 Canadian National came up with their own “kitbash,” taking the cab from an SW1200 and mating it with the long hood of a geep. The results were nicknamed “Sweep” for part SWitcher, part Geep! “Sweep” 7103 is seen here in fresh paint at Toronto’s Mac Yard in 1987. PHOTO BY ROGER LALONDE. |
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Fortunately, the author had spare units on hand, and was ready to get to work. Our donor units are regular “blue blox” Athearn locomotives that are still widely available at swap meets. |
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It was quick work to separate the Geep’s long hood from its body and frame. The author decided a stronger model could be had if the switcher’s frame was left intact. |
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The author then discovered that the Geep’s long hood fit perfectly over the switcher body, saving him from having to make extra cuts and reinforcements. |
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The Geep body is notched out so that is fits snug against the switcher’s steps. The author cut away small pieces and fit by trial and error. |
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While test fitting the Geep’s long hood, the author found that a better fit could be had by removing the switcher’s nose and notching out part of the frame. |
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With all the cutting and fitting complete, the Geep hood was mated to the switcher body. Total construction to this point was about an hour. |
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Here is the completed model, painted and lettered for the author’s Adobe Flats Municipal Railway, his fictional, generic southwestern-themed railroad. This would make a great first project for anyone considering a locomotive kitbash as the results are immediate and definitely satisfying! What’s more, you’ll have a very unique unit on your roster that is sure to be a conversation starter! |
By Tom Bohlen
Originally published March 23, 2010
A while back I was browsing through some railroad photos on the Internet when I found a great view of a Canadian National “Sweep.” What’s a “Sweep?” It’s a real-life kitbash consisting of an SW1200RS cab and frame mated with a GP9 body, including the main generator, cooling fans, and traction motor blowers, all riding on Flexicoil trucks. The prime mover was an EMD 645E. Apparently CN made only eight of them, numbered 7100-7107 and constructed in their Port St. Charles shop in Montreal between 1985-1987. After serving in various roles throughout the system, the unique units were transferred to leasing company CANAC (CANX) by 2000.
One look at that ugly beast and I was hooked. I had to have one right now. After doing some research I decided that I already had on hand what I needed to build one. I used an Athearn SW1500 and an old Athearn GP9 dummy. If you don’t already have these common models kicking around in your parts bin, you should be able to find examples of these engines at your next local train show. The vict-, er, candidates for the kitbash were chosen to keep the overall cost of the project down. This was my first attempt at modifying a locomotive and I knew I wouldn’t be out too much money if I failed miserably.
A word of caution: Those expecting a highly detailed model should not read the rest of this article. My purpose in building this was to capture the look, not the exact details, of the prototype.
Using a razor saw I removed the long hood on the GP9. A mitre box helps make a clean, square cut. While I was thinking about the best way to remove the long hood from the switcher body, I took a quick measurement and came up with an idea. I slid the long hood from the GP9 right over the hood of the SW1500. It fit! I removed the Geep hood and trimmed off the stacks on the SW1500 along with a portion of the hood. The GP9 was an older Athearn “wide body” model. Without the stacks on the SW1500 I was able to slip the hood of the Geep over the hood of the SW1500. This saved me quite a bit of time since I didn't have to remove any more of the switcher body, and it helped maintain a stronger frame overall.
Here I encountered a minor problem. I couldn’t get the switcher cab to sit securely in place. So I fiddled with everything for a while and realized that if I put the cab in place first and then slid the hood from the GP9 in to place, everything worked just fine. Then I notched out the hood on the Geep to allow for the steps on the cab of the switcher. This was pretty much a trial and error. I deliberately cut less than I need to, then removed a little more and a little more until it finally fit. It’s much easier to remove a little more than it is to try to put some back.
Next is where I made a mistake. All of my trial fittings had been on the body only without the chassis installed. Once I had the chassis installed, I discovered that I needed to mill off a small triangular portion of the frame to allow the body to fit. If you do this project, you may want to cut the GP9 hood just a little longer. On the other hand, cutting off portions of the frame only added about 5 minutes to the project using my trusty razor saw. Unfortunately, I left the body on the frame while making the cuts. As a consequence, there are some gouges on the front walkway, but I was able to fill those in with come contour putty. This pretty much wraps up the major body construction. Some modelers may choose to go a step further to replace the molded-on grab irons or adding the high-mounted bell to the long hood. At this point, I had spent a little more than an hour on this kitbash project.
