• Minitrix U30CG conversion to P30CH

    by
    Herc Driver
    Published on 7th Sep 2013 09:29 PM
    12 Comments Comments
    Well as I mentioned several weeks ago...I started the conversion of a Minitrix U30CG into a P30CH in Amtrak colors.

    First step was to strip the old Amtrak colors down to the brown plastic shell. I scrubbed and scrubbed with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and got off as much as possible. (For a 30+ year old model, that paint was sure painted on well.)

    http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2a16b394.jpg

    Then I built up the nose with styrene curved into shape, and putty to smooth the gaps. I added flat styrene stock to make the sill above the front coupler and plow.

    http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps203ea587.jpg

    Then came the difficult part of hiding the louvered sides of the U30CG body. I tried to cover these up with putty, sanded smooth, but so far am not really happy at the results. On camera, you can see every flaw in the putty. On the layout it is much less noticeable. I applied a coat of primer, then two coats of silver, with a coat of semi-gloss black for the upper roof section and nose brow to mimic the prototype. I also had to cut the three front window frames. The U30CG had vertical frames whereas the P30CH were angled. So I snipped the old ones out and replaced them with styrene trying to judge the prototype angle as best as I could.

    http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps38591f3a.jpg

    What is difficult to see is the added snow plow on the nose. Also, I had to cover two of the front steps with small strips of styrene to match the prototype as well. They were painted to match, and the area behind the plow was painted flat black as were the rear stairs in keeping with the prototype's scheme. Amtrak decals are on order and should arrive in about a week. I'm withholding my final opinion on this unit until it's covered with the red/blue stripes and Amtrak lettering. If the decals cover the problem areas of the putty on the sides, I'll keep this model the way it is. But if I'm still not happy with the way it turns out, I plan on stripping the whole model and starting all over. But this time, I will use thin sections of styrene to cover the louvered sides. I tried that idea out first, but it was really tough to get the styrene to fit on the body without looking like the pieces were hanging over the shell like a coat. There's no way to file the louvers flat without doing damage to what little design detailing there is, so it's either affixing small sections of styrene or going with putty.

    Also, I'm not sure I captured the nose correctly. Part of the problem is the size of the window frames. (The U30CG windows are larger than the P30CH...but I'm not sure how I want to decrease their size. Styrene strips glued in place is the logical choice.) I think I can improve on the overall look of the nose area if I decrease the window frames to better match the P30CH design. I think I'll add a very small strip along the bottom of the side window frames. And finally, there is no glass for these windows...my model didn't come with any installed...so I need to make some from clear styrene.

    http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa4f82643.jpg

    http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps98a52043.jpg
    Comments 12 Comments
    1. mariuszjj's Avatar
      mariuszjj - 7th Sep 2013, 10:46 PM
      interesting .....
      i just repainted mine to SF .....
    1. Herc Driver's Avatar
      Herc Driver - 8th Sep 2013, 09:18 AM
      Now that I think of it...I should have repainted mine into an SF as well. It's an interesting engine and one you just don't see modeled very much at all. Post some pictures of your SF unit! I'd really be interesting in see it.
    1. Herc Driver's Avatar
      Herc Driver - 8th Sep 2013, 06:32 PM
      Well, here's where this project is now...and I'm not sure I'm too happy about it. Under the microscope of the camera, every flaw is easily seen, whereas on the layout you can't see them as much. Overall, I'm not happy with the nose. I missed the vertical lines both sides of the nose needed by a fraction...but with the blue and red stripes accentuating the nose line, you can see it plain as day. There's pitting from the putty sanding along the sides, and the Amtrak striping isn't perfectly level. And finally, the front walkway is slightly too far above the plow/coupler area. I didn't discover that until I put on the first stripe decal. As soon as I placed the stripe, which needed to go above the front nose walkway, the stripe rested too high on the body side shell. The only way to fix that would be to remove the nose walkway, file down the detailing around the plow area, and reattach the walkway. So I'm thinking that this model will be stripped down to the shell again and start from scratch. I still need to put plastic windows in the cab, which might help make the nose look more finished, but probably won't fix it that much.

      I'm open to comments and critiques...and any ideas on improving this model.





    1. mariuszjj's Avatar
      mariuszjj - 8th Sep 2013, 09:42 PM
      here is my repainted ( got it as Amtrak but got 6 cars from kato - last parts sale Christmas )

      before



      repainted but needs more details + need to get another unit (gonna get the kato U30c and run them together )



      the 402 suppose to be black but i liked it in yellow i think it looks better ( don't have to be 100% prototypical )

      i had to mill down the frame so cant see it in windows as much ... ( still can see but not as much .... windows are crystal clear... )

      btw yours came out good ... if i had another one i still would have to think about converting to something else
      have not used mine much but now science have cars for it ... it gonna be running more now
      but that's cool idea.....
    1. Herc Driver's Avatar
      Herc Driver - 8th Sep 2013, 10:20 PM
      That SF turned out really nice! I think it's such a classic look...plus an interesting engine.

