Having seen the rear door of one of these of up close, I would conclude it came from some departed F unit, makes sense to match the door in demensions with that on the companion slug B unit , note the steam line as well, rotories were not equipped with onboard SG's although this one has been retrofitted with roller bearings, among that last mods performed under SP ownership.
Dave
I believe that the boiler in the rear of the rotary is what was refered too. In this picture you can see there is a door instead. I wonder if this door is the same as an F7, or is it more like a passenger car door, or are they the same?
Also I did find the windows. They are made by Plano.
Lone Wolf
Do not remove the steam generator from the slug, these were retained to prevent freezing of the wings, discharge chute, wheel, cooling fans and to operate the unique peanut steam whistle.
Awesome pictures and links. thanks! Thanks for the advise. This might take a while but it will be rewarding when it is finished. This model brings back childhood memories of Christmas vacations spent at our family cabin on Donner Pass, just feet away from the tracks. The rotary plow would leave a bunch of snow on the downhill side of the tracks which was perfect for inner tubing.
Lone Wolf:
This could be a very interesting and rewarding kit bash, and it is one that you could take to whatever level you want. Styrene is your friend.
The wings can be as detailed as you want. Recreating every component could get a bit fussy but building the basic hinge and lever system wouldn't be too hard. Making the wings functional would be a more complicated process, and I have to ask why bother? You will go to a lot of work for something that you will probably operate a couple of times while you play with them, but they might never be moved again.
Shortening the body is a no brainer, but I would work on the frame first so you will know where to cut the shell. You will want to replace the rear truck with one that has two axles. If you remove the plow blade behind the front truck you will be able to get closer to the prototype length.
The marine windows suggest a more modern era. If you want to install them on all four front windows you will have to modify the outer windows.
If you want to make the rotary blade work then I suggest using a motor. Forget the elastics. That will require trucks with power pick up but that's no big deal.
You could modify the roof line by eliminating the roof walks and using .010" styrene to build up the roof behind the cab.
If you are going to use a B unit for power make sure you remove the steam boiler front from the back of the shell. I guess that's too obvious. Sorry.
Bottom line is that I see this project as a perfect opportunity to learn how to kitbash a respectable piece of rolling stock. So what if its not perfect the first time. You will have learned a bunch.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Lone Wolf and Santa Fe As far as length, how long is the prototype, how much do I need to shorten the model? Thanks again.
As far as length, how long is the prototype, how much do I need to shorten the model?
Thanks again.
Thanks for all your comments. The inspiration for this model are the rotary plows featured in the Pentrex video, The Battle for Donner Pass (1993). My layout is 1990s so that is perfect.
“They were build as steam rotaries … in the 1920 and 30s. In the 1960s they were modified to electric power. The blade is turned by four traction motors mounted side by side on the floor of the rotary. The power for the blade comes from the F7B unit coupled directly behind the rotary. The diesel engine, generator and steam boiler reside in the B unit’s car body.” quote from video.
The rotary and B unit are pushed by a quartet of locomotives including a pair of tunnel motors. The is also another rotary on the other end facing the other direction.
Anyway I like the idea of using an electric motor. There just isn’t enough pressure on the wheels to turn the rubber bands plus they make the truck want to go sideways. I think I might replace both trucks with the correct ones. Get the power from the B unit if I can.
This would be a involved bash to make it a post conversion SP prototype, you would need to reduce the overall length and rebuild everything from the wheel housing back as the SP Sacramento shops did.
Those wings are a SP signiture and would require scratchbuilding as would the coupler bar as no commercial parts exist. An exception to the no paint, no wash era, the rotories and their slugs remained presentable in their black paint which deteriorated to various shades of weathered gray once UP assumed ownership.
Are the rubber bands on you model wrapped around the thick axles on the front truck and the shaft from the rotary blade? This is how the model is supposed to operate. The bands don't have a lot of friction and often don't do a very good job of turning the blade. You need to take apart the front truck to put the bands on the axles.
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I used IM metal semi-insulated wheels and fashioned my own power pickups (alternate sides of each truck) to provide power to a small motor. I used flexible RC fuel tubing to connect the motor to the fan blade shaft, so no kinking of a rigid plastic drive shaft occurs. I also wired led lighting above the fan shroud- for both left and right sides. Picked up a very nice F7B powered pusher unit for only 15 bucks believe it was a Kato or Atlas model. The Athearn trucks that came with the BB kit will easily accept the IM wheels.
Cedarwoodron
I know it’s 80 degrees today but winter is right around the corner. I need advice on my Athearn Rotary Snow Plow. It is an undecorated blue box kit. (I also have the matching undecorated F7B dummy unit)
1. I can't seem to get the rubber bands to turn the blade. It spins freely on it's own. How can I get it to work?
2. This snowplow is going to be modeled after Southern Pacific prototypes. It is already black. Do I need to paint it or can I just weather it? Is the real color black or is it a dark gray? Which spray can should I get?
3. The Southern Pacific prototype has extensions on the front to cut a wider channel through the snow. Are these available as aftermarket details? If not how can I scratch build them with styrene. What about the hinges? I’d like them to be able to open and close.
4. Where can I find the marine windows? Or do I have to make those also?
Thanks
In this picture the Union Pacific has also added a removable coupler which I do not believe that the SP had installed. I will not since I wish to model it pre-merger. This is just the best photo I could find to show the extensions.