The Atlas HO Scale SD35 Locomotive Rebuild Series (Part 2) | Boomer Diorama ~ # 239

[@AndyDorsch]

Another great video! I have to admit when I got that locomotive 9 years ago I never stripped it down like that. Probably should have...

[@boomerdiorama]

Who ever owned it before you Andy must have dropped it. Why? Broken truck pin and wheel axle out-of-gauge on same truck corner like it was pushed in. All better now and running well. 😉

[@ralphrenzetti22]

Boomer for pointing out the importance of cleaning, I agreed 100% about cleaning trucks, gears, axles and universal’s, but as a result of doing a 42 N scale loco units for a customer, (remember I’m an HO guy). It made me re-think about cleaning each piece individually. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ and as a result have turned to using an ultrasonic cleaner with ultrasonic cleaning fluid and touch, a few drops, of ammonia to one cup. It works great and none of the chemicals will cause problems. Most cleaner heat up as they work and you can almost watch the grease drop to the bottom of the cleaner, leaving me to be able to do something else. I usually run a couple of cycles before removing the parts from the cleaner to dry. It even cleans the wheels, it’s a thing of beauty!

[@boomerdiorama]

Sounds good and whatever works for your economy. This is for me. In the past I only did this if requested. You have to give the client what they want.😉

[@RonStanek]

S-uper D-eatail 35 ! 🛠👍

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you. Cheers!

[@canoeingnav7618]

This video is a great reference to help this newbie with the first locomotive rebuild/refurbish.

[@boomerdiorama]

O. K. Thanks for sharing that. Cheers.

[@michaelimpey1407]

Boomer, great video, great lesson in how glue works, always need to remember the mechanical bond side of CA. Great tips on soldering, it is critical to get good solder joints, always. Great tip on turning your iron off after use, fire does no-one any good. Looking forward to the painting video, and how it comes up. Thank you for sharing, cheers, and stay safe, Michael

[@boomerdiorama]

Thanks 👍

[@DRCRailroard]

Great tutorial for serving HO. Thanks, It never occurred to me that HO was considered serviceable, and I do have several Ho locomotives sitting on a shelf. The reason Canadian SD locomotives only get 2 brake cylinders is so they can sell you guys more of them after the train wreck from all the slick icy rails😊. I think the old grease must have been the first formula for Red and Tacky, Black and Nasty. I read somewher, from either a Marx or lionel publication, that the maintenance-free O-gauge plastic gears are impregnated with silicone, so I use silicone spray lubricant on the old dried out looking gears of used locomotives I buy. I've also used Super Lube. It's a clear, multipurpose synthetic plastic safe greas. Ideally suited for plastic gears. It has excellent properties with an extreme operating temperature range of -45°F to +450°F. But then again, most of my gears are the size of HO wheels, so viscosity may be more of a factor, but it goes on and so far stays very pliable and is not sticky, yet stays in place. I found it at my local Ace Hardware store.

[@boomerdiorama]

Thanks for sharing!

[@derz-crackmodellbahnvideosinsp]

That will become a great unique refined model, as I like it also for my own painstakingly self pimped Z-scale locos, mate! ❤ Regards my dear friend and CHEERS, crazy Olli 😋

[@boomerdiorama]

Z-Scale = Swiss Watch. ;-) 😉

[@farmerdave7965]

You should only use rosin solder flux on electrical connections. Acid flux is for plumbing and will corrode electrical connections.

[@boomerdiorama]

Hogwash. ;-)

[@SD40Fan_Jason]

@farmerdave7965 some folks have to find out the hard way. Even then, they'll blame it on something else. Vibration in the chassis, or cheap wire, etc. Or maybe just inhaling too much leaded solder fumes over the years, who knows.

[@adriengadson3544]

I am cleaning and breaking down locomotives at this minute also. I pulled out my sd 35 I just received by atlas in N scale and the trucks are almost the same. They have 3 cylinders and need the rods and hose as I noticed when you noticed it. Also for the ditch lights I did that modification in N scale. I Center drilled styrene rod and glued the lights in. Then made the actual mounts on the engine with a piece of larger styrene tube. The rod slides in the tube and holds everything. This way I can always take the locomotive apart..I do this with led headlights and number boards in N scale too.

[@boomerdiorama]

Sounds good!

[@HartfordWhaler]

Very clever truck fix. I love those sorts of things.

[@boomerdiorama]

The broken truck was due to it being dropped by most likely the first owner . . . whoever that was. All better now though. ;-)

[@deanrowland2210]

As always Boomer, you deliver fantastic tips! Nothing like seeing a smooth running loco after the overhaul. Thanks for sharing! Cheers.

