My AristoCraft Boxcab Diesel

[altterrain]

 

This locomotive kitbash comes from my love of small quirky locomotives. After seeing a few different scratchbuilt, kit, and bashed boxcab diesel models, one of the existing original boxcabs at the B&O museum, and spending a bit of time looking through all the great pics here - http://home.att.net/~Berliner-Ultrasonics/boxcabdx.html,I found a few boxcabs to be used as the basis for my bash.

My boxcab kitbash is prototypically based on a Pennsy A6 two axle boxcab –

while taking a few elements (end platforms and doors) of this Jay Street Connecting RR boxcab –

I started with my Aristo track cleaning car (the Aristo bobber caboose without the cupola). I never liked this car but it did a good job of track cleaning so I put the cleaning pad on another car.

I also had an Aristo two axle motor truck that I bought for another project and never used.

 

I started by stripping the track cleaning car of all it's bling - handrails, window and stack. I removed all the undercarriage, started to trim away some of the underside framing to make room for the power truck to fit, and trimmed down the end canopies. I also trimmed down the center roof section and glued it back in place so it fit flush with the rest of the roof. This is how it looks so far –

 

Body work entailed shaving off the window sills, enlarging the existing end windows and carving out windows on the other side. I used the cut out section to fill in the rear side windows. Gaps and holes were filled with green squadron putty and filled/sanded flat.

 

I carved out the bottom and drilled a few holes in the bobber floor for the mounting yoke of the power truck. It was glued in place top and bottom with 5 min. epoxy.

 

After test fitting it together, there is still room for the original side frames that can be trimmed and used as a frame to attach additional framing and journals later.

Metal panels with rivet details were added with 0.010 styrene sheets treated with a sewing tracing wheel. The underframe was created with styrene epoxied onto the existing sideframes that had been trimmed and filed down. Journals are from a LGB truck.

 

Scratch air tanks, piping, brake cylinder detail, and push pole pockets (cut down from Ozark Miniatures) were added to the under frame. The original steps were cut down and new strap added. Foot pilot steps and hand and grab rails were created from brass. Additional rivet detail was added as well as roof detail of a horn, lights (Ozark) with directional LEDs, a bell from a MDC Hustler kit, stove stack and an engine smoke stack from a cut down garden hose quick connector.

 

The final exterior detail was the rooftop radiator created from brass wire and styrene. Painting has started with base coats of flat black. The roof and frame got coats of high heat BBQ black followed with a light coat of camouflage earth brown and buffed to shine. The body is high heat BBQ almond.

Last things left to do on the list are -
Exterior work - decals and weathering
Electrical - install the track/battery power DPDT/CO switch and add a couple of interior lights
Interior - The motor and generator has been installed. I will also add fuel tanks, a coal stove, cab controls with engineer and maybe a few other details.

I have also added 21 oz. of weight (8 oz. underneath and 13 oz. in cab)

Here is the final result –

Under frame -

 

Cab controls –

 

Interior –

 

and a few outdoor shots – 

 

 

 

 -Brian

[vsmith]

Outstanding!

[ttrigg]

Brian;

That looks exactly like what I think I want to do for the run up to Chateau de Vic.  That run is 8.5%~10% grade and have been wanting to put a cog drive system in.  I can get the cogs to mount onto the ties, do you have an idea where I might get a powered truck with cog drive in place?

 

BTW, almost forgot to say "good job" but I think you understand that imitation is the sincerest of flattery.

[TrainFreak409]

That looks amazing! Small boxcabs are very neat little critters. Gotta love 'em. I'd never guess it was an AristoCraft track cleaner from the first pictures of your diesel. That's quite the conversion!

 

ttrigg; LGB made some rack and pinion locos. I'm not sure if they ever released any rack and pinion chassis or anything, and I'm not sure of the status of the parts department at the moment due to the bankruptcy. Maybe check on eBay for a junker LGB rack loco that you could steal the mechanism from?

[ttrigg]

LGB had discontinued the rack drive stuff, even before the bankruptcy thing.  If I could find a cog drive engine I would just kit bash a new engine.  I have seen a couple on evil-bay and the minimum price was well over three time the original retail, and I'm not going to pay that much for "used".  If I can find a cog geared powered wheel set, it would be so much simpler.

[JamesPH1966]

I saw her running Saturday at Greenburg's in Chantilly, VA - very nice indeed!

[hoofe116]

AllT:

Very nice unit. I especially thank you for the pixes & details on actually building the thing, as I'm 'inching' closer to starting my first kitbash project.

Les W

[altterrain]

Thanks Les. No good reason not to kitbash. Its a lot of fun and  can be done just when you have free time. You also wind up with a one of a kind model (unless someone copies it). This project I worked on over fout months a bit at a time. Just keep us posted and post those pics. There are a few of us bashers here willing to help out with tips and advice.

-Brian 

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Trigg, Just refit a power truck with an extra gear that lines up to the cogs.

Almost forgot to complement. Another beautifull creation. the slight rust tones show nicly on that cream color. I'm assuming you did the same as on the dunkirk with the batteries and controals in the box?

[Anonymous]

Brian,

How did you add additional rivet detail? By tool or hand? 

[altterrain]

<<quote user="ToadFrog&WhiteLightn"]

Brian,

How did you add additional rivet detail? By tool or hand? 

[/quote>>

William,

All the rivet detail was done by running a sewing tracing wheel like this one -

 

 

over 0.010 inch thick styrene sheet or strips. You can even see my wheel in one of the pics.

 

-Brian 

[Anonymous]

Now that is cool!!! Looks like the handle is made of "steel" and not plastic!? HA, that is a first! Guess it is not a Cresent brand happly made in USA.

Still you did a great job over all on it, I just was puzzled there abit.

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

I've ben thinkin (dangerous, I know) and wouldn't a critter make a suitably nice boxcab? all it is is a power truck with a plastic cover and an "RS esk" cab. so one could cut off the cab and hood to have a great start.

[altterrain]

Patrick, 

An Aristo critter would make a fine start for a boxcab (it has the same power truck I used). Just use the base and scratchbuild a new cab for it.

-Brian