EMC/EMD F-units: Nose hatch dimensions

[tstage]

Thanks, Sheldon.  I do remember the offset truck position on my Stewart FTBs.

Tom

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

tstage

Another question: How different is an FT body from an F2 or F3?

The reason for asking is that I'm assembling a Highlinger kit and have always wonder why the FT was left out of the conversion.  You can make an F2, F3, F7, and F9 - but no FT.

Tom

 

The FT is different enough.....

And once again all my books are packed and at the new house 14 miles away.....

From memory, the roof is dramaticly different, the body is not the same length, it is shorter at the "rear", less overhang past the truck. This gives the B units and offset truck position.

Drawbar connected sets had no steps or handrails at the drawbar coupled ends.

A few "special" B units were even shorter, being built with no overhang on either end as part of drawbar coupled ABA sets.

Those are the major differences.

Sheldon

[tstage]

Another question: How different is an FT body from an F2 or F3?

The reason for asking is that I'm assembling a Highlinger kit and have always wonder why the FT was left out of the conversion.  You can make an F2, F3, F7, and F9 - but no FT.

Tom

[dehusman]

I checked out the Kalmbach Diesel Locomotive Cyclopedia which has drawings of many engines that were published over the decades by MR.  I checked the dimensions in real inches of the nose doors on several plans drawn to HO scale:

FT - .317 x .508

F3 - .317 x .508

FL9 - .334 x .559

E7 - .293 x .477

E9 - .343 x .490

I also checked  the width of the cab on all the drawings and it was exactly the same on all drawings so that leads me to believe that the scale was the same on all the drawings.

That could mean many things:

1. The doors are all the same size and the source material for the drawings showed different sizes or were measured differently (the source was wrong.)
2. The door sizes are the same size but weren't dimensioned on the different source drawings so the artist estimated the size (the artist drew them wrong).
3. The doors are different sizes on different models or different runs of engines (the doors are actually different sizes, and the source and the artists were correct.)

[7j43k]

tstage

I just wanted to know if there were any drawings that verified that finding.

 

 

I think the only drawings that would actually verify that would be ones done by EMD.  We don't know where the dimensions come from with other drawings.  They MAY have been from actual measurement of a real one.  Or they could have been based on a photo.  Or.......

I think the most famous error in a scale drawing of a diesel was the Railroad Model Craftsman one of an Alco C-424.  The creator placed an EMD fan grill on the roof, just behind the cab.  There never was any form of exposed fan or grill at that location.

 

Actually, if I had any question about the Highliner dimensions (and I didn't have EMD drawings), I'd measure the door on a Rapido FL9.  I believe they got their dimensions from a real one.

 

Ed

[tstage]

Thanks, Ed & Sheldon.  I neglected to mention that I had previously measured the Highliner door I had and came up with 0.332 x 0.521" (or 28.9 x 45.8" HO).  I just wanted to know if there were any drawings that verified that finding.

Thanks again!

Tom

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

tstage

Thanks, Sheldon.  I tried googling for it w/o much success.  Will try the MR archives.  Do you have to be a MR subscriber for that?

Tom

 

Yes, they include access to the archives as part of the subscription now.

If everything was not packed, I would have measured a drawing, or a highliner shell, busy moving.....

Sheldon

[7j43k]

tstage

Does anyone know the x and y dimensions of a nose hatch on a EMC/EMD F-unit? 

 

 

Scaling off of a Highliner shell (which the whole world says is accurate) the nose door is 2' 4" wide and 3' 9" high.

 

 

Also, would it be correct to assume that they were pretty much the same from the FT thru the F9? 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

Ed

[tstage]

Thanks, Sheldon.  I tried googling for it w/o much success.  Will try the MR archives.  Do you have to be a MR subscriber for that?

Tom

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

There have been some F unit drawings in MR iver tge years, a search of the archives should find a scaleable drawing. My stuff is all packed at tge moment.....

Sheldon

 

[tstage]

Does anyone know the x and y dimensions of a nose hatch on a EMC/EMD F-unit?  Also, would it be correct to assume that they were pretty much the same from the FT thru the F9?

Thanks,

Tom