Hi everyone:
I have almost finished my Grandt Line 25 ton switcher project. This project was inspired by the late Wolfgang Dudler of Westport Terminal Railway fame who put sound into one of these wee beasties several years ago. When he passed away I said I'll have to do one of those in his honour. So, here is is:
Here it is in action:
What do you think?
Dave
EDIT: In case you're wondering, CP never actually had any GE 25 ton switchers. This is one of those "Its my railroad and I will run what I want" situations.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Very nice. Wolfgang would be pleased.
Joe
Is this the one with the BullAnt drive you were talking abouut some time ago? You had mentioned 'sugar cube' speakers, what are they?
Looks great with that compressed CP paint job.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Wow, beautiful work! Can't wait to see it in action!
I had no idea Wolfgang had passed, makes me sad. He was a great modeller and loved to share his knowledge with others. He will be missed.
Thanks Joe
I hope Wolfgang would be pleased too.
Hi George
Yes, this uses a BullAnt drive. This one has a flywheel, but I have ordered a second BullAnt without a flywheel so I can experiment with using a Loksound Power Pack (keep alive). The Power Pack is about the same size as the flywheel so I will be able to compare the performance with a flywheel vs with a keep alive side by side. The flywheel drive is sensitive to dirty track, but if things are clean it runs quite well. I have to get a second switcher kit so I can do the test 'apples to apples'. There is no way to remove the drive in the switcher because I had to glue the wires down one by one to get everything to fit. That goes directly against what I advised in a previous post to you, but it was the only way to make things fit.
Sugar cube speakers are also referred to as iPhone5 speakers. They are tiny and very effective. Tony's Train Exchange has recently dropped their small oval speakers in favour of the sugar cube style because they perform far better. I use them in pairs wired in parallel so they provide 4 ohms impedance which is what Loksound recommends for their Select series decoders. The switcher has two sugar cubes in it. With some decoders that are limited to 8 ohms, you will have to use them individually, or use four with two pairs wired in series, and then the pairs wired in parallel to produce a net 8 ohms.
Here is where I get my speakers:
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?x=18&y=13&lang=en&site=us&keywords=423-1203-ND
Read more about how they work and how to build enclosures for them here (they MUST have enclosures to work right):
http://sbs4dcc.com/sugarcubespeakers.html
http://sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/sugarcubespeakernotes.html
http://sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/wiringmultispeakers.html
Give them a try. For HO sound, you will never go back!
Hi dinwitty
The switcher uses a Loksound Select Micro which just happens to fit perfectly into the top of the engine compartment. Unfortunately I had to practically fill the cab with wires and speakers so if you look too close you can see a lot of that. I'm going to try to install a driver figure, or at least parts thereof. I will have to draw and quarter him because there will only be room for half his head and torso. Who knew that medievil methods could be used in model railroading?!?
Nice work, Dave. I like the CPR paint job and the sound, too - very impressive and yes, I think Wolfgang would be pleased.
Wayne
Thanks Wayne
This project has shown me that I still have some learning to do with regard to using my air brush. There is too much paint on the switcher and that has dulled the really fine detailing that Grandt Line incorporates into their models. I painted the shell Polly Scale CP gray first, and then I applied a set of N scale CP decals so I could see where the separation of the paint colours should be. Then I dull coated the shell to seal the decals before masking. I used 'Frogtape' for masking which is supposed to be really good stuff, but it turns out that it isn't suited to modelling. It doesn't stick down very well so I got a bit of bleeding under the tape, but then it also pulled off some of the decal stripes, probably because I didn't Clear Coat the shell before the decals. That required the application of a second set of decal stripes in some areas, which I decided required a coat of Testors Clear Coat before the decals, and then another coat of Dullcoat after the decals. Then, to add insult to injury, I had to touch up the maroon paint but the paint unfortunately is glossy (Trueline) so then comes another light spray of Dullcoat. Its a wonder that the whole thing isn't one great big blob! But heck, look at the bright side - all that paint just adds more weight! I really do have some learning to do! Any suggestions?
Nice work, Dave: all that sound out of a vehicle that size---and appropriate, too! Reminded me a bit of a diorama display at the Wisconsin State Fair, in West Allis, WI, back in the '40s. It was a beautiful depiction of the growth of a small town, from the 19th century into the 20th. The action started with a voice-over, telling us about this little hamlet, and as a grade-schooler, I was amazed when horses pulling wagons moved down the little streets, powered somehow from underneath, through slots. The buildings would flip over as the town was "modernized," and suddenly there was a racket from it, causing my dad to ask, "What the heck is that?" Suddenly one of my older brothers yelled, "Look, coming down the street!"
The horses and buggies had been replaced my horsepower: a tiny Model T Ford bustled down the the street---to appropriate 4-cylinder sound. Again, nice work!
Deano
Thanks Deano
That diorama would be neat to see. Obviously given the technology at the time it would have taken a fair bit of modelling skill to make it work. If they could do it then, we must be able to do it now. Hmmm....
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Bear! Give me a break eh! That's the only decent clear space I have right now to take a video. However, my son has started to talk about buying a house, so at least we are moving in a positive direction regarding getting some free space in the garage for a layout.
Now, if you looked very carefully at the background in the video you would have noticed the chianti bottles and grapes in the wallpaper. No, I don't intend to have wine bottles on my backdrop, but hey, maybe a wine bottle holder along side the throttle stand on the fascia wouldn't be too bad an idea!
Seriously - thanks for your comment.
P.S. You should visit the praries sometime. They aren't as flat as you might imagine. Just don't do it in mosquito season!
Dave,
Pics look pretty good, even with your troubles with the painting. I hear Tamiya is good stuff, but haven't tried their masking tape. Kinda pricey like the primer, but worth it I'm sure. hey, my wife is going to Japan next week. Maybe I should ask her to bring me some back?
Video didn't work, but I'm sure it's me not you. This box is struggling.
The BullAnt would be the way to go. Mine has the newer OEM motor and is pretty light on its feet even after I stuffed lead in everyhwere except filling the cab. Everyone should have one, as it's a relatively easy build IMO to give you confidence you can really think small...until you started stuffing sound in that is
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I think that little loco is real neat, so was the movie!
Wolfgang's work continues to be an inspiration.
Thanks and regards, Peter
Hi Mike
I'm sorry you can't get the video to work. Can you normally view videos on Youtube? If so, you might be able to find it there.
The 25 tonner is a little lighter than I would like it to be but there just isn't any more space left inside as you can see. It weighs just over 3 oz.
I had to put a cover over the flywheel. The wiring is glued to the cover and the speakers are glued to the wiring. I know that it is bad practise to glue that stuff down but there was no other way to keep it all in place.
I forgot to take pictures of the wiring, but it isn't a very pretty sight.
Peter:
Thanks for your kind words.
PatrickM
Thanks for your comments on the critter.
Wolfgang died August 25, 2012. He had cancer.
His website is still up but the videos no longer work. However, apparently they are still available on Youtube I believe.
By the way, welcome to the forums!
For those who are not familiar with the Grandt Line GE 25 ton switcher, here is a comparison shot taken along with an FP9:
Nice work Dave. That is great modeling: sound, paint and decaling.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
Thanks Guy
I have to say that I could do better on the paint. There are too many coats so all the nice detail that Grandt Line puts into the model is somewhat obscured. I'm still learning to use my airbrush properly too, and the Testors Glosscote and Dullcote spray cans spray at about the same rate as a fire hose.