So were going to do a little prepping for the next section. Take the Cannon kit and remove the front window panel from its tree. Next cut 2 pieces of strip styrene .030x.030 x.415 long. Then cut 2 pieces of strip styrene .030x.100 x.825 long for the cab extensions.


Now, you should have noticed in my last pic of the cab, I had already cut away the center window. I made this cut on the inside of the outer edge of the window. Looking at the pic, you can see how the window cut is made.


This will leave a nice base for the cab extension to be glued to. Now take the 2 pieces of .030x.030 styrene that you cut and attach them to the Kato cab. I use liquid cement to bond these strips and allow them to dry overnight before doing anything else to the cab. I also removed the front and rear door handles. These will be replaced later.

Both PC and PRSL had GP-38's with the 1-foot extension, for dual controls, just like 7600-7604. I can tell you that the dual control stand took up a considerable amount of room.

Yea Bill I did find that. PC GP38's 2000-2014. All these years, I either blocked it out my mind because it was PC or just didn't care. Probably a little of both! I still don't remember the Jim Six Article. I'll look that up tonight. Thanks for the input.

I did forget to mention that it would be a good time to shave off the sunshade slides from both side windows. Sand them smooth and flush to the cab. And, since I will be adding windshield wipers to the cab, I pre-drill all holes on the Kato cab and Cannon window panel with a no.80 drill bit.
Now, we’ll make cab extension. Take the two .030x.100 strip styrene and true up each end. I use the NWSL true sander for this. This is another great tool to have. These next steps are important. First, take the Cannon window panel and remove the door latch flush. Next, you need to make sure that when you add the extensions to the cab, that you are perpendicular at 90 degrees for the sides. This can be done with a square protractor. If you don’t have one, you can get these at sears, Harbor freight or Micro-mark. Set it to 90 degrees. I verify I’m at 90 degrees square with a small machinist square. Now place the Cannon window panel face down with the inside wall facing you. If you’re seeing the cab vents, you have the wrong side up. I made that impatient mistake before. Now I do have a small trick that will aid in setting the extension wall up. I use plate glass as my base. I take a small piece of double sided scotch tape, place it on the front side of the Cannon window panel and tape it down to the glass. This keeps the cab set in one place while aligning and setting the extensions permanently. I then tack one of the .030x.100 styrene strips to the cab wall with 2 drops of liquid cement. I use Model Master liquid cement for this. It doesn’t dry as fast and allows enough time to align a part in place before setting up. The extensions are to be set on the outside window pane. Set the square in place on the top edge of the window panel. Now align the cab extension square to the length of the wall and square 90 degrees to the side against the arm. Run a light bead of liquid cement down the inside wall. I now use Tamiya green cap liquid cement. Now double check that you’re square at both places.


Allow this to dry for at least 10 minutes before doing the other side. Do make sure that your cab extension stays square and flush to the arm. Repeat for the other side. Then allow this to dry overnight. Building the cab this way does make it a little easier to manage.

After the cab extension has dried overnight, it’s time to do some trimming and test fitting to the Kato cab. First, trim up the window panel flush to the outside of the extension wall. You can use flush cutters for this; just don’t be in a big hurry. You want to cut as close as possible without cracking the window frame. I use the True sander to clean up those sides. Trim the bottom of the extension posts flush to the cab and square them up also. Now, test fit the extension to make sure it will sit flush to the Kato cab wall. When you’re satisfied, cut a piece of .015 x .100 strip styrene that will be flush to the top and sides of the extension.

Use liquid cement to attach that to the top. Now place a couple of drops of liquid cement to the edges of the extension and place that on the Kato cab. The top of the extension should fit in between the angled roof and flush to the bottom of the cab. I measure the distance between the edges of the Kato cab to the cab extension, you want to make sure their equal on both sides. I set the cab on the glass plate to make sure the bottom is flush. If you’re satisfied with the fit, run a bead of liquid cement down the inside to permanently glue the extension in place. If you’re not happy with the fit you can easily pop of the extension and repeat the process. Allow the cab to dry overnight.

Hello Group,

Great work Ron!

The article referenced earlier by Jim Six appeared in the October 2003 issue of Model Railroader (p 68-69). To achieve the extended cab look for Penn Central GP38 no. 7906, Jim used a Cannon & Co. 1502 thin-wall EMD cab and styrene. The article does not go into too much detail about the conversion, but there is a photo of the finished cab. There is also a write up on Brian Banna’s website that covers this conversion.

I have three HO scale Reading SD45s, all from different manufacturers (Athearn, Kato, Bachmann). If I try this procedure, I think I’ll work on either the Athearn or Bachmann before attempting the Kato.

I also have the n scale version of Kato’s SD45 that I’ve considered extending the cab on. The problem with that would be sourcing another Kato SD45 cab for the window frame section.

Mark

I have an old blue box athearn that I might try to do. like I did on my PRSL GP-38.