Let's See Your Aristo-Craft E8's!!

[Chuck]

Don't see many pics posted of those great looking Aristo-Craft E8's!

Those big beautiful 1:29 scale wonders that Lewis had manufactured.

 

Over the years I've had several. I bought a pair of the Santa Fe Chromies when they first came out. Seen them when St. Aubin first got them in and bought a pair.

I bought 2 of the QSI Magnum sound decoders as those were plug and play. Added the Airwire GWire radio antenna cards and battery powered.

Took one back up to St. Aubin and demonstrated it to Jon the manager. That hooked him and shortly afterwards St. Aubin started carrying the QSI line.

 

Anyway I sold that pair to Ron Simpson? up by Fairbanks, Alaska. I had a undecorated one that can't remember where it went. I also had one that I stripped to paint and sold..or traded or something.

 

But now I have a SF painted version like new. This will be stripped and painted into UP yellow/ grey but lettered for The Milwaukee Road. Looking for another to mold then make B units from.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Screwy Nick]

Chuck, great pics of a great loco, I'm also big on 1:29.  I too have a pair of the chrome ones. Not a fan of Santa Fe, but just couldn't resist them.  I installed a Sierra sound system in one with speakers in both.  I ran them once and they have been shelf queens ever since.  LiG

 

[Rex Easterly]

I purchased this D&RGW E-8 a few years ago with plans to repaint it to Frisco.  I have put it off because it looks so good, as is.  I currently have too many projects, (Thanks to Chuck,)  so, I do not know if & when it will happen.

[Chuck]

Nick, The pair of chrome units I had did have wrinkled well maybe really cracked chrome finish on the sides.

 

Rex, That is a beauty! Yes it sometimes gets tough to strip a nice paint scheme.

 

I know of someone that has a pair of those purple and black ACL units.

 

Hopefully Bachmann will make extra motor trucks for use when/ if they make the Dash-9 later this year.

[Screwy Nick]

Chuck, I have herd about the chrome cracking, don't know what causes it.  I read some were even delivered with cracks.  Since mine haven't been moved since their only run they SO FAR don't show any. Maybe from handling or flexing?   Beautiful loco's even with cracks.  Were they actually covered in shiny metal? or was it an application of some kind? LiG

[Chuck]

Fantastic engines Nick!

 

Far as how they did that shiny finish, I think it's an actual metal applied. Reason I think this is back when I had a pair of Aristo RDC's those had same finish but dulled. I started painting a RDC in Amtrak colors. The car ends were painted red, white & blue. One end the original finish was bubbling. So I figured I'd strip the old finish off by blasting it. All that did was roughen it and not remove it. But where the finish was bubbling it started peeling it off. I stopped and took a good look and it was like tinfoil with a layer of copper under it. Reminded me of when chrome starts peeling. I guess it's really chrome plated plastic?

 

Ro has a SF Chromed PA ABBA set on display at the store with a sign saying "Not For Sale".

[Screwy Nick]

Chuck, I looked 'on line' and Chrome is sold in a spray can, would make some interesting cars.   

[Chuck]

Well I did it and stripped that SF E8 paint in the blast cabinet using Armex baking soda.

Kept track of time and cost of materials. Took 4 hours of actual blasting and includes about all the parts including fans, tanks, doors etc. Went thru a 40lb. bag of blast media and that stuff is up to at least $50. Still the best way I've found to strip paint as once I'm done that's it. No left over toxic chemicals to deal with. Just some backing soda dust. 

 

 

I leave the handrails on as easier to blast paint off.

This is interesting as shows how using baking soda leaves all the fine detail such as rivets.

  

[Chuck]

I primed everything with self etching grey in rattle can from Harbor Freight but guess didn't take any pics.

Anyway painting this for Milwaukee Road which is same paint colors and scheme as the Union Pacific. The Milwaukee got the contract to pull the UP passenger trains from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Chicago Union Station so Milwaukee painted most all the passenger trains and equipment to the UP scheme. 

 

Anyway after primer first color I applied was the red for the upper stripe. Red paint is leftover Tru-Color reds that I have which was SF & Chinese (CB&Q) mixed together.

Here I'm using 2mm tape as a spacer for the 3mm tape.

 

2mm tape removed.

  

 

 

After that I mixed up some dark grey for top of nose. UP used green but Milwaukee used grey. Researching online found sometimes the UP used grey and Milwaukee used green. Also see where Milwaukee used black. Also seen where the paint started above the bottom of windshields. Guess it was all up to what mood the painter was in that day. I used grey as that matches my USA PA units. 

Here I already sprayed grey then masked it out and shot Tru-Color UP Armour Yellow.

Tough to judge paint colors until clear coat is applied but close enough for me 

 

 

 

Next (today) is to mask out the yellow then spray Tru-Color Harbor Mist Grey to the roof, rear and lower skirting. 

 

[Screwy Nick]

Chuck, the loco looks great after blasting, baking soda? Like the stuff we cook with?   Not familiar with the system, how come you can only use it once?  Doing a great job, keep us posted. 

[Chuck]

Thanks Nick!

