44 http://www.ModelRailroader.comBuild a late-1960s E unit
Learn how to remove porthole windows and add lighting effects
to an HO scale Proto 2000 E8 By Louis Millan • Photos by the author
In the career of a locomotive, modifi-
cations may be made that alter its exte-
rior appearance.
Starting in the mid-1960s, several
railroads operating Electro-Motive
Division (EMD) E units began to replace
the body side panels of the locomotives
due to deterioration. Panels that
included porthole window openings pre-
sented a particular challenge in having
to cut a new replacement panel to fit and
install the window assembly, which was
largely an aesthetic treatment.
Seeking the economical approach,
some railroads elected to simply replace
the porthole panels with solid sheets,
eliminating some or all of the portholes
on the sides of the locomotive. This, in
combination with other alterations such
as mandated grab irons climbing the
nose of the cab units, created a distinc-
tive 1960s look that many E units would
carry for the remainder of their careers.
Though it resulted in a more Spartan
appearance, the solid side panels actually
provided more surface area for the new“billboard”-sized lettering and heralds
that were coming into fashion at the
time. Late-’60s to early-’70s views of
E units on such railroads as Louisville
& Nashville and Penn Central (PC)
reveal large heralds or lettering placed
where portholes had once been.
I had been wanting to reproduce this
look on a Penn Central model for some
time, and happened to have what is now
an older Life-Like (now Walthers) Proto
2000 E8 from the 1990s. Its age helped me
summon the courage for this alteration
project, removing the portholes to create
a more authentic-looking 1960s model.Preparations
The model was decorated in Missouri
Pacific’s blue and cream Eagle scheme.
With headlights and window glazing
removed, I dipped the body shell into a
pan filled with paint stripper.
Then, a happy event occurred: The
paint stripper loosened most of the
etched metal grills, which helped solvethe mystery of how I was going to remove
them. Sliding a no. 11 hobby knife blade
between the loosened grill and the body
shell made for quick and easy removal.Porthole removal
The project’s biggest challenge was
removing the side portholes to simulate
solid body panels. I considered retaining
the existing porthole window glazing,
filling the gaps with putty and sanding
everything flat, but I rejected this option
being concerned the glazing, a different
type of plastic, wouldn’t sand down uni-
formly with the styrene body shell.
Over the years, I’ve accumulated a
modest collection of hobby tools, and
finally found a use for an old mini-lathe
I picked up a few years ago. My goal was
to use the lathe to turn small porthole
plugs from sheet styrene. It turned out to
be easier than I expected.
For each porthole plug, I cut a small
octagon from styrene sheet. Each octa-
gon was cut slightly larger than theAs cab units such as this Electro-Motive Division E8A entered their final decades, railroads made modifications either to address
wear or to meet new safety regulations. Penn Central no. 4300 had its porthole windows removed and now sports grab irons up
its nose. Louis Millan shows how he modified his HO scale Life-Like Proto 2000 model to represent a locomotive of the late-1960s.