[@boomerdiorama]

Many thanks!

[@steves.922]

All in the details. Others may not see it, but you know what is there.

[@boomerdiorama]

It makes the locomotive unique as they are in the real world. You enjoy operating more.

[@allen-n4nn]

Excellent instructional video, Boomer! After melting a hole in an AC power cord and trying to melt another one in my hand, I fashioned a solder pencil holder from a wire coat hanger and a scrap piece of wood!

[@boomerdiorama]

Soldering Irons keep me alert at all times. I never leave the bench with one plugged in, even if it is just for a minute. Even if it has an auto-off feature I unplug it.

[@MotownModels]

Looking forward to the paint job on this thing! Great idea with the plastic strip along the chassis for attaching parts instead of attaching individually. And thanks for the shoutout!

[@boomerdiorama]

Thanks Tom! Cheers! ~ Boomer.😁👍

[@ainsleyperry5192]

Boomer, Starting to get a roll on with the loco now. It's nice to see. Cheers, Chris Perry.

[@boomerdiorama]

It's nice to build at least one a year . . . lol.

[@deanmeyer7887]

My biggest problem is I use to much grease. Thanks boomer for helping me be a better modeler.

[@boomerdiorama]

We all use too much grease at times. It took me years to reduce the amount of adhesive I use on models and I still think about it . . . lol.

[@vincenthuying98]

Dear Boomer, another great vid! Do recognize that sticky grease issue. Cool to see your take on gear cleaning, reassembly and lubricating with the correct stuff. On the ditch lights connection; don’t know if you have the space, but might it be an idea to put a connector on each side with the two lights on that side paired. That may make this job a little easier. Cheerio

[@boomerdiorama]

Thanks for sharing!

[@bobhastings6464]

Hey Boomer That was a great video! I have an S2 that I was just about to tear apart and that just gave me the incentive that I need Cheers Bob

[@boomerdiorama]

Go for it!

[@jeffvandergraff2574]

I use a small milling machine to make slots for ditch light wires...or other mods. Building locomotives is one of my favorite things about the hobby. Since the invention of DCC ..they sky is the limit for light affects.

[@boomerdiorama]

Lighting options are cool for sure.

[@patmccarthy1624]

Ok, Boomer! Let's get to the next part! Quick; I can't wait! This is another master class in refreshing and detailing a power unit. You have missed nothing! Thanks, again for a great tutorial!

[@boomerdiorama]

Next Sunday is Part 3. The following is Part 4. 😉 Cheers!

[@205004gs]

Great as always Boomer and I learned some very valuable soldering trips as well. I can work on HO scale engines fine, but I can't imagine trying to rebuild and engine, at almost 70, with all that detail, in N scale. LOL and most definitely looking forward to part 3 next week. Cheers

[@boomerdiorama]

Imagine trying to do this in "Z" Scale . . . lol.

[@derz-crackmodellbahnvideosinsp]

​For me: "PURE CHALLENGE and JOY!" ... microchirurgie, LOVE IT...lol 😊

[@herrkiwi3110]

I'm busy adding LED's to a early Marklin locomotive, like you say it's not easy but for certain models it is worth it. A personal battle and sometimes a struggle but that's what makes the end product so rewarding.

[@boomerdiorama]

Exactly! Every locomotive is a personal battle.

[@TomStarcevich-fb3qo]

You would be good at assembling fishing reels same gears ⚙️ and grease 😄🐟🎣

[@boomerdiorama]

Maybe I should lube up my reals this spring now that you mention it. ;-)

[@mattw9667]

WRT pilot mounted ditchlights, the first time i did them I milled the chassis. From that point on, I have used LEDs with magnet wire. The wire is so thin you don't have to mill anything. I find pilot mounts much easier than those mounted above.

[@boomerdiorama]

I don't like "Magnet" wire so it's not a solution for me. 😉Cheers.

[@Vman7757]

Thanks for sharing. @ 9:30 I use brass or copper foil cut into strips on my n scale ditch lights. It's thin, You can paint it to seal it, you can solder to it. but most important. You can tuck it into spaces where wire will not fit.

