Santa Fe`s SD45-2 in 1:29 scale

Building of the
BICENTENNIAL
Santa Fe’s SD45-2
in 1:29th scale
Some History…
The most recognizable SD45-2’s had to be the Santa Fe Bicentennials.
Suggested by an employee in 1974, official approval was handed down two months
later. The paint scheme was inspired by the 1972 “The Spirit of 76” train involving
the Santa Fe, SCL, and Frisco railroads. Santa Fe chose locomotives servicing the
Super C (with special gearing) to honor the nation’s 200th birthday. “The lengthy
body of the EMD SD45-2 offered the boys at the paint-shop plenty of “canvas” in
which to create the graceful lines of the Santa Fe Bicentennial paint scheme.” The
only reference as to ownership was made by the nose herald and red warbonnet.
Thirty gallons of DuPont paint, forty adhesive stars, and two 5 foot seals adorned
each of the five units. 5700 left San Bernardino with its new paint scheme on
February 21, 1975. The Bicentennials were washed frequently to keep up their
appearance. They were seldom, if ever, seen together because motive power planners
were instructed to maximize their visibility by putting them on the point of priority
piggyback trains like the Super C. “These units instilled pride in thousands of
employees and railfans alike and showed what a “class” 1 railroad is made of.”
The Challenge…
Converting an SD45 into an SD45-2
•Extending the frame 1.25” for a scale 68’ 10”
•New Flexicoil trucks with a center dampening
strut and three holes in the frame.
•Signature flared radiator fans were replaced with
new radiator grills that were almost 4’ longer
than the SD45. They were divided into two
sections instead of three.
•Dynamic brake blister needs to be remanufactured
to match the new radiator section.
Parts List…
•AristoCraft SD45
•Electronics:
•Phoenix PB9
•RamTrack 56 Dual Adj. Strobe
•Replacement Lights (4x)
•Paint:
•Testors 1250 Flat Red (3x)
•Testors 1258 Flat White (4x)
•Testors 1261 Gloss Coat (2x)
•Testors 1237 Primer
•Tamiya Color TS-15 Blue (4x)
•Valspar Basic Color Silver Gloss
•Decals:
•Shawmut Car Shops Decals
•Woodland Scenics Rail Roman White (2x)
$480.00
$245.00
$24.95
$6.00
$14.97
$19.96
$9.98
$4.99
$27.96
$6.49
$21.00
$9.58
Parts List Continued…
•Ozark Miniatures:
•Santa Fe Style Plow
•Air Hose
•Air Conditioner
•Firecracker Antenna
•Sunshades
•Speedometer
•Nathan P3 horn kit
•Chain: 11 links/inch, 1ft.
•AristoCraft Engineer Figure
•AristoCraft Spring
•USA Trains Q Fans (3x)
•Kadee 789
$8.06
$3.71
$10.38
$2.03
$4.58
$2.26
$8.06
$2.03
$5.95
$1.50
$11.58
$7.95
Parts List Continued…
•Evergreen Plastic:
•0.010 Plain Sheet
•0.015 Plain Sheet
•0.020 Plain Sheet
•Part Number:
•177, 178, 147, 156, 157, 188, 189 (3x)
•K&S Engineering
•1mm Music Wire 36in. (8x)
•3/64 Brass Rod 1619 (4x)
•1/16 Brass Rod 1626 (4x)
•0.032 Brass rod 1602 (3x)
•769 Brass strip
•Brass Square Large
•Brass Square Small
$3.50
$3.50
$3.50
$27.00
$3.78
$5.56
$5.56
$4.17
$0.79
$1.39
$1.39
The beginning…
AristoCraft’s SD45 sitting next to what it will soon become…
Disassembly
Hint:
Go slow and try not to
loose anything!
Pilots
I stripped off all the parts on the pilots, and then filled in
Aristo’s battery plug holes as well as the floorboard holes.
Rear pilot with air hose
and train lines installed.
Front pilot with snowplow, air hose, and flexible
train line hoses made from wire striping.
Fresh out of the paint shop…
Both pilots are finished.
The trucks
need a lot
of work!
Prototype
AristoCraft SD45 Truck:
Removed
excess
plastic.
Third hole in the frame…
Holes are filled, dampening struts
made, and I’m ready for the brass.
I followed prototype pictures to model all the piping around the trucks.
Speedometer on conductors side lead truck.
Cab assembly begins with sunshades and mirrors.
Size Comparison:
AC unit is three times the size of the HO scale AC.
Size Comparison:
Antenna stand scratch built.
(.015 plastic for base, square
brass legs support the stand)
Hatch
Horn will be replaced later…
Beacon stand
Strobe stand
Strobe stand
Firecracker antenna
Antenna stand
Comparison:
Primer coat…
Flat Red coat…
Engineers side complete with blue walkway and
stairs, red base coat, and white semicircle to accent
the warbonnet which will be on the body.
Conductors side complete with blue walkway and
stairs, red base coat, and white semicircle to accent
the warbonnet which will be on the body.
Hour Count:
22
Decals:
Note: These sections need to be filled in with blue paint.
Dry Transfer
Water Slide
Frame Construction:
1.25 inch extension location
Check: Scale 68’ 10”
Fuel tank repositioned…
Gap filled with styrene.
Gap filled with styrene.
Phoenix
Sound
reeds
installed
in the
fuel tank.
Brass piping
added according to
prototype pictures.
Beginning of the hand brake chain.
Checking clearances…
I spray painted the upper deck blue…..
… then white…
Test Fit
… then red.
Ready for silver.
Pilots
installed
Kadee 789
Test Fit
Builders plate
sticker reinstalled
Mid Body
Construction
Dynamic Brake Blister changes
Fill and sand, fill and sand,
fill and sand,…
Primer
Needs more sanding…
Rear Hood
Construction
Brake
handle
removed
Test Fit
Radiator grills built…
Before
After
Paint!!
Making of the warbonnet…
Blue
White
Red
Red
White
Blue
Blue
Seals
3
1
2
Test Fit
Finished!
Q Fan locations…
1
2
3
Electrical Cabinet
Blue
White
Grill Construction…
Each of the four grills contains
three feet of 1mm music wire.
Glad that’s over with!!
Size Comparison:
In with the electronics…
Phoenix PB9
AristoCraft motherboard
Ram 56
Ram 56
Phoenix PB9
Phoenix PB9 Battery
Phoenix PB9 Volume
Spaghetti anyone?
It works!!!!
Speaker installation.
Foam packed around speaker to
enhance sound quality.
Test
Handrails
1.25” extension.
Note: Shield too dark – needs
to be same color white.
Almost
Finished!
Outline filled in with blue
I made two new shields with a white background instead of
the silver I originally used. The results are 100% better.
TOO DARK
PERFECT
The Horn
5700 and 5704
had a unique horn
configuration.
Medium
Short
Long
Reference Materials…
•Santa Fe Heritage Volume Four by
Stephen & Cinthia Priest
•The Santa Fe Diesel Volume Two: 1960-1995 by
Dr. Cinthia Priest
•Athearn Genesis Santa Fe Bicentennial SD45-2
Thank you for your invaluable research and
photographs that made this unit possible!