General Discussion (Model Railroader)

I need some help on a locomotive scratchbuilding project, as this will be my first one. I currently have a NWSL can motor that is 33mm in length, with a 3/32 shaft, and i wish to build into a GE 23 ton boxcab.

i got everything i need, except the gearbox. Any ideas? machining one myself is out of the question

You did not say which scale. If HO, I think the motor is a little long. Go look through the NWSL site. There is a lot of information. I have the NWSL paper catalogs that have a lot of info for re-gearing. The online site does take a lot of looking around. I have done steam locos but not a loco like this.

http://www.nwsl.com/

Also, Grandt Line use to sell a motorizing kit for their HO standard gauge 23 ton GE loco according to an old paper catalog I have in my files from 1989. Below from a Google search for "grandt line 23 ton power kit"

http://www.grandtline.com/model_railroad/rolling_stock_and_locos.htm

Rich

I've scratchbuilt a couple steam engines from brass but never a deisel, but if I were to undertake your project I think I would try to find a set of comercially available trucks to build off of. Without seeing what the truck you need look like, I would guess trucks from a Bachmann 44 or 70 tonner or the MDC boxcabs may work. If your dead set on scratchbuilding the sideframes then all you need is to find a pair of trucks with the correct wheel size and spacing.

 John

Here are some pictures of a mechanism I was working on a while ago. it has been fairly successful in initial testing. I do want to work on the gearing though to slow it down a bit. wheel/axle assemblies are Athearns out of the pars box and the motor is an A-line. side rails are brass with Garolite crossmembers. I am carefull anymore on this forum to call anything scratch built as I have been told by several members here that since I did not make my own motors and turn my own wheels that it is nothing more than a bunch of comercial parts put together. Anyway, here are the pictures for my 25 ton GE.

Thats pretty much EXACTLY what im looking for. Please tell me how you did it. By the way, it is HO...

I may take a jab at this eventually, make a 0-8-0T with a small coal tender at the back of the cab. May base it off Walthers USRA 0-8-0 switcher. It will be HO so of course it will be super detailed.

analog kid:

Thats pretty much EXACTLY what im looking for. Please tell me how you did it. By the way, it is HO...

I started by assembling the shell from scraps of styrene. I was carefull when doing this as I want to be able to make molds of these parts in case I want to build another one or 100. Since I had drawings sized to HO scale I was able to draw the side and end view in Autocad. This allowed me to design the mechanism shown above. Having a milling machine at my disposal at work allowed me to machine the parts.

Now, before you think you need all of that fancy stuff, fear not. All of the stuff I did can be done by hand. The drawings can be done with a pencil, ruler and paper. The parts can be shaped with basic hand tools...jewlers saws small files and hand drills. Granted, it will take a bit longer but, it can be done.

Just a comment here. Loco building to me is a hobby unto itself. I have rebuilt a Rivarossi Y6-B and built some Mantua kits and they are sorta tough to get everything running smoothly. Its one thing to get a loco model to look like a reasonable replica and another to get it to run smoothly. But for those who want to build locos ,more power. One of my next projects is to tackle the Mantua Shay.   BILL

reklein:

Its one thing to get a loco model to look like a reasonable replica and another to get it to run smoothly.   BILL

I agree

This one has not been an easy one. In fact right now it is completly disassembled as I am not happy with the performance. I am designing a diferent drive with some gear reduction to slow the thing down a bit. also I have something a bit ot of allignment and it surges a bit. This is my favorite part of the hobby though. A previous chassis I built for another engine took some time to get right but, now I am happy with it

 I've used the BullAnt for my 25-ton.

It comes from Austalia, Hollywood Foundry.

Wolfgang

Bravo to you, wedudler. Your GE was looked like a fantastic runner, even at low speeds. Although, spending 67 some dollars on a Bullant seems like an awful lot...