anyone owns one or know this train.. Just picked one up and wanted to modernize it.. needs to be repainted too...i'll post pic tomarrow..
josey:
If it's a typcal Westside mechanism, you probably won't need to re-gear it at all, just get a good NWSL or Canon motor for it. I've got about 4 Westside models, and their reduction gear system is extremely good as is--I can get those babies down to a crawl if need be. They're also extremely hefty models--not as intricately detailed as current brass, probably, but plenty of girth for excellent pulling.
I'll look forward to the pictures.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
this forum has changed.. how do you post pics?
Josey:
I post mine from my Photobucket account. I load them on from my computer, and then when I want to send them to a site I click the photo. Several options will show up at the bottom of the photo, the last being IMG Code. Click on the IMG code and press "Control C" on your keyboard. This will automatically copy the photo for posting on the Forum. Then when you want to post it, right-click "Paste" and the IMG Code will appear in your message. Then when you finish and post your message, the photo will appear.
It's actually pretty easy, and I'm saying this as someone who is extremely Computer-Challenged, LOL!
Hope this helps.
heres pics before I'd stripped it and after.. before I used purple power degreaser to cleanup the oils on it and it gave it a weathered looks on it..want to modernize it.. wanting to put leds lights and motor and maybe sound if possible..
Uhhhh. Some day, Some day. My wife complained when I bought a 44T for $55, told her some brass engines go for a grand. Her eyes popped out of her head. I don't think that day will ever come. I think I might use the unpainted version as a show piece engine, its so great looking. Mmm, maybe if I got one unpainted and told her it was a "Gold Edition" thats why it cost so much.
This one I'd payed close to 300..Other ones goes for close to 800..Like this one painted and detailed that was on ebay..As from the pics thinks they used the same modles on all the Q2's since there made in Japan&Korea.. Still debaiting on leaving this brass or paint it to deatil?? Let me know what you guys think? Posted another pics I saw on ebay..liked this train too. Yes I'm into the big steamers at are artiuated...Whats the track radious these run on? I know it isnt 22..
Nice job on the Q-2! As to minimum radius, since it's long-wheel based, non-articulated and all flanged drivers, I'd say that 36" is probably the tightest radius you could expect to run it on.
The AC-9 is articulated, so it will run on a smaller radius--I've got 2 of the beasties, and I was able to get them down to a 24" radius on a friend's layout (my own minimum is 36"). The boiler overhang was terrific, though--it almost wiped out some of his adjacent telephone poles, LOL!
I'd say if you're going to run the AC-9, go ahead and paint it. Running brass should look as if it's earning its keep, IMO. Raw brass is for Shelf Queens in plastic display cases.
Thanks.. the pics above are trains I saw on ebay and save for ref.. The painted Q2 is the one on ebay that sold for close to 800..Think the brass one is a SP heavy coal train? I'm going to use the painted Q2 pics as Ref to paint mine up..where can I find good paint that dont chip easy??
Right--the articulated is a Southern Pacific AC-9 2-8-8-4, the only 'cab-backward' locos on the railroad (the other 195 were 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forwards). They were originally assigned on the Tucson-El Paso-Tucumcari "Golden State" route, and originally burned coal. Later, they were converted to oil-burners and ended up on SP's "Modoc" line in northeastern California. I've got two older Balboa models of the loco--the picture of yours on EBay looks like a more recent model. Pretty handsome articulateds. The two I've got will pull anything you want to put behind them--REALLY powerful models.
Where can I find that motor you was talking about at and the cost? Want to replace the old one with a modern electric motor..
What kind of room do you have inside for a new motor? If the motor opening is 18mm wide or more, a Mashima (or equivalent) will fit. If it's built around an open frame motor, some of the usual choices for remotoring may not fit. At this point, Mashima motors run for almost $50 from their US importers. NWSL motors go for about $30, and some excellent surplus coreless motors can be had for $20 to $40.
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Its good to see you..havent been on for awhile.. The old motor is a KTM and mesurments are 1" high 3/4" wide and 2" long. Heres pic of it.. Yes you see silicon Nitro fuel tubes as my conections to my drive.. the old rubber where dry rotted...
With that much room, you should be able to fit a good size motor in there without a problem.
