Well, how did it go for you, Steven? Did you enjoy putting it together? It looks good from the pics.
I like the Accurail kits. They're fairly straightforward to put together and the overall detailing is good for the price. My favorites are the 6- and 8-panel wood boxcars. I think they're quite handsome.
Did you end up using CA to adhere the metal plate to the boxcar chassis? CA works okay but it may pop up over time. FWIW: I've found that DAP Auto/Marine 100 RTV Silicone Sealant works great for that sort of application because it's thick, remains flexible after it cures, and holds VERY well. It's especially adept at irregular surfaces because those metal plates aren't always flat. You can find it at your local hardware store in the adhesive section.
Good call on the Kadee couplers. They're more reliable than the Accumate couplers, which are decent for plastic but not as good as the metal Kadees.
Congrats on puttting together the Accurail kit, Steven!
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
OK, I can see them. Great! Now your on your way!
I seen today on Ebay, there is a seller that has 5 GP30 shells up for bid. I don't have a link to it, but you'll find them. Bidding is over in 6 days.
Mike.
My You Tube
It went relatively well only problem was glueing the metal plate so I did end up using super glue, I enjoyed it otherwise and it only took me about an hour and a half!
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
As Tom said above, I also use a silicone caulk to secure the weight plate. You'll figure out all kinds of stuff as you go.
Since you want to kitbash stuff, now take car like that and scrape off the grabirons and ladders and replace them with wire or seperate detail parts. Then replace the plastic roofwalk with an etched metal one. Then repaint the detail parts to match the rest of the car.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
That sounds like a lot of work! But I'll try it.
cascadenorthernrr It went relatively well only problem was glueing the metal plate so I did end up using super glue, I enjoyed it otherwise and it only took me about an hour and a half!
Some guys claim they can put together an Accurail kit in 10 min. I prefer to take my time in order to trim and assemble the parts carefully, as well as switch out the couplers and plastic wheels for Kadee #58s and Proto 2000 33" metal wheels. In reality, I think I spend closer to 30 min. on an Accurail boxcar.
That said, it's not a race...and it's better to take your time and make sure you do things right the first time. You're off to a good start, Steven.
So if I buy the GP30s off eBay I need to build a chassis first. (Length of the body is directly affected by the length of four, two axle trucks and two, four axle trucks) I was thinking I could get two, three axle trucks cut an axle of each then connect the two is that even remotely plausible? Then the motor rides on a frame atop the four axle truck and the two axle trucks are connected via a swing plate attached to the central frame; I build two of these. I would have to rig the driveshaft to run all three trucks. Then the center frame attaches to the main frame on a pivot allowing each articulated B+D+B set to track the turns better. The decoder can ride inside the shell and it controls both motors. Suggestions are greatly needed.
Mechanically you are doing a lot of work here. Athearn and Bachmann made 4 axle trucks for the DD40 and DDA40X respectively. Why not seek out a pair of those and save some work?
As far as the drivetrain, take a look at DarthSantaFe's youtube channel, or search his posts here. He's built quite a few locos himself, and his work could be a reference for you.
Modeling whatever I can make out of that stash of kits that takes up half my apartment's spare bedroom.
tstage
What pray tell is the meaning of this post, I'm not quite getting it.
The meaning is the same thing we have been trying to tell you this whole time. Start small and work up. The loco project you are describing is really neat, but it is very involved. Unlike working plastic, a drivetrain must have the proper components, properly aligned and balanced, and be wired correctly. Understanding gears, lubrication, and soldering are crucial.
If you are really interested in building a loco like this, start small. Buy an old athearn engine and repower it with a kit from A-Line. You'll learn about removing the drivetrain components, motor mounting, and wiring.
As I said above, check out DarthSantaFe's channel, he's done some cool stuff that might give you an idea on what building a drivetrain is like.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DarthSantaFe
cascadenorthernrr Suggestions are greatly needed.
Suggestions are greatly needed.
Don't start this project until you have a couple projects COMPLETED. Not just assembling a easy kit, but actually combining kits and working on engine drive trains.
