I realize that the Canadian National never had any SD-7's (or 9's), but I'm painting this as if they did have at least one, much like their one and only Trainmaster. The decaling prcedures are pretty much the same for any CN hood unit of this era.

The first thing I did when I got home was to take it for a test-drive on my layout. It ran well and when I opened it up I discovered that it was DCC ready. However, the shell was cracked in both the long and short hoods and the fans on top were missing, as well as some smaller detail parts.

My next step was dis-assembly and clean-up. I carefully removed the grab-irons, ladders and other small details that would interfere with the paint and decal job I was planning. I used a set of tweezers and a small screwdriver to gently pry the details up by their mounting pins. I set all of the details aside in a container for re-use later.

I stripped the Silver and Black Southern Pacific paint off using 99% Isopropyl alcohol. I immersed the parts in a rubbermaid container and let them soak for about 30 minutes at a time. After time passed I scrubbed them with an old toothbrush and rinsed them off in water.  I continued to soak and scrub until all the paint was removed. I used to use Pine-sol to remove the paint but the smell was a little strong and would cling to the parts even after rinsing and drying.

After drying I repaired the cracks with glue and a small amount of putty, then sanded the repair smooth with fine-grit sanding film.

I decided to 'Canadianize' the engine so I collected the details that I would need.

Details west: All weather windows, Miniatures by Eric: High hood bell and CNR Horn.  A helpful modeler gave me the missing fans and I scratchbuilt the unique CN spark arrestors out of some styrene tubing filled with putty. I dug a winter fan hood out of a scrapbox for the engine.

After mounting the parts that needed to be painted with the body, I prepared the engine for paint. I used ScaleCoat CN#11 green and Floquil depot olive mixed 25% / 75%. I find the scalecoat green is a little dark for my tastes so thats why the mix. I airbrushed all the parts and let them dry.

Next, I masked off the upper storage box sides on the walkway and sprayed the entire walkway part in flat black.

The next step is decaling. I used MircoScale Decals Set# 87-948 for Canadian National  GP7 and GP9 Hood Diesels (1953-1961). I first gathered up all the tools I would need.A dish of warm water, razor blade, hobby knife, small scissors, a small paint brush and some Decal Solvaset. The Solvaset comes in handy since it literally dissolves the decal film, making it 'snuggle' down around the model's contours as we will see later.

I also keep a tissue and q-tips handy to blot up any extra water on the model.

I like to cut all the parts of the decal sheet that I'm going to use before I start so that I don't accidentally drop water on the remaining decals. I found that after I cut all the parts out that I needed there was enough for a second CN locomotive later, so the remains will be carefully slipped back into the folder where it came from and stored in a cool dry place.

I started with the long yellow stripes below the walkway. I dipped them in water for about 10 seconds, then set them flat on the table for another thirty. I carefully tested the decal to see if it was ready to be slid off the backing. I placed the decal where I wanted it on the model and slid the backing off, leaving the decal to lay approximately where I wanted it. I use a water-wetted paintbrush to do the final placement of the decal. I use solvaset to set the decal down to the model. This stuff is the best. I carefully brush it on completely over the decal. A word of caution; do not touch the decal after applying the setting solution. If not completely dried, a touch can ruin it.

Next was the Canadian National logo on the long hood. I used the same process as the stripes, making sure that the decal was centered and the solvaset made the decal settle around all the doors and louvers.

After that I tackled the ends with their considerably more difficult herald pieces. The large top was first. This is where the Solvaset is indispensable. I placed the decal and spread the Solvaset on it. It almost instantly settled down and conformed to the curves on the end.

Air bubbles will become trapped under the decal. I used a pin or hobby knife to pop them while they are still wet. They should settle down quickly.

Next came the CNR logo. It wrinkled up slightly when I applied the Solvaset to it, but it smoothed back down when it dried.

I don't have pictures of it's application but the final 'Vee' that goes below the CNR roundel can be a real bear to put on.  The thin part in the middle is very fragile and I broke a couple trying to apply it. Fortunately there are about 6 of these included in the set, probably as spares, due to their fragile nature.

After finishing the ends I added the numbers and class numbers to the cab. Since this engine never existed I made a fictional road # and class number.

The Class # is GF-17a. This translates to: G- EMD manufacturer, F- Road Freight, 17- 1700 Horsepower, a- first group purchase.

After this the only decals left were the end stripes. I left these to the end because I wanted the side stripes to dry completely before I started handling the part. When everything had dried, I sprayed the entire engine in Testors Dulcote to seal the decals.

The engine in the background is my old Athearn GP-7, painted and decaled the same as the SD-7.

I set the shell aside for a bit and turned my attention to the two crew figures that Life-Like supplies with the engine. I do appreciate that Life-Like does include these figures, but they need to be painted to look right. I first primered them in grey, then brush-painted them with acrylic paint from the local craft store. They don't have to be perfect, as they aren't fully visible through the windows. Just a little effort to make it look better.

Next came the re-assembly. This took a bit longer than I thought it would, since there are many small parts with even smaller mounting pins. I had to open up some of the mounting holes with a small pin since some paint had filled them. I managed to put everything back without breaking them but it was a lesson in patience. I put the crew figures in facing the longhood because Canadian National ran their first generation diesels long hood forward.

The main parts were re-assembled next. Since there was previous drop-damage, most of the mounting lugs were broken off. As a result the shell rests losely on the chassis but it sits right and thats alright with me.

At this time I pulled out some Scalecoat CNR Yellow and painted the bell, the handrail ends on the four corners and touched up some of the decals where the green basecoat showed through.