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Major reworking of the Kato pilot to get the right look, and I even narrowed it to handle the
new Kadee #78 scale size draft gear. The gap below is correct for my particular prototype -
many EMD locos have an opening below the coupler, some are wide open with no connection at
all, like the Athearn "gap tooth" pilot always considered to be "wrong".
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Unfortunately I didn't catch the stepwell thing here. All N&W SD45s have high step pilots, and all
SD45 models done so far - including the Kato and Proto 2000 - have low steps. I didn't change them on
this model. Yet.
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Close-up of trade-mark Kato coupler-buffer. Durable, but ugly. Broadway Limited's new SD40-2 has the
same buffer plate. Gee, I wonder why?
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Comparison of stock Kato dustbin hatch and exhaust stack to Cannon parts.
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Super close-ups of the modified pilot. Are you asleep yet?
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A-Line's Kato steps (for SD40) fit perfectly. But they'll have to be relocated if I decide to change this
to a high-step pilot.
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Obsolete! Obsolete! The old way of holding fan blades up for the Detail Associates/Bannafans.
This loco will get Cannon fans.
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About as good a photo as I can grab with the digital that takes in the whole loco.
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You can see the modified Kato chassis here, which wound up being reworked a bit (I-beams were not
straight, so I re-did them) and the trucks converted to triple clasp. Look at the section on 1804.
This prototype, 1721, has the low-brake cylinders so the stock Kato trucks will work.
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Oh what a dip I am. I stuck all these Atlas stanchions on here completely forgetting the fact that
Kato SD45s have the locating holes in the blower duct instead of on the sill- result, the stanchions are
all too high. Way too high.
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At least it's a short-duct walkway, which is correct. Blind luck only, I wasn't aware of the different
lengths when I started this model.
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A good look at that lovely Cannon air reservoir. The Kato walkway has to be shimmed just a bit to make the
tank hang in the right place.
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Factory stock Kato diamond-grill radiators. Not bad really. I may just leave them alone - they are
correct for this model.
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Added footboards and train line to the long hood end.
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A look at the chassis modifications. I wasn't really satisfied with this and reworked it further
before using this frame on the 1804.
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More close looks at the air reservoirs.
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