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G514

G Class locos arrived on the scene in mid 1980's, used on freight trains throughout the state. This model is of one of the first batch of G class locomotives (G511-G515), similar to the BL locomotives ordered in SA around the same time. There were 4 batches of G class locos introduced into Victoria from mid to late 1980s, totaling 33 locomotives. There are minor variations between the batches.

All the Gs commenced service in V/Line orange and grey livery. G514 remained in this livery until repainted in Freight Australia colours in 2002 and later painted in SCT livery late in 2007.

Model construction notes:

Components

Now obsolete! This kit has been superseded by an improved, Ready-to-run model. See G512.
Body This kit by Aust-N-Rail comprises a single piece moulded body, a base that is an extended equivalent of the Lifelike SD7 chassis, plus pilots for each end. They can be purchased from Aust-N-Rail, N-Trains or Pallas Hobbies.
Mechanism These kits are designed for LifeLike SD7s. The kit includes a replacement, extended chassis.
Decals I think the V/Line decals came with the kit.
Couplers Standard Microtrains 1015. If you're not an expert at assembling these, you soon will be - they're the standard, body-mount coupler for locos and wagons.

Degree of Difficulty

Chassis Challenging. Whilst not particularly complicated, fitting the SD7 works into the substitute chassis does test your skills a bit. New electrical contacts are a bit tricky, too.
Body A fairly easy paint job. Paint grey all over, nice square masking, then paint orange.
Couplers Easy. Glue or drill and tap a hole and screw the coupler in place. (Microtrains 1059 Tap and Drill kit)
Finer Detail Five chime horns can be bought from Pallas Hobbies.
They sit up a bit high though, so perhaps trim them down to three chimes and see who notices. Easy.

Assembly guide

Don't do it, it's not worth the effort. I made this a few years ago, being the only option for a G class loco. I wouldn't do it again. These days, the ready-to-run version is a far better way to go and if you don't want V/Line, then check the kits available from SAR N Scale Detailers for other liveries. The days of having to make a LifeLike SD7 fit a G Class are thankfully gone.

After cleaning up the flash from the polyurethane chassis, (a bit tricky around the bogey mounts and worm mounts), the motor and bogeys are removed from the SD7 and mounted into the replacement chassis (motor mounted sideways to lower the height). You need to get a small piece of plastic tube (model airplane fuel line) to use as a drive shaft, replacing one the existing pieces to cover the longer wheelbase.

Electrical contacts need to be replaced. This can be done using thin brass sheets attached to the underside of the base to make contact with the electrical contacts from the bogey (2 at each end). Wires can be soldered to the top surface of the brass and fed through holes drilled in the chassis, to the motor contacts.