[@boomerdiorama]

Great idea! Thanks for sharing that. Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@MyFingerLakesRailwayLayout]

Very impressive. I used to think you were just an artistic scenery guy, cause you were so good at it. Now I see you're equally as good with the mechanics. 😲

[@boomerdiorama]

The whole hobby is very engaging, This is why I love it so much. ;-)

[@stevenlitkey9354]

Great vid as always Booms !! Metric !! Ohhhh how I wish this backwards , arrogant country would’ve adopted metric a long long time ago 😢😢. So much easier when you’re laying out, scratch building, and fabricating. I’m 68yo and have learned to force myself to use metric as much as I can. The CAD programs I use are metric by default. The 3d printers I use, both fdm & resin are metric by default. Why ohhhh why are we saddled with this archaic inch system 😩😩😩

[@pgronemeier]

Because we're AMERICANS! I'm in my 60's too. I remermber in the 1970's the 'powers that be' trying very hard to FORCE us into metric. Thank God they failed. I say I'm 6 feet tall 👍NOT 1.8288 meters. 🤮

[@boomerdiorama]

Yeah. The standard measurement system is fail for small scales. I still think in Imperial for the most part as I deal with the real world though. Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@FHollis-gw4cc]

I sure do admire the lengths to go to in creating this masterpiece! I've been working with these Atlas/Kato drives since they came out in the early 80s. You are absolutely correct in your rebuilding of the drives, but I have two observations, if I may. The first thing is that little thrust washer at the end of the worm gear at the top of the gear tower. The closer you can come to zero end play, the better the locomotive will start and stop. Of course you don't want *ANY* drag! None!. I custom size the washers on my models to allow just about .001" end play. (not sure what that is in your measurement system :-) ) The other is to ensure you use electrically conductive oil on the axle ends where they contact the brass parts you called wipers. Atlas sells small bottles of this lube. Works extremely well! Not sure if the LaBelle oil is conductive, (I'll have to test it) but it will solve a lot of problems if used. Watching your locomotives perform in these videos, I believe you already know all this, but you didn't mention it, so I did. Now, I'm going to have to wait a whole week to see the paint job! I just know I won't have any comments to make on that one! Bart

[@boomerdiorama]

Thanks for sharing the tune up tips. I appreciate it. Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@mikedurhan9941]

So educational. Thank you.

[@boomerdiorama]

Awesome! Thank you. Cheers ~ Boomer.😁

[@rustysteel2879]

Another great video, like watching you do your thing, I've learnt a lot and use some off your tips n tricks. At the start of 0.38, you used a nippers to cut the rod, I've been trying to find some for myself but can not find them anywhere. What are they called so I might find the right ones. Thanks for your work, and as always keep up the great work 👍

[@boomerdiorama]

Call up Intercity Trains & Hobbies (Google Search) inLanbley, Canada. They have them there from Micro Mark. Ask for the "Nippers" for small parts. ;-)

[@wapatocreekrail]

Great video. How about a short operations video with the finished loco? Would make a good series closer.😊

[@boomerdiorama]

Great idea. Although IPEX Plastics is not finished. 😉

[@luisvarela9096]

Excellent modelling. Perhaps you are familiar with Mr. Bob Harpe another excellent modeler who unfortunately has just passed away. Some years ago he produced a tutorial on building a Southern Railway SD35 using an Atlas unit. Your attention to detail reminded me of that project and Mr. Harpes precise modelling. Kudos to craftsmanship. Glad to hear Dusty is recovering. Cheers

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you for the encouraging words. I wish I had more time to do this type of work. Unfortunately, building a layout at this level of details gobbles up most of the time. Dusty is doing well now that I have her diet figured out. It will be nice to get her back into the layout room. ;-)

[@ericp-ow1eq]

Another great video, digging into a locomotive is intimidating! I guess I should start messing with some of my old ones to see if I can get them working!

[@boomerdiorama]

You should!

[@mikecroper8422]

As always... superb attention to detail. That weird pipe pushing in under the "break bar" (which I think you're right about). Is that for sand/grit to the wheels and track for icy days?

[@boomerdiorama]

Yes.

[@allenlandis4504]

another great show. learning a lot, thank you very much.

[@boomerdiorama]

Cheers!

[@jesselomas8626]

Once again a solid tutorial! TY,, as always...

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you!

[@keithdenner9441]

Great video Boomer! Fantastic detailing!

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you!