The next step is to prep the body for the paint shop. Out come the 91% isopropyl alcohol (“rubbing alcohol”) and the toothbrush to remove the painted on lettering so it would not show through when the paint job was complete. Try as I might, the “Western Pacific” text and the road number did not succumb, so they remained in place. I then washed the parts with warm soapy water and let them dry overnight. The next day, I put the two parts of the body together. Satisfied with the fit, I pulled out my trusty can of primer and gave the assembled pieces a light coat. At this point I should note that I forgot to re-install the clear plastic “glass” for the cab windows prior to re-assembly. You’ll want to do this before final assembly of the body, and then mask off the glass through the painting process.
While the primer was drying, I turned my attention to tuning up the old Athearn drive. I had heard about using Pearl Drops toothpaste to break in the geared drive on older Athearn units, so I thought now is as good a time as any to try it. Of course the store I went to didn’t have any. I did find a small bottle of Colgate, so I thought, what the heck. I applied the toothpaste liberally to both gearboxes and started running laps with it. I ran the engine around my layout for 15 minutes in each direction.
Back in the paint shop, the primer was dry and we were ready for masking. I decided I was going to paint the locomotive for my own railroad in gray and green. I dug out my roll of 3M blue painter’s tape and masked off a stripe around the long hood. I used a water-based craft paint for the green color, though any popular hobby paint could be used.
While the paint was drying I checked up on the Athearn drive. I disassembled the gearboxes and washed everything with warm soapy water. Once the parts had thoroughly dried, I used the appropriate LaBelle lubricants on the bearing surfaces and reassembled the drive train. I took the reassembled chassis back into the train room for another test run. Not only did everything run smoothly, but it also smelled minty fresh.
Back in the paint shop, it was time to remove the tape and see how my new engine looks. This is when I discovered that blue painters tape works fine on large areas such as wall surfaces but does not seal very well on model engines. After a little trial and error, I decided to touch up the paint the best I could by hand. I took a step back and decided that the finish looked pretty good to me. Time to put everything together. This is where I realized I should have installed the glass prior to assembly and painting. I guess my little people will just have to enjoy their “fresh air” cab.
At this point, I would suggest you apply a quick pass of Testor’s GlossCote to seal in the paint. The glossy finish will also be helpful when it comes to applying decals. I skipped this step, however, and decided it was time to letter the engine. Off to the decal box to find some black lettering. I confidently trimmed the appropriate letters and started applying them. Here’s a handy little tip: Do not use decals that are approaching 50 years old. I bought the decal sheets when I was in high school so they have been lying around for a while. If you find decal sheets in your scrap box that have turned yellow, throw them out. They will be too brittle to use effectively.
I used Solvaset to help the decals snuggle down around the details on the long hood. I thought I could help the decals dry quicker by gently blowing on them. This was a bad idea, as my gentle breath acted like a gale force wind, blowing the decals clear off the model. A Q-tip or corner of a paper towel is a great method to wick away extra water and setting solution.
Remember the Western Pacific lettering on the Geep hood that wouldn’t come off? They are still visible through the paint. At first I was concerned, but then I realized it makes the model look like it really was built using old parts.
Next up was to seal the paint and decals with a clear flat coat. I had an unopened bottle of AccuFlex #16-601 flat clear coat--At least, that’s what the label said. After applying a light coat with my brush, the AccuFlex dried to a nice glossy finish, the opposite of what I wanted. No worries, after it thoroughly dried I finished up the model with a quick pass of Testors DullCote from a spray can. I assembled everything back together and immediately put the new locomotive to work on my freelanced Adobe Flats Municipal Railway.
I learned a few lessons from my first locomotive kitbash! First, use a good quality adhesive tape and make sure it's snug against the surface when masking off areas for painting. I also learned that paint is not a hole filler. In fact, it seems to accentuate every flaw! Next time, I’ll be more careful prepping the body and use filler to hide any flaws. Taking more time and being extra careful when it comes to painting and finishing definitely pays off. When it comes to decals, I learned that 40 year old lettering is really hard to work with! Also, do not blow on decals while they are still wet with Solvaset. They will disappear at hypersonic speeds. Finally, it turns out that using toothpaste is a great way to tame an old Athearn “growler” and fight harmful plaque buildup at the same time.
Thus ends the saga of how I built my “Sweep.” I now have a very unusual piece of motive power which, given its beginnings, runs surprisingly well with decent slow-speed performance. It may not win any beauty contests, but I’m sure enjoying the results of my first kitbash.
About the Author
Tom Bohlen is a “professional old person” living quietly in retirement in the remote reaches of northern Iowa. After a long career as a parts clerk, student, supervisor, purchasing supervisor, and packet herder (IT) he decided to make a career out of something I'm really good at: Annoying his wife on a full-time basis. “So far, that's not going as well as I had hoped,” Tom said, “Because she is as good as I am, if not better, in the ornery category.” This is his first RAILROAD.NET byline.