So if I buy the GP30s off eBay I need to build a chassis first. (Length of the body is directly affected by the length of four, two axle trucks and two, four axle trucks) I was thinking I could get two, three axle trucks cut an axle of each then connect the two is that even remotely plausible?
Sure, what drills, taps, miniature screws, brass and plastic shapes do you have. Do the rucks have the same gearing? Do you want the trucks to be powered?
Then the motor rides on a frame atop the four axle truck and the two axle trucks are connected via a swing plate attached to the central frame; I build two of these. I would have to rig the driveshaft to run all three trucks. Then the center frame attaches to the main frame on a pivot allowing each articulated B+D+B set to track the turns better.
It really doesn't matter since the engine won't be able to go through a curve or switch.
The drive trains would hit the inside of the shells. In order to make what you have planned work you will have to completely change the drive trains to run the drives under the shell or make only the interior B trucks powered and the rest dummy. Will still take rearranging the truck suspension and gear towers.
Have you ever actually opened a diesel model to see what the drive train looks like?
No I have not, but I probably should though.
Yes you should. But you don't have a diesel, but you said you have a BLI T-1. Thats a long set up. A 4-4-4-4 wheel arrangement. Be brave, and carefully open it up. See what makes it work. A common drive set up in a diesel is the motor in the middle, with a fly wheel on each end, and a drive shaft on each end, that connects to the trucks, via a worm gear, that turns the gears in the powered truck. I no nothing about steam loco drives, other than what I've seen in the forums, and on searches. It seems steam locos have the motor at the back (cab end), and a single drive shaft that runs the drivers.
Your monster diesel will probably have to be articulated into 3 sections, to have any chance of negotiating the curves you'll have on a 4' x 8'. Maybe each powered frame on each end? and the non-powered truck assembly in the middle as the cab and electrical cabinets? Just trying to imagine.
Just for the heck of it, google articulated locomotives, and see what comes up. Go to images. You'll see a lot of regular locos, but you'll also see some real monsters that have been built. At the end of the scroll, click on more results. You'll see a couple of more. And, a lot of these were steam locos.
By looking at the drive of BLI you have on hand, and seeing the images, you'll get a good idea of what your monster GP30 bash would involve, and how each powered frame would have to be configured.
EDIT: Jeffery Wimberly, aka Dr Frankendiesel, because he did a lot of loco bashing, combining parts and drives to make things work. Nothing like what you want to do, but just your average GP type loco. He liked Atlas F7's. He was also a great "kit basher" when it came to old computers, and games. Diabetes eventually took over. The diner forum was renamed in his remembrance. He probably would have helped you through this idea, as well.
So instead of the motors being mounted on the truck frame have it inside the shell, run a driveshaft out toward the end make a 45 degree turn then another (90 degrees in all) it comes down into a gearbox where a set of crown gears connect and a central shaft runs along the middle of the trucks. Would that work?
No, your not getting it. The motor is not mounted on the truck frame, EXCEPT cheap trainset locos such as Tyco, LifeLike, etc. Google HO scale diesel locos, like an Athearn, or Atlas, or Kato, just to name a few, and look at how the drive works. It is all is mounted on the frame, and the trucks.
Make your monster mounted on 3 seperate frames, using 2 axel trucks, but connect them so they articulate. You FIRST learn how a HO scale diesel loco works.
You need to understand the drive set up on a model diesel loco first. Until you understand that, your going no where. Nothing in the drive train is mounted to the body shell. Your monster loco should be able to run without and body shell.
Do some looking and searching.
The motor is mounted in the middle of the frame, right? The unit consists of two articulated frames to which the trucks are mounted and then the main frame (which the shell is on) is attached via pivot to the two articulated frames.
Kind of, but the shell will need to be articulated, like the 3 frames. One long solid shell will not work. Maybe none of this will work! It's up to your "engineering". Many of the monster locos you'll see on an image search of articulated locos didn't last for long, either. Too big, too expensive to operate, and not practicle.