[@10gaDragonsBreath]

The Atlas Kado diesels in my opinion are superior over the Athearn offerings. Details smoothest running drive train motor just a better thought out complete design . . . Oh sure the lastest Athearn offerings are several cutts above their older offerings but that smooth realistic creep speed of the Atlas Kato is still a hard one to beat . . . I've just purchased a Ripido Montreal Locomotive Works M420 with DCC and sound on evilbay that will be in my hands Monday noon can not wait to get it re-stenciled re-decaled into my Mingo Junction Northern steel road with thin black stripes on the big ol yellow nose and yellow Mingo Junction Northern on the long hood. I would like to use the blue & white Montana Rail Link diesels close to what your using just cause you've made yours look so real on your picture perfect shelf layout. I've stayed mostly in the dirty grungy steel road colors because flashy good looking paint schemes don't really fit rubbing up next to a dirty blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace or electric furnaces . . . that's my take anyhow lol but I've decided to do something like your glover road with a little stretch to it allowing more switching. It'll be Mingo Junction with inter-city floor mills a catapiller scraper & bulldozer manufacturer that requires daily movements of hot metal cars to pour into their in-house hot metal ladles for the production of the larger than life steel castings used for building the frames and stuff. A liquid slufer plant a cold storage warehouse something like you built for your Glover Road and a few more plants to make putting together a switching plan for all the good freight cars out there today. Watching your videos helped me get over the fear of ruining such nice models lol . . . Cheers Boomer . . . Cheers Bud

[@boomerdiorama]

Those M420's are beautiful. I almost bought the pair of BCR ones. I chose the Dash-8 40CM to go with my (in progress) Kato Dash 9 build. ;-) I believe Rapido and Atlas are going to release SRY Rail Link paint jobs soon. I watched a great video of some steel mill switchers . . . and yes indeed, they were dirty. ;-) Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@10gaDragonsBreath]

@@boomerdiorama Boy them coming out with SRY Rail Link Paint Scheme would be way cool 😎 . . . Everyone of your loco's is the same stuff I like as far as loco's go. The EMD SD35 has always been a favorite of mine. Your purity lucky to have the SRY Rail Link right outside your window, makes the modeling of the prototype way easier than just pulling pictures off the net to use. Out here in Wichita Kansas we've got a few short lines with average paint schemes and the almighty Union Pacific runs right though town but I've not grabbed hold of the yellow & gray paint scheme yet. All the cool paint schemes I like aren't anywhere close to steel mill central, the Denver Rio Grand Western run though the middle of the rockies but no where close to a steel mill lol . . . Bitch Bitch Bitch right lol lol . . . The Pittsburgh Lake Erie and the Pittsburgh Industrial Railroad runs smack dab right down the middle of the steel belt so I'm freelancing them along with Eaton Steel Works as my steel mill with a freelanced Mingo Junction Northern all just plain paint schemes nothing real shiny or flashy. I was raised in a small town with the yellow & blue Santa Fe era of locomotives but the Santa Fe is just a regular commodities hauler not really a specialized local industry carrier like I like to portray kinda like you've done with your Glover Road and River Road. I love this little hobby lol . . . There's so much to do, it's like you said, a person can work on it for years and still pull enjoyment out of it. I'll let you go as always I can go on and on bout all this stuff lol . . . Laters Boomer

[@brianr5461]

Super video. Amazing info. Thanks.

[@boomerdiorama]

Cheers!

[@bssniper1975]

incredible detail, Thank you again for sharing, always an inspiration. I hope you don't mind me asking but do you get your decals custom made?

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you. Sometimes I do but these are all available from Micro Scale.

[@bssniper1975]

@@boomerdiorama thank you. Always love watching your videos Boomer

[@politicsandtrains]

What do you find as the best glue, I find some plastics used in building kits, glue wont hold to, have been trying to build a roundtable kit and nothing will glue to it?? Any thoughts.?

[@boomerdiorama]

I use Plastruct Plastic Weld. You can also try Tamiya Cement which works awesome, but it does have a strong odor. I use the former because I can tolerate the mild odor more.

[@julieswanson3212]

Great video how is Dusty doing we have not see her in videos

[@boomerdiorama]

She is getting better. She was down for awhile. Turns out she had a severe allergies to her favorite salmon treats. Soon!

[@julieswanson3212]

@@boomerdiorama So glad she's better and you figured out why. We had a cat that loved salmon. He would actually try to take it away from me while I was eating. That was 3 cats ago and sometimes I still miss him.

[@danielfantino1714]

Really interesting and educative tricks. Thanks Boomer. May i ask you news about Dusty state. Just hope the best for her.

[@boomerdiorama]

She is doing good. All the tests came out good. It was perplexing but when I stopped her favorite treats the whole issue cleared up. Turns out she must be allergic to salmon - her favorite food. She isn't taking it well but she has bounced back remarkably. Just like her usual self. Good news indeed!