      My Amtrak started life as 702 as well...and I had a time covering all the louvered areas on the side of that thing. Covering up the two top stairs on the front was simple, just a tiny piece of styrene cut and filed to size. Then adding a plow, fitted to size. But that distinctive P30CH nose proved a challenge that I still don't think I captured as well as I would have liked. It ended up with a ever so slight inward cant towards the bottom of the nose, and not as blunt as the P30CH. So I might take off the nose and try again...or wait till I find another one of these engines somewhere. (I got this one really cheap...and who knows...I might find another one out there.) If I had to do it all over again, I'd seriously consider repainting it in SF colors like yours and running it as a museum piece on my modern era layout. Great looking engine in the warbonnet scheme. Did you use the Kato U30 frame on that engine? From what I've read, after shaving off a little material on the trucks, the Kato frame/motor fits right into the Minitrix shell and that gives you dcc capability if you need it.
    1. Herc Driver's Avatar
      Herc Driver - 10th Sep 2013, 05:58 PM
      A bit more work to try and make this engine look more like the prototype...

      I added styrene to reduce the window size on the front and side windows. (Talk about a pain in the you know what to get those tiny pieces of styrene glued in place.) To me, cutting down on the size of the windows from the original U30CG model better approximates the smaller windows on the pictures I've reviewed of the P30CH. (Sure, they still need a little work to blend them in better, but you get the idea.) Take a look at the great looking SF version mariuszjj did above and you can see how much I decreased the window areas. It does change the overall way the cab looks, and sets off the large nose area better. And yes...it really needs windows...and I have no idea how I'm going to get them cut and placed considering how the roof molding is inside the cab.







      Grab irons and hand rails will be the next thing I try on this model...and windows of course. Then we'll see where it goes from there.
    1. WP&P's Avatar
      WP&P - 10th Sep 2013, 06:14 PM
      I don't think it looks all that bad - we are our own worst critics! I like how you re-proportioned the windows, that really does make a difference. As for the pitting on the sides... perhaps weather those to become small rust spots? I could see this engine wearing some weathering well, but before you weather you need to attend to some things. Such as grab irons, as you mentioned. And, I do think that the decal stripes need to be settled down more, they kind of drape over the texture in an unsettling way. I use multiple applications of Walthers Solvaset, followed by the more aggressive Micro-Sol, to get my decals to lay amongst the ribs; it takes patience. I actually ended up slicing my decals right along the rib line so that it could part and settle to either side of the rib, but such might not be necessary here, you don't have the deep ribs that I was dealing with.
    1. Herc Driver's Avatar
      Herc Driver - 11th Sep 2013, 08:59 PM
      Yep...those decals didn't adhere well enough even with the Microscale solvents. I plan on cutting them with a razor and trying to get them to set better.

      The windows are still a work in progress...but they are getting there.
    1. 3rdboxcar's Avatar
      3rdboxcar - 30th Oct 2013, 06:43 PM
      Hi

      Just come across your thread, somebody else who likes the big GE's.

      I am working on a P30CH to 3D print it, it has taken a bit of a back seat at the moment due to work on my CNSM project, a couple pics of progress so far.

      It is planned to use an Atlas SD60 chassis, truck centres will be 2" [0.315mm in N scale] closer than they should be. I have removed the truck frames and fitted Kato U30C frames after a bit of plastic removal.

      https://www.nscale.net/forums/attachm...3&d=1383172467
      https://www.nscale.net/forums/attachm...4&d=1383172467
    1. DCUTTTING's Avatar
      DCUTTTING - 29th Nov 2013, 10:48 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by 3rdboxcar View Post
      Hi

      Just come across your thread, somebody else who likes the big GE's.

      I am working on a P30CH to 3D print it, it has taken a bit of a back seat at the moment due to work on my CNSM project, a couple pics of progress so far.

      It is planned to use an Atlas SD60 chassis, truck centres will be 2" [0.315mm in N scale] closer than they should be. I have removed the truck frames and fitted Kato U30C frames after a bit of plastic removal.

      https://www.nscale.net/forums/attachm...3&d=1383172467
      https://www.nscale.net/forums/attachm...4&d=1383172467
      How are you making those louvers? Those look amazing, especially for the program used. Is it Sketchup? I use autodesk inventor, and I don't have the foggiest of how to do that.
    1. mariuszjj's Avatar
      mariuszjj - 29th Nov 2013, 11:28 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by DCUTTTING View Post
      Quote Originally Posted by 3rdboxcar View Post
      Hi

      Just come across your thread, somebody else who likes the big GE's.

      I am working on a P30CH to 3D print it, it has taken a bit of a back seat at the moment due to work on my CNSM project, a couple pics of progress so far.

      It is planned to use an Atlas SD60 chassis, truck centres will be 2" [0.315mm in N scale] closer than they should be. I have removed the truck frames and fitted Kato U30C frames after a bit of plastic removal.

      https://www.nscale.net/forums/attachm...3&d=1383172467
      https://www.nscale.net/forums/attachm...4&d=1383172467
      How are you making those louvers? Those look amazing, especially for the program used. Is it Sketchup? I use autodesk inventor, and I don't have the foggiest of how to do that.
      on cad u can draw really fin stuff ..... to the thousand om mm or more .... at least some programs.....
      im new at this but experimenting with drawing small things....

      that shell looks nice already .....
    1. 3rdboxcar's Avatar
      3rdboxcar - 29th Nov 2013, 12:21 PM
      Hi

      I use sketchup for my drawings.

      Alexander