The DME 6359 Project begins!

I don't consider playing around with paint removers, scrub brushes and warm baths as part of the "building project."  But I've begun some REAL whacking away at the base model that will become the DME 6359. Taking one look at the tools in the process (picture below) might give you some idea of what the first "whack" was at - the frame. 

Being a former MILW SD40-2, the DME Mt. Rushmore engine had that "shortened fuel tank." You know, the one that some model manufacturers seem to forget about. It just ain't MILW with a hunkin' big fuel tank. I believe in the "good enough," "three foot rule," and "make it look family" methods of madness when it comes to working / painting / detailing model railroad stuff.  Yeah, the several hundred dollar items are great, but I don't want to spend money on something like that - see the peek view of another project on the "SP Coast Line" blog elsewhere. Same thing applies to working over some decent Athearn stuff instead of those 35 to 45 dollar kits or RTR things.   Anyway, doing this "hacksaw blade torture" goes back to the early 1980's when I first did it to make a couple of MILW RD SD40-2's from parts of this and that. 

Here's what the front end of the shortened fuel tank looked like right after the hacking was done with.  Just like a tree ring, you can see the various "cuts" made in the tank as I switched from side to side and top to bottom.  Of course, you have to make a "plug" end of styrene and then after superglueing it to the rough end trim it down to the correct contour. It's not an exact science, but it gets the job done and makes it look "family."

It really took only about 30 or 40 mins of sawing to get the tank shortened. As before, you end up getting a small fuel / water / oil tank that might come in handy on SP SD7 / 9's?  I still have the other two chopped off sections from nearly 30 years ago in the parts locker!  Just like the past, this weakens the front frame of the engine to the point that it sags at an angle if it is not positioned into the body shell.  So, I'll use some thin brass or metal stock to make angled braces that will join the front end of the shorty tank with the inner middle part of the front half of the frame. 

Before the bracing was done, and the trucks disassembled for painting of the metal side plates of the gearboxes, here's what the side view of the SD40-2 looks like at track level.  Can't miss that MILW RD style fuel tank, huh?