Figure out how long your engine will be. Cut a piece of paper about that long and an inch and a half wide. That is roughly the size of the underframe under the shell of the locomotive. Get your 18" radius track, set the underframe on the track. Notice how no matter how you place the underframe on the track it over hangs the track to the inside or the outside? That's how much your mechanism will have to swing from side to side. and it will have to do it inside an even narrower hood. The drive trains of a normal model are NOT designed to swing back and forth inside the shell.
In order to do what you want you willneed to build a drive like the old Hobbytown drive with one gear tower and a drive shaft that runs just above the axles to all the trucks. Unfortunately its been out of production for several decades.
http://www.nwsl.com/nwsl-online-catalog.html
Check out part 2 Stanton Drive. They do not make a 4 axel version. For the reasons stated above, this project will likely not feasibly run on the radius curves required for building independently operating 4x8 layouts. I would file this project in the "to do later folder", and concentrate on learning basic skills required to construct this "construct" you have imagined. Accurail kit was a good start. The upgrades mentioned above will be good practice. You might consider purchasing some older rolling stock at train shows and upgrade/repair those. It takes some searching, but I found a few dozen project cars to do repair/upgrade projects with (missing box car doors, missing brake staff/wheel, etc) for $4-10 ea.
Ok thanks!
Hello all,
Check out Big Daw Originals.
He might have a shell(s) that could suite your needs.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Here's my second kit.
Only trouble was getting the shell on because it was bent in in the middle.
Now, take the car with the 6 ft door, strip the paint off, change the door to an 8 ft door, scrape off the grab irons, replace them with wire grab irons and replace the plastic roof walk with an etched metal one. Replace the wheelsets with metal ones. Finally paint the car and get some decals to letter the car.
This is a realllllly low end kitbash, about as basic as it gets. The frankengine project is many, many times harder than doing what I have suggested.
Slow down a second, which is the 6ft door? I hate to tell you this but I'm not too keen on chopping up, stripping down, etcetera the brand new kit I just got. Also the UP being my FIRST KIT EVER!!! it has a lot of sentimental value. (Not that I wouldn't do basic upgrades like metal wheel sets, exact prototype weighting, and such) I think I'll get a (Accurail) undecorated boxcar and follow your suggestion.
You could also get a junker from the bargain bin at your LHS and practice on that. Try an old Tyco, AHM, or Life-like car. If you screw up, you're only out $2-3. Then when you're ready, cut up an Accurail car.
One thing I would suggest, as a "homework assignment": Take your 2 accurail cars, and go to one of the photo sites we have suggested:
http://rr-fallenflags.org/
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/
http://www.railcarphotos.com/index.php?
Look up your cars by reporting mark and number. Then tell us what's different between the prototype, and the Accurail car. This will give you an idea of how we go and improve the cars.
cascadenorthernrrSlow down a second, which is the 6ft door?
Measure the car doors and multiply by 87.1. Or pick up a scale ruler, which you will probably want if you are going to scratchbuild scale items.
http://www.micromark.com/Model-Rr-Rule
Your hobby shop probably sells them as well.
cascadenorthernrrI hate to tell you this but I'm not too keen on chopping up, stripping down, etcetera the brand new kit I just got.
Understandable.
cascadenorthernrr(Not that I wouldn't do basic upgrades like metal wheel sets, exact prototype weighting, and such)
Metal Wheel sets good. Prototype weighting no.
http://www.nmra.org/index-nmra-standards-and-recommended-practices
RP 20.1 Car Weight.
If you weigh the cars on a postal scale (available from most office supply stores, and sometimes you can find them cheap), you might find that they are pretty close to the recommended practice. The 34' hopper cars are slightly underweight empty, when live loaded with coal (i think it was woodland scenics brand) they come out to the exact spec.
As far as the undec car goes, you might want to get Data-only car for starters, vice the full painting/decal project. Those little tiny numbers are a pain to get into place.
If you can't figure out which one is the 6 ft door, how do you think you can build Frankendiesel?
You need to slow down and learn some of the basics before you try something as difficult as the Frankendiesel project. Not trying to be mean, just trying to save you from wasting a bunch of time and money, and getting frustrated with the hobby.
Get a ruler and measure the doors. HO scale is 1/87. 6 ft is 72". 72/87 = 0.827". Find the one with a door about .827" wide.