For this, my first choice would be a Canon coreless motor. They're extremely quiet, draw very little current, have extremely high torque, and don't cog like regular motors (making a flywheel unnecessary). I've used them in Hobbytown and Tenshodo diesels with excellent results. The shaft is only 1.5mm, so you may need to have a sleeve put on if that size won't grip your tubing (the seller will do it for an extra $5 if you ask, or you can try doing it yourself with NWSL bushings). Despite what the auction says, these run at about 8,000 RPM, which is the same as other modern can motors.
Other options that should fit and give enough torque are NWSL's larger motor, Kato's excellent HO motor, and Mashima's largest motor. All have a shaft size of 2mm, so they should fit your tubing fine. I suspect your steam engine has a slow gear ratio to make up for the speed of the open frame motor, so it will likely run closer to 45 scale MPH with any of these modern motors.
I can put/make a bushing for it.. wife has talked to that guy in the past on motors... Got her running smoothly lastnight.. I'd used AFT oil on it.. runs like a dream.. But for some reason the train runs faster in reverse then in forword..Theres no drag to the drive line that I see...Wondering if its in the motor?
Older motors seem especially prone to doing that. I'm guessing it has something to do with imperfections in the commutator's manufacture. It's much less common now, but I've even seen newer motors run a little faster one way than the other.
Just showed the wife a olympia brass Big Boy on ebay went for 899.00 tonight .. seller had it listed as C2 on condition,stating it needs restored.. Body was in great shape too!! The wife wasnt happy when I'd payed close too 300 for mine.. Showed her other brass trains that goes higher then my train.. I got a deal on it to me after seeing how other are going for....Proublem with leaving train in brass/ unpainted it they tarnish to much,ya you can clear them but that wont last long because clear dont bite very well to shiney brass..in time clear will flake off.. Thats why you see them in display cases.. To me its a waste ,because you cant play with them.. I want to play with mine.
That tarnish is why I paint my few pieces of brass. Except for my Westside 4-4-0. I painted that one because the "brass" colored clear coat was stained by the original red foam. I don't know what they used, but even a full day in lacquer thinner wouldn't take that coating off!
I always use a lacquer clear coat for the brass, copper, steel, and nickel trim on my prewar O stuff. They're handled very carefully and displayed most of the time, so flaking shouldn't be a problem. Now if it was entirely clear coated bare metal, like our favorite brass models, it would wear out pretty quick.
Here what she looks like after using a toothbrush wire brush on it.. Dark,I bet they mightof use clear epoxy on them or Imorn.. Those two clears are tuff paints.. was thinking If I was going to paint it,was going to use epoxys paints on it..Question.. on the tender rear light on top,I didnt see any pics of that on any Q2's plus whats the cab on top of the tender for? Last how do I get the blackpaint off the drivers linkages? think he might of used gun bluing?
Tried to hook a wheat grain bulb for the headlight,but with no success.. It dained the power more .. wondering if that more is a big drain as is..Going to remotor it.. Took off the rear light off the tender since there was none I saw from all the pics of the real Q2...Used it for the front headlight since it has the number board cutout..Going to add a few more details to this Q2.. saw one with coal ogger and flap gate at the back of the engine and line at the bottom of the sides of the tender..
Hmm, a grain of wheat bulb shouldn't put a noticable power drain on the locomotive, unless the old motor is already pushing your power supply beyond its capacity. How did you wire it?
As long as you're adding details, have you thought of replacing the oversized couplers with Kadee scale couplers? They can really make a big change to how something looks, especially at the front end.
one wire to the chassie//ground the other to the coupler/engine hooks up to tender that would be possitive..And Yes if you look at the pics of the front engine Its got kadees coupler on it...since the motor goes faster in one direction in reverse ,I'd revse the wires too see if that would be better.. havent tried to run it yet..
Well, I guess the old motor really is putting a lot of stress on your power pack then. A light bulb would hardly cause any drain normally, but if your power's at its limit, any additional stress could seriously affect it.
I saw that you already have knuckle couplers, but what I'm talking about is Kadee's scale sized couplers. For comparison,That's a Bachmann/McHenry on the left, and a Kadee scale on the right. It's about 33% smaller than a standard head, but operates exactly the same.