ATSF 3460 Blue Goose Build

[carlso]

Looking good, J.

carl

[victor miranda]

you are using Kato's gs-4 motor?

victor

[superturbine]

Yes victor,

It's a driver reduced GS-4 mechanism.

[victor miranda]

Hi Jason,
the motor has a lot of merit, good power and small size.
I was thinking when you started, that finding a motor to fit in there
would be  a challenge.

victor

[superturbine]

Your exactly right Victor.  That motor has been a life saver on multiple builds!!

[peteski]

When I originally disassembled my Kato GS-4 I was really surprised with the motor.  At a first glance it looked like the regular Kato motor but then I realized that Kato shrunk the standard motor and used the rare-earth magnets.  Those motors are cat's meow!

[mmagliaro]

Jason,
Very nice.
Did you cut a section out of the GS-4 frame and then splice it all back together to end up with 3 drivers?
Got any step-by-step photos on that?  That would be something to see!

[draskouasshat]

There's no frame splicing max. I'm pretty sure he followed what I had done to build a santa fe big Hudson. You just pull the 4th driver and cut the material until you can fit the trailing truck farther forward. Then you just cut off the unneeded rear section of the frame around the screw hole. It's actually pretty well balanced one you do this and it should pull pretty well.

[peteski]

There's no frame splicing max. I'm pretty sure he followed what I had done to build a santa fe big Hudson. You just pull the 4th driver and cut the material until you can fit the trailing truck farther forward. Then you just cut off the unneeded rear section of the frame around the screw hole. It's actually pretty well balanced one you do this and it should pull pretty well.

That makes sense!  On the Kato GS-4 the 4th axle is basically cosmetic.  The loco basically rides on the 1st and 3rd set of drivers. Others are there just for show.  That is the revolutionary design Kato came up with to be able to get maximum pulling ability.

[superturbine]

Yes, that is exactly what was done.  So far in my test the engine pulls as well as a GS4

[mmagliaro]

Ha!  OF COURSE!  Just didn't think about hacking the back off to get rid of one driver.

So Jason, just how big are those Hiawatha drivers?  There is a little space between the Kato
drivers, and since the bigger ones are only 84" vs 80", perhaps they would actually fit if they could be
put onto the Kato axles.  It really all comes down to particulars - just how big are the Kato flanges,
is there any breathing room in there that would allow a slightly larger driver to fit, maybe by thinning the brake show
detail or replacing the brakes with GMM brass?   I know when I moved a driver on my 4-6-2, I had
to cut down the Kato C55 flanges a little so they wouldn't hit.  Are the GS-4 flanges big enough that they
could be trimmed down to give you more room?

[Cajonpassfan]

Max, if you go to the top of page 3, you'll find my theory.... and dimensions. The FVM wheels are perfect for a 84" drivered big Hudson, both design and size, the trick would be to turn down the flanges while making the engine stay on the rails, and fit the FVM wheels on the thicker plastic ConCor axle. One would have to drill out the FVM plastic wheel center and put a brass collar on the axle between the wheel and the gear to fit into the CC frame. And then there's the question of pickup... There is no electrical connection between the rims and the axle... A pickup  wiper of some sort would be required, or a piece of wire soldered from the backside of the rims to the collar. And then there is the clunky CC valve gear which would need to be adapted to work with the FVM wheels...
Other than that, a piece of cake....
Regards, Otto K.

[superturbine]

epiphany...... (from the ancient Greekἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, "manifestation, striking appearance") is an experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally the term is used to describe scientific breakthrough, religious or philosophical discoveries, but it can apply in any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective.


STILL WAITING!

[Cajonpassfan]

Huh??
I used to date a girl of that name.... No wait, that was Tiffany. Never mind
Otto K.

[glakedylan]

January 6th, each year! (an epiphany, that is)

 

Gary