For some reason GP50's are shunned by todays manufacturers. Kato released one almost the same time as I'm modeling (1988!!!) After getting one on ebay, it needed a lot of work just to be brought up to today's standards, not to mention it is not even close to DCC friendly. The shell is a bit dated, but it's the only game in town until some manufacturer makes them. Luckily, Atlas makes a GP40-2 which is the same length as the GP50. Using an Atlas GP40-2 mechanism, you get DCC and a smooth running loco. Along with an Atlas SD60 for parts, this whole conversion might just be doable. Perfect, no, but a good representation. Plus, it's unique!
I started with a stock Kato shell painted in the orange nose scheme. The only part of the loco that I kept was the long hood and the cab. To get the anticlimber in the front, I bashed together an Atlas SD60 sill/walkway. I also bashed together the handrails from the SD60. They don't line up correctly, and there are extra stanchions, but trying to use the stock Kato ones was a lesson in failure. For the guts, I used an Atlas GP40-2 mechanism, trucks and fuel tank. The trucks didn't have the correct leaf spring in the center, so I cut some off some old LifeLike GP trucks and glued them in. In hindsight, I should have sanded down the rear anticlimber as the prototype has a more rounded back half (like what the stock Kato frame has) and it doesn't protrude out as far on each side as the Atlas version.
Since I was using the stock orange face paint job, the prototype had the squared off blower duct, not the rounded type which is on the Kato shell. Using the same SD60, I cut out the blower duct and spliced it into the Kato shell. This was my first attempt at this level of bashing, and it turned out ok. A little weathering hid some of the flaws. The rest of the loco got most of the usual details I add.
All in all I'm happy with how it turned out, and it will give some contrast when running on a hot ATSF pig train.
Details include:
BLMA cut levers (rear only), air hoses, MU hoses, rear view mirrors, sunshades and windshield wipers
Sunrise Enterprises beacon
Atlas plow
custom made firecracker antenna
NSN horn
Atlas large MU cable
Microscale decals
piece of styrene on nose for access panel
step ends and anticlimber painted white
McHenry couplers
Digitrax DZ123 decoder
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