Cannon and Company nose conversion...

[wongsing]

I am planning on modifying my GP40-2 into the proper Phase 2 or 3 and to do so, I need to add an anti-climber and the proper 88" nose. I know that Cannon and Company makes both parts that I need and they are in stock. I have seen a picture of the built up nose installed, but would like to see some detailed shots of any locomotive that has been built up with a longer nose. How hard is the conversion, and what would I for the front handrails? The model I will be working with is an Athearn GP40-2 RTR with the plastic handrails. Any pictures or guidance from someone who has done this conversion would be GREATLY appreciated! In other words, is this going to be worth it?

-Rich

 

[railflyermodel]

Gp40-2

Rich,

We have some parts that will work for your build. If you are modeling a Chessie GP40-2, these parts will make it a lot better:

Coupler Plates: DP 6182
Pilot: DP 6052
Steps: DP 6016
Jack Pads: DP 6190
Tread-plates: DP 6110

You can also replace the side sills, walkway duct and fuel tank to match.

If you go to www.6axlepwr.com and browse through, Brian has information on building Cannon products. This should help you out. We do have clean air rooms and hood door kits applicable to this unit for a new approach to the hood if you want to take the model further than a RTR unit is.

All the best,

Christopher Howard
Railflyer Model Prototypes Inc.

www.railflyermodelprototypes.com

 

[wongsing]

It kinda sucks because I don't have any pictures here of the particular model I am working on. I have already added some detail parts (i.e:coupler cut bars, Chessie rock pilot to front and the low profile one to the rear, side mounted bell, MU hoses, and 1 of two Cannon cabs that I have built. What I was thinking though, was to carefully cut the nose from the shell and install an anti-climber, and the correct 88" nose to make it a true Chessie System GP40-2 phase II loco. Thanks for the page reference. Although I have been there before, I always find something new when I read alittle further in depth! Would anyone care to share stories about building the Cannon and Company nose kit and then installing it to another loco like I am suggesting? Thanks!

-Rich

 

[CP9302]

Cannon noses are easy to build. The only real trick is keeping everything square. If you have a Cannon cab for this project, my advice would be to get the Cannon cab sub-base as well. It is easier to remove the whole cab/nose/sub-base from the model then trying to cut the nose out without damaging the sub-base or deck.

 

[jbaakko]

I'd recommend Fred's idea, using the cab & sub-base. I've found that fitting the to-scale cannon noses sometimes takes allot of work, being that the old model might be slightly out of scale.

 

[sd80mac]

Fred is right about going with the "whole" package (nose, cab, and sub-base), though I have removed the Athearn 81" nose successfully to be replaced with the Cannon 88" nose.

Here's what I do:

1. Make one main cut about 1/8" above, but parallel to the molded on sub-base using a Zona, Excel, Xacto, or whichever brand saw you choose to remove the bulk of the nose. Clean up the remaining material with a pair of Xuron track/sprue nippers

2. Make several verticle cuts in the leftover V-shaped portion of the nose front ending about 1mm above the deck/walkway.

3. Using a pair of Xuron (or equivalent) needlenose pliers, grab each of the little sections you made with the saw and bend it back and forth until it breaks. Continue until all the sections are removed.

4. Take a sharp #11 blade and start slicing the left over nub as close to the walkway without carving into it. Finish up with a chisel blade to make it flush with the deck/walkway.

5. Take a 300 grit sanding stick and lightly wet-sand the cut marks you mad until the blend with the surrounding area. Don't sand too hard or you'll remove more material than you might have wanted. Finish up with 600 grit or higher to smooth things out.

Finally, build you Cannon nose kit and test fit it to the modified Athearn walkway. Make adjustment as necessary.

Donnell

Cannon noses are easy to build. The only real trick is keeping everything square. If you have a Cannon cab for this project, my advice would be to get the Cannon cab sub-base as well. It is easier to remove the whole cab/nose/sub-base from the model then trying to cut the nose out without damaging the sub-base or deck.