era helps...

Thank you again.

Joshua

EDIT:

GG,
My Alaska unit has a small oval already one the engineer's side placed under the radiators.