Stewartstown 10 (was "Stripping Bachmann 44 Tonners")

[peteski]

I'm basing this on old art principles.  Vertical stripes on a short wall will make the wall feel taller. Horizontal stripes on a short wall will make the wall feel wider.  This principle can work against you if you, say, do horizontal stripes down a hallway.  That would make the long space feel even longer.

Yup, same theory works with people's clothing (usually applied to women's clothing). Vertical striped dress will make one look taller and slimmer and horizontal striped dress makes one look shorter and "fuller figured".   

[nickelplate759]

Yup, same theory works with people's clothing (usually applied to women's clothing). Vertical striped dress will make one look taller and slimmer and horizontal striped dress makes one look shorter and "fuller figured".   

Not just women's clothing, thus the classic pinstripe men's suit.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Sure, but as I mentioned, etched metal version would have much thinner walls which would be quite sturdy.

I feel like it'd be tough to get the curves right though.

I'd LOVE to get my hands on a 3D printed replacement cab. I'd swap this one out in a MINUTE.

[Jim Starbuck]

A printed cab would be outstanding.
Could the shell thickness be reduced just back from the window opening slightly?  It seems like it wouldn’t take much to give the illusion of a thin cab wall. I think the Wheels of Time H10-44 used this technique to allow the laser cut window glazing to be closer to the outside surface.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

A printed cab would be outstanding.
Could the shell thickness be reduced just back from the window opening slightly?  It seems like it wouldn’t take much to give the illusion of a thin cab wall. I think the Wheels of Time H10-44 used this technique to allow the laser cut window glazing to be closer to the outside surface.

I've always wondered about that. I can imagine it'd be tough to injection mold something that comes to a point at window openeings, but with 3D printing that might not be as much of a challenge.

I really need to find a place to safely set up my resin printer in my house.

[wazzou]

The lack of taper on the hood is also a major bummer.
The model is like a whack-a-mole of issues.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think that pilot looked “too big,” because it was unpainted bright white styrene.  Once painted, I think that effect was lost.  I’d suggest doing it again with the square pilot, but, truthfully, few will probably notice with it painted in that dark color.

DFF

Yup. You're right

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[Ed Kapuscinski]

As if I need any more proof of the elite level of @Jim Starbuck s skills:
I broke the headlight LED leads monkeying with the thing. I don't know HOW he deals with those little magnet wire LEDs, but he deserves even more respect for doing so.

I replaced the busted one with something from my stash and had to solder the thing a bunch of times while making sure I got it right.

Jim has the patience of a SAINT!

[randgust]

If you go to the Atlas Wayback machine, I 'think' it was Ron Beardon that first figured out how to use a Kato 11-105 chassis to make a 44-tonner.  That was like what, 2002 maybe?  He'd roughed his out in styrene.   I immediately got a chassis and tried it myself, using the Kato 3.5V motor remounted on edge to clear the hood, scratchbuilt the entire body, and with .020 styrene sides I could make it scale sized.  Did the handrails all in brass wire.  The big advantage in styrene was I could laminate up the cab from thin sections and get both the windows and cab contours right, it's seamless.  My gripes about the Bachmann were all about the design.   They literally took the HO one (that had a removable cab roof) and made it N scale, flaws and all.  It actually could have had a proper narrow hood, fit the motor, AND had the proper roof contours without that seam.  The frame is wider than the motor! Bang head here.   The Bachmann mechanism is amazing, I'll give you that.   I have the mech in my resin 70-tonner.  It's basically the Kato 12V motor with a double-ended shaft and worms on it.

Mine predated the Bachmann a good five years, before I learned to resin cast.  I replaced the Kato motor with a Faulhaber (no gearhead), and discovered the flaws of series resistor speed dropping the hard way.   Deathly quiet, but hard to control, no torque, poor slow speed.  Finally replaced the Faulhaber with a 12V Kato motor and one of my now-extinct 4.1:1 Gizmoszone gearheads, that was freakin' awesome and is still in it.
My scratchbuilt one:  Link:  http://www.randgust.com/GE44ton21_medium.jpg
I painted it up in Santa Fe, put LED headlights in it, it's still a honey today.

I can't remember who did one in etched brass, but yeah, the thickness and windows spot on, but the roof and hood was quite 'edgy', also on a Kato drive.
44-tonners like the 10 are getting really, really rare because of the Cat D17000 engine parts 'uniqueness'.   Those that have been rebuilt with anything else stuffed under the hoods are doing quite well.  The originality of the STEW unit is amazing, I've been all over it, it's a running museum.  I still got to play with Timber Heritage's unit in Samoa, on 1:1 snap track.  Enjoy, I did.

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[Jim Starbuck]

As if I need any more proof of the elite level of @Jim Starbuck s skills:
I broke the headlight LED leads monkeying with the thing. I don't know HOW he deals with those little magnet wire LEDs, but he deserves even more respect for doing so.

I replaced the busted one with something from my stash and had to solder the thing a bunch of times while making sure I got it right.

Jim has the patience of a SAINT!

Haha! Thanks Ed, I’m glad you got it fixed. The magnet wire is just like any other learned skill in the hobby. The more you do it the easier (or more possible) it gets.

Thanks for the way back on the Atlas board Randy!
I had forgotten about early attempts at a 44 Tonner. I also forget the guy that developed the etched brass shell but I used to check the website every day as they were listed as out of stock or available soon in hopes of one appearing.
That was about 2007 or 2008 then someone started selling resin castings on EBay and I got one. I got it as far as fit up on the 11-105 chassis with the motor turned to fit the hood. Probably following Ron’s build and I think @Chris333 was also working on one and had cast narrow hoods and side frame overlays for the Kato trucks. I also cut the floor out of the Kato chassis and inlaid a TCS M1 decoder which was about as small as they came at the time. It was running pretty well and even had lights and couplers when Bachmann announced theirs and I abandoned the build. I’ve still got it but I couldn’t find it earlier today. That would count as my first ever critter build.

Jim

[kiwi_al]

Did someone mention the old Atlas Board and the 44 tonner project!!! 

I found this, I was always troubled by the state of the side windows from the casting. From memory I think I ended up with 4 shells with two being kinda usable.

[Jim Starbuck]

That’s the one.
Small Scale Logistics was the one that offered the etched brass kit. I never saw one in the wild but it made for a lot of discussion on the forums.
So Ed, have we sufficiently detailed your thread on #10 with all things 44 Tonner?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That’s the one.
Small Scale Logistics was the one that offered the etched brass kit. I never saw one in the wild but it made for a lot of discussion on the forums.
So Ed, have we sufficiently detailed your thread on #10 with all things 44 Tonner?

Nope! I love it!

But, just for the obligatory "One in ten posts is on topic", here's another video of her.

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I'm really not happy with the brightness of the headlight up front. The LED is nice and bright but I think I need to do a better job of aiming the stem of the fiber optic I installed as a lens. I'll get some better photos in a bit.