# Brass engines overhaul



## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

I picked up 2 brass engines over the past few months to do a special project for my boys. I've been keeping an eye out for some "fixer-uppers" diesels that I could repair/repaint/remotor/re-light. The end goal is to repaint them in UP colors, and to renumber them for with my boy's birthdates and use them as display pieces - and to give them when they're older. 

Here's the first one - a brass Alco sd-40. Rough shape when I got it but had a great can motor already. Paint was peeling, and a few pieces needed to be resoldered back on. The gears had old grease and were just plain funky. Otherwise, all parts were there and was in solid condition.






























The gears and trucks were stipped, cleaned, re-lubed, and put back together. Those look amazing now.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

The second engine is a Tenshodo sd24. Overall in near-new shape. It has an old open frame motor, which will be replaced with a Mabuchi can motor. It also had 1 missing fuel tank. I ended up ordering a plastic fuel tank for an Atlas sd-24 and trimming it to shape, then glueing it in place. After painting you'll never know one side is plastic.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

So, I started out stripping them in denatured alcohol which removed most of the paint. Then I took it to my blasting cabinet and hit them with baking soda which removed the rest. After that, it was a soap bath, and mineral spirits rinse. 

After many hours of stipping, cleaning, re-soldering, and prepping for paint. Here's how they look pre-primer.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Primed and first coat of UP Armour Yellow is on. One more coat of yellow should be good.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

UP Harbor Mist grey masked off and painted. White handrails done. Colors baked in and decals next!!


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

They look awesome to me! Well done. :appl:


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Thanks! Airbrushing is definitely the way to go. All the prep work for brass is such a pain in the arse but boy - what a nice finish. These are a huge improvement versus the shape I got them in.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Just got the red striping to do.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Forgive me for mentioning it, but there is something wrong with that Great Northern SD24.... The top of the short hood shouldn't be slanted like that....here is what it should look like:


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

I don't think super accuracy was their goal back when this thing was made.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Well, for what hey were priced at (even back then), it should have been accurate,,,,,,,


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Red striping on and gloss coat done.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

The Alco sd40 is done! Led lighting in both directions.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I didn't know ALCO made SD-40s... I thought that was all GM (E.M.D.).

- Dad


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Alco is just the importer of the model.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Last one done! New can motor and led lights.


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

That is some fantastic work there!!!!!!


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Thanks! This was a fun project actually. So much that I found a Tenshodo F9 setup that needs to be redone too.


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

Others have been critical of some Tenshodo brass locomotives for their inaccurate contours and body shapes. Another example was the shape of the "bulldog" noses of their E- or F-units. 
As sbeck80 notes, these models were built many years ago when brass locos were starting to be imported. Modelers then were probably glad to get factory painted brass locos, inaccuracies and all.
These are really looking nice after the work done on them; it was time well spent.


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## Northern Route (May 12, 2014)

sbeck80 said:


> I don't think super accuracy was their goal back when this thing was made.


I looked up pictures of the early SD24s that the Santa Fe purchased and they did have the top of the short hood slanted. The GP 20s also had the slant short hood.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Those really look super. Great work there. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Magic


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

Really great work. You might want to put some threads in the Detailing forum below that describe the techniques you used to strip paint, re-motor, etc... I'm sure many would enjoy those threads (like me ).


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Thanks! I'm working on another neglected Tenshodo that I'll take more pics of and post too. Needs the works as well - new motor, lights, paint, etc.


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

Looking forward to seeing that thread on the Tenshodo overhaul.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

I'll post pics soon. I just started the disassembly and will be stripping it next.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

It has begun. Old Tenshodo F3 unit. Nasty original paint and dead motor. 
I used a bath of denatured alcohol to loosen the crud then into the blast cabinet with baking soda to remove the rest.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Ready for primer.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Primed and Painted Armour yellow


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Also worked on the guts. 
Went from this - with an odd setup - the motor was attached to the truck through a (broken) piece of plastic that allowed the whole setup to pivot:















To this: 
New can motor, and universals. Thanks to dannierandomstate and his box of unused parts, he sent me a new truck with tower gears. I'm using that to transfer the power from the motor to the trucks underneath.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

UP Harbor Mist sprayed on:


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Decals on.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Beautiful!!!


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Thanks! This was the original:


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

Very nice work, sbeck80. You've given them a new lease on life.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Thanks!
One more action shot. 
I can't put the numbers on it till I know the birthdate of boy #3, but that's fast approaching. T-4 weeks or so.


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

Boy #3 came, so engine #3 is done!


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

Congrats on boy #3. Nice job on the engine, too. Um, you do good work.


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## Northern Route (May 12, 2014)

I noticed on the original photo had an upper headlight housing on the A unit, but it is not on the finished model. Is there a reason for omitting the headlight housing. Just curious, nice work?


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## sbeck80 (May 14, 2012)

This is the first time I've noticed myself that it had a headlight housing. Must have been lost in the initial paint stripping process and was probably glues on. Bummer. Maybe I'll make a new one later.


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Nice work of restoring them. Looks great.


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