Build Your Own GP20; 2017

The issue as always are the placement of the can motors. MTH sacrifices length of the short hood to make it work.

Now I wish I didn't get rid of my GP20...

Should easy to find at a train show.  attached are pics. no science here.

Just a heads up that is a GP38 and the short hood is a different style than a GP20

Your right. Their was a reason I didn't use that shell. Funny thing is the nose has a distinct slope in it.  Maybe with modes?  Another thing to remember is that the SD24 is bigger then the GP20. The low hood nose is similar to the GP20 in designed but not the same. In fact now that I am looking at it, the conversion will be easier with less cutting..   

I'm not sure about that. The story on the ATSF units was they used GP20 cabs and short hoods on their units. Here's a pretty good profile photo of an ATSF unit and the slope on the short hood is pretty pronounced.

Now, while we're on the subject of cosmetic surgery on SD24's, has anyone thought of doing an SD26? ATSF rebuilt their SD24's when they started having problems, upgrading the diesels from the 567 to the 645, replacing the electrical and upgrading the air filtration system. Notice the relocated air tanks and the "hump" behind the cab.

One thing wrong with the Lionel GP20 nose is thatit is sloped all the way from the tip, where as the real noses don't start the rise until after the sand fill cap. Here's a shot of the nose from a GP18 And a 20.  

Don't be so nosey...

Hot Water, I calculate the short hood to be 62.5" tall at the nose, and a 5.55 degree slope on the hood; does this sound correct?

??

I really had no idea, and don't have any drawings of the GP20 low short hood in my collection. Maybe you could contact the Western Pacific Museum, out in Portola, California, as they have a beautiful, fully restored & functional WP GP20. Maybe someone there could photograph and measure the front nose.

Thanks...

Anyone have ideas on a fuel tank?

I was looking at drawings last last night. From the way it looks is they essentially cut the high nose down. Same as GP20 level and then angles up after the sand dome. Cab is the same as the GP20 only without the high nose. I may have found an easier route. The MTH SD24 shell dissembles into three sections.Cab, Nose, and lower body panels. use a wire saw to remove the top section of thigh nose. The draw a line with the angle and use the wire saw to cut again.  Mario could do the same thing with the nose from the GP. or he could use his printer. 

The Western Pacific GP20 at Portola is a high nose.  The MPC GP20 has a lot of slope to it and is longer than the MTH version.  Firemanchris was making a low nose GP18 and has some ideas in his thread.  I searched GP18 to find it.

I remember the SVC board. 

I really had no idea, and don't have any drawings of the GP20 low short hood in my collection. Maybe you could contact the Western Pacific Museum, out in Portola, California, as they have a beautiful, fully restored & functional WP GP20. Maybe someone there could photograph and measure the front nose.

The WP GP20's had high short hoods. Link.   GN's GP20's did, too, and were operated long-hood-forward; most of these had their short hoods "chopped" and were converted to short-hood-forward operation by BN.

I am prepping the nose for a reduction (nose job?)... and the Lionel shell is in 3 pieces as well...

I saw that too researching GN GP20s. It looks like the same nose as the GP 9. 

Oh well. Thanks, as I didn't remember that the WP units had the high short hood, sorry.

Here are some pictures of the assembled nose...

If anyone would like a O scale-sized drawing like the one I use, just print the attached full sized on an 11"x17" sheet, or let me know and I could mail you one.

Thanks,

Mario

Looks good. Once the kids are back in school next week, I will be starting on the SD24. How did you scale down the drawing?