Nostalgia & History > sbd sdp35 questions.

i have a undecorated atlas sdp35 model that im planning to do in the family lines paint scheme my question is what did the railroad do to the steam generator secition. the pictures ive seen they removed the whole section in general. how big of a sin would it be to not do what the railroad did and just patch over the steam gen section.

and can someone post some good pictures of them in action

From memory,
Some of the units had the SG removed and the rear end rebuilt as a square end (altho,shorter)and the steps rebuilt as well.
In other words they almost looked like regular SD units.


Uncle Joe-Seffner,Fl.

The L&N SDP35s were never used in passenger train service. After the units were ordered from EMD they got a very good deal on used SLSF E units. The SDP35's of the L&N never had steam generators installed. This I learned from Ron Flanary at a summerail in 2010. AS for The units from SAL, I have no clue.

Sneebly

Sneebly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The L&N SDP35s were never used in passenger train
> service. After the units were ordered from EMD
> they got a very good deal on used SLSF E units.
> The SDP35's of the L&N never had steam generators
> installed. This I learned from Ron Flanary at a
> summerail in 2010. AS for The units from SAL, I
> have no clue.
>
> Sneebly


Sneebly, Seaboard Air Line used SDP35's both in passenger and freight. They were used on Palmland and the Silver Comet for passenger service. As for freight, they were used on TT23 until newer GP40's arrived in May/June 1966. Many were rebuilt into H15's 1977-78 for hump yard service. Yes, you are right when then rear hoods were shorten to 42 inches.

redneck4449 Wrote:

> i have a undecorated atlas sdp35 model that im
> planning to do in the family lines paint scheme my
> question is what did the railroad do to the steam
> generator secition. the pictures ive seen they
> removed the whole section in general. how big of a
> sin would it be to not do what the railroad did
> and just patch over the steam gen section.

These units in Family Lines paint appear to have the steam generator section intact, only without the bulge:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1705358
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1708013
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1708015
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1196206
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1196208

Well, you've got me pawing through yellow boxes! I can tell you that they didn't start chopping the ends until around 1979 (discounting the H15's). I know I don't have an unchopped SDP35 in FLS paint, but I remember one, which ended up as SBD 4537, that had a different shade of gray on the rear section. This makes me think she probably got Family Lines paint prior to the rear end modification. South Louisville was doing Family Lines paint jobs in full swing in 1978, so I don't think you are "sinning" at all. It may or may not have happened on an original L&N unit (of which the aforementioned 4537 was one), but I bet one of the SAL units that went to L&N got FLS paint before being chopped.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/11 20:25 by SCL1517.

SCL1517 Wrote:

> I can tell you that they didn't start chopping the
> ends until around 1979 (discounting the H15's). I
> know I don't have an unchopped SDP35 in FLS paint,
> but I remember one, which ended up as SBD 4537,
> that had a different shade of gray on the rear
> section. This makes me think she probably got
> Family Lines paint prior to the rear end
> modification.

The 4545 was also two-tone after chopping: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1436676

From my collection, 1222 at Corbin, KY 6-80 by Lon Coone. I file this as L&N due to the marks on the cab. Those in FL paint with no reporting marks I class as FL.
Each to their own way.

Keith A

---

Sneebly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The L&N SDP35s were never used in passenger train
> service. After the units were ordered from EMD
> they got a very good deal on used SLSF E units.
> The SDP35's of the L&N never had steam generators
> installed. This I learned from Ron Flanary at a
> summerail in 2010. AS for The units from SAL, I
> have no clue.
>
> Sneebly

I thought the L&N bought SDP's to have the additional space to install early DPU hardware [ some of it experimental, like the strain gage stuff ] -- or was it the other way round, EMD got a change order from L&N [ which would probably have changed a lot of things, such as gear ratios, signal line deletion, fuel tank, etc etc ] and L&N used these because they then had the room ?

Best, SZ