Model Railroading > Dressing up a pair of Amtrak Phase V DASH 8-32BHWs

Back in September of 2008, Atlas Model Railroad Co. released a 4th run of their HO scale Dash-8s, including several numbers dressed and detailed for Amtrak's contemporary silver and blue "Phase V" scheme. At the time I was fortunate enough to purchase a pair of the non sound units to spice up my small Amtrak P42 fleet from Athearn. Over the years though I really never got around to tearing the units apart to clean them up and detail them out even more than the factory Atlas Master Silver Series models already represented. Well, the past three or four weeks I've been doing just that, details, details, details. I did not go all out crazy on these, ripping out the end steps for see through etched parts for one... I know there are still several inaccuracies. But I believe did accomplish a fair amount of customization to set these two GEs apart from the rest, to meet my personal liking.

Scouring the multitudes of roster and detail photos available online from the numerous Amtrak rail-fans and internet photogs out there made the process surprisingly easy and efficient. There have been several noticeable changes and modifications undertaken though over the past 8-9+ years that these units have been painted in Phase V. Seems each Amtrak Dash-8 has become slightly different over time, kinda each got their own character. For example, PTC antennas have appeared more recently in different places on the cab roofs. Grab irons on the noses show different paint patterns, some with white centers, some all blue. Amtrak 517 was fitted with these trapezoidal boxes on either side of the front number boards at some point in the past, not sure why, or what's under there. Attempting to reproduce some of these changes was both challenging and fun though.

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Listed below, some of the more obvious changes and additional details added to each unit...

• Details Associates I-bolts added to the upper corners of the long hoods, just behind the cab.
• 40 LPI (link per inch) chain attached with Details Associates wire I-bolts for the rear truck brake chains.
• PTC antennas made out of styrene bits and modified Details Associates cut lever brackets.
• Hi-Tech Details mini GPS domes added atop each long hood.
• Hi-Tech Details Dash-8 exhausts and housings replacing the kinda awkward Atlas parts.
• Hi-Tech Details rubber air hoses added parallel to the Atlas train-line hoses.
• Details West cab mirrors added to next each forward side window.
• Details West brass K5LA horns replacing the Atlas plastic.
• Details West MU receptacles added to the front and rear pilots.
• Details West spare knuckle brackets added to the trucks (front on 517, rear on 508).
• Details West Sinclair antennas added along long hoods.
• Atlas cut levers trimmed and modified to more accurately match the prototypes.
• Atlas sand filler hatches trimmed off and moved to extreme corners of noses, per prototype.
• Atlas side window shades removed and filled in, per prototype.
• Lower front pilot steps painted yellow, per prototype.
• Dummy rear ditch-lights added to rear pilots, (salvaged ditch-light parts from Kato model, MV jewel lenses attached.
• Kadee #153 short-shank whisker couplers added front and rear.

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Model weathering was a combination of multiple passes here and there with Testors weathering paint pens in a variety of dirty/earthy colors. Then touch up work with watered down acrylic washes, again in a variety of dark brown to black, earthy colors. I made attempts to keep the weathering noticeably different on each unit. Seems these Dash-8s became locked in semi-captive service at the various Amtrak terminals nation wide for years at a time. The final pieces were then sealed with Testors dullcote spray.

The Amtrak Dash-8s seem to appear rather regularly pulling Amtrak's Coast Starlight trains up and down the west coast of the U.S.. So they should feel right at home pulling my 12 car Walthers Superliner Starlight consist around the club layout.

Pics also uploaded here...
http://www.pbase.com/mrmrl/misc_pix

Mr. MRL

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Stunning work!!! Great job!!!!!

Yes , Great work indeed !

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

Awesome work there.

Stanley Jackowski
Valrico, FL

Really good work! Well done!
Cooper

Looks great. Nice weathering on the units - makes them look like they've been worked hard.....

John Parker
Longmont, CO
BNSF Fall River Division

Excellent work!
Dave

awesome work weathering too just enough

Great work, and the weathering looks really good.

I need do this to my 3. What color blue did you use for touch up? I can't find anything close to that color blue which is why I haven't touched mine yet.
Matt

Excellent!

~RGDave

Very very very nice job.

Bob

Thanks for the words of encouragement folks!

Matt (Chestnut), I used Testors Model Master "Blue Angel Blue" (FS15050), an aircraft enamel paint. Its a near spot on match for the ever so slightly turquois(ish) blue seen on these Amtrak units. It may be about a half a tick too dark, but the tiniest amount of white mixed in, or weathering of the completed model, pretty much covered up any issues.

Mr. MRL

Very nice work!  Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the advice on paint. Need to work on mine now!

Wow, great work as always.  

Beautiful work! I think the trapezoids you describe next to the number boards are the remains of the strobe lights that these units shipped with. They were removed in different ways over the years, some more completely than others. Check out the picture of 517 in its Pepsi Can days to see what they originally looked like at http://www.thedieselshop.us/AMTRK-Pepsi.HTML

-Tim