Yes the same baking soda just bigger grains and in fact made by Arm & Hammer which is now Armex. They used it to blast the Statue of Liberty years ago.

Can only use it once as it fractures and turns into dust. That's the beauty of it though as fractures so easy it doesn't remove any cast in detail like silica sand would. Downside is the dust created is very fine like talcum powder. That stuff goes everywhere. The 2" exhaust system I made for the blast cabinet first goes thru a cyclone to spin separate the dust and that sits on a 5 gallon bucket. A Shopvac powers it all and it has 2 filters in it. About every hour or so of use I have to stop and clean the cyclone as it starts choking as dust clings to the inside of hoses etc.

 

 Here's a link to Armex

[Chuck]

Well yesterday I basically "finished" painting the shell. Needs touchup but that's typical. I was "pushed" into finishing in one day because of the poor quality masking tape I chose to use. Soon as new paint was applied and after left to dry a few hours the tape started curling and lifting. That is not a good place to be so I pushed and finished in a rather long day.

What I did was mask out the yellow and spray grey on roof and lower skirting. The grey I used was Tru-Color Harbor Mist Grey but too me it appears way to "green" so I added 4ml black to 2oz. grey. I have some 12oz. HDPE plastic bottles that I use to mix paint in when tinting so that "batch" is consistent. I've always had trouble with color perception when greys and yellows are close together. I can take 2 MTH UP Challengers in the 2-tone grey paint scheme, one with white stripes and one with yellow stripes and to me the yellow striped one has greys that are "greener" even though I know they paint shades are the same. To me the Aristo grey that they used on both the UP Dash-9 and E8's looked green...almost dark olive green. Weird as that's the only colors I have problems with and only when in close proximity. 

 

I'm a bit surprised how well it actually turned out. I had to remove and reapply the upper red stripe tape as started coming lose. It's always a real battle to apply new tape perfectly in the same spot but somehow I did it.

 

 

 

 

 

The paint "flash" left over leaving the rough edge after removing tape is easily removed by running my thumbnail over it the next day...go figure??!!

The rough surface as shown in pics is actually a result from both blasting and the plastics natural surface. Plastic isn't mirror smooth when in the raw as when comes out of the injection machines unless a lot of time was spent smoothing the mold interior. Manufacturers "hide" it by using flat paints and the clear coating in either semi-gloss or matte/ dull.

 

Oh here's the masking tape to avoid using at all costs! I did like the wide assortment of widths but this stuff is crap. I'm ordering in a whole assortment of Tamiya tape as I never had lifting problems with it.

 

Amazon Crap Tape

[Screwy Nick]

Thank you for explaining about the Backing Soda.  LOOKS GREAT.  

[Chuck]

Got a little more done.

Kick panels painted silver.

 

 

 

All parts painted yellow.

 

 

Parts painted grey. Note I'm installing bigger speaker in fuel tank instead of small roof mounted as oem.

 

 

[Screwy Nick]

The beauty is in the details, and you've got a lot of them.  A true craftsman.   

[Dash 8]

Hi Chuck, looks good, I have some UP Diesel, that looks the same, very good.

Regards
Jan

[Chuck]

On 9/20/2021 at 4:42 AM, Screwy Nick said:

The beauty is in the details, and you've got a lot of them.  A true craftsman.   

 

Thanks Nick and yes sir...that final 10% of detail takes 90% of the time it seems.

[Chuck]

Thanks Jan!

[Chuck]

Well not much accomplished on this E8 as waiting on decal paper to arrive.

So I clear coated a bunch of parts the assembled the doors by installing the windows and hinges. Then assembled fans.

 

 

Made up the artwork for decals using Word. Font style is the Union Pacific's City Of. Found online for free years ago.

Red with black outline. I couldn't find much info so just used some pictures to help that I found online.

Like this one.

 

Mine are a bit bigger and bolder...artistic license so can see them better as felt the 1:1 lettering scaled down would be to dainty.

 

 

 

[Rex Easterly]

Chuck,  Your E8 looks great.   I have just finished four USA Trains Custom Painted Texas Special Cars.  I am waiting for parts for the Observation Car which will be the fifth in the set.  The Cars have been updated with LED Lights and CamPac Coupler conversions.

 

 

[Sean]

Very nice Rex.... and Chuck of course ..

[Chuck]

Yes Rex very nice! Are you using the rounded boat tail observation car??

[PAZGRR7315]

ALL of you, awesome work...!

 

[Rex Easterly]

Yes, Chuck, I just received door on Left with Square Drumhead from Charles Ro to replace the original Santa Fe with round drumhead.  I also attached a photos for reference and work in progress.

 

 

[Chuck]

Rex, That car will be great when you're finished! Would you believe I'm working on same car but UP version? I'm working on tail end changing markers and drumhead lights to Led's. I got my parts in from Ro today as well. Well all it was is Led lighting board and rear side steps. I usually convert the incandescent lighting board over to Led's but I have some of the new cars and want lighting to match.

 

Great on the boat tail car. I recently found a used UP boat tail car and bought it. After I opened it up I realized that it's the very car that I sold some 10 years ago! I had a squared off blunt end car and sold it. Passenger trains just have to have the rounded boat tail car!