my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

For a D&RGW SD50, circa 1988, the 'Bill of Materials' listed in the article below, would be an excellent starting point, with the addition of these 'today' parts.

The Model Railroader Jan. 1992, page 88 - Detailing a RPP SD60 as D&RGW SD50, is a good place to start, but as said previously, a lot of new parts and kits have come onto the market, since that was written. The SD60 body (which can be bought with or without a chassis), will also fit on an Athearn SD40T-2 Tunnel Motor chassis, and I guess there's an Overland drive that would probably work.

Athearn has released a RTR SD50 in their Genesis line, so all this might just be redundant...

Gordon Cannon of Cannon & Co. continues to come out with EMD detail kits, and the Rail Power Products shell can really be gutted, so as to fit finer parts.

Cannon & Co.

• 1102 - Toilet hatch
• 1104 - 88" nose
• 1153 - Long hood end
• 1204 - Chessie 'mailslot' battery box doors
• 1305 - Inertial Filter Screen - maybe?
• 1359 - SD50 Inertial filter hatch
• 1501 - thin wall cab
• 1601 - 50 series Blower Housing
• Hood doors to taste eg. 1009.

Detail Associates:

• 2007 - 52" Dynamic fan
• 2008 - 'Q' fans or PIA-156
• 3515 - 60 series sideframes.

Details West:

• 214 - EOT Antenna or similar.

Handrails and stanchions to taste.

From studying photo's, it would appear the anti-climber is more of a 'pointed' shape, similar to Athearn's GP50 style.

Microscale Decals:

For an DRGW unit sheet 87-28.

For an SP Speed Lettered unit:

All the above, except:

• Fill in the rear numberboards, and slice of the rear marker lights or
• Change the C&C 1153 for an 1154 Long hood end, not sure of the changes made.
• Delete the DW 138 nose gyralite
• Move the horns to the back of the long hood
• Fit ditchlights

And you can of course add as many fiddly bits as you want, eg. window wipers, etched steps etc.

Microscale Decals:

For the Speed Lettering, 87-857 as this includes the DRGW sub-lettering,
for the Red Wings, either short ones from 87-447, or maybe a set from 87-617.