[@danielfantino1714]

@@boomerdiorama good news ? You bet !!! My oldest one is now 21 years almost 7 months. He have renal issue since years. Special diet. He´s fine for its more than century old. Ear well, slight fog in eyes and tired angles (hete too glucosamine pill). He´s a real sleeper. When he looks me, i know. Means food. Happy for Dusty I swear not to send her salmon for her birthday party. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@charlierumsfeld6626]

Thanks. Is Dusty OK? Haven't seen him lately. 😀

[@thisoldgoat3927]

Dusty is a her.

[@boomerdiorama]

She is recovering well. Thanks for asking!

[@Christiane069]

Excellent video again. However, as I mentioned last time you do not show how you manage to cut perfect circle for the top vent,. I have an extra shell that I am willing to sacrifice to learn how to do it. Not sure how without damaging the shell.

[@boomerdiorama]

Paint it white. Draft a circle with a penny or dime, or whatever. Drill out to the line, then file to size and drop in fan.

[@Christiane069]

What do you do with the existing build in fan like many models have, some have different sizes too like GP 35? You have to drill through the fan? Maybe a forstner (finish carpenter bit) bit a very low speed?

[@ShroomyEntertainment]

Where did you buy the labelle grease from?

[@boomerdiorama]

Intercity Trains & Hobbies. Every Model Railroad store should stock it.

[@ShroomyEntertainment]

@@boomerdiorama thank you!

[@yrunaked4]

Boomer, the Trucks from the model look to be Flexicoil C1 type. The ones on the Prototype look to be Flexicoil C2H type. There were 6 different types. There were also 4 different ways the brake cylinders were mounted as well. The original model C1 type would have been most likely a earlier SD35. I have seen the air hose routed like that on Roadrailer trucks. It dont appear to be touching any moving parts but you would think vibration would lead to abrasion over time. Disclaimer: I am not a locomotive mechanic or engineer and this is not locomotive advice. Always consult with a professional. Cheers Rob

[@boomerdiorama]

I wondered about the hose as well. If it's air vent than maybe it doesn't matter. Although there are moving brake rods there. Cheers.

[@RonStanek]

Boomer, you were going to put lighting in the Corsair tug boat build, weren't you?

[@boomerdiorama]

That is the plan when it makes it to my bench.

[@chabsyt4367]

Hey Boomer - Hope you are doing well. When can we expect the Duncan Way buried track video to be released? 😊 Thank you for your dedication and relentless passion! Truly inspiring in so many ways than you'd think!

[@boomerdiorama]

I'm working on it. Everything is on a production schedule that is not always chronological due to time constraints and hectic post production, etc. Episodes publish as the content unfolds when I find time to eat and sleep. ;-) Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@goetzhasselberg4198]

I'm a fan of your videos, I really am. It's amazing what you do with color and knife. But watching you solder makes me shiver. We're not back in the 80's where soldering iron tips were made of copper. Never, and I mean never use flux for soldering electical connections! You're not soldering copper tubes! And even more so, don't put the tip of your soldering iron into the flux. These fumes are really not healthy. So please, get yourself a modern soldering iron (I mean, younger than 30 years) and a roll of electronics solder with integrated flux. Get some good old 40/60, not the lead-free stuff, because it's easier to tell by the shinyness if it's a good connection or not. To solder some wire to copper like in this video, you don't need more than that. To clean the tip a wet sponge or something like that will do. Soldering is not glueing or throwing hot metal onto wire, it's about letting the solder flow while the parts to be connected are heat up by the soldering iron. Maybe have a look at this week's video of Chadwick Model Railway. Charly ist not the best solderer on the planet but his technique is ok. If I recall it right, he did a video on soldering sometime last year where he shows the stuff that's needed and how to use it.

[@boomerdiorama]

Out of respect for all the subscribers, If you are going to leave a wall of text I simply do not have time to read it . . Sorry. Furthermore, we will have to agree to disagree on the soldering. I clean all my solder joints with IPA (after using flux), the same way commercial PC board manufacturers' do it. But thanks for sharing. Cheers.😁

[@goetzhasselberg4198]

@@boomerdioramaFirst of all I didn't want to offend you 😇. You're so good at all the other tools you use, why not get better at this one? I am an electronics engineer for 30 years now and if there's one thing I could teach you than it's how to solder wire. Really sad that there's that big pond between us. Anyway, I've got to watch some of your videos tonight, I guess I'm two episodes behind. All the best from the old world. Cheers. 🙃

[@nomo69ss25]

Aye, packed in Cosmoline ya say? 🤣🤣🫡✌️

[@boomerdiorama]

Cheers.