44 Tonner

[SirTainly]

OK! you guys are good! But right now I these window opening to tend to and all my stuff is too
big to get in those openigs. I thought about just blowing away the two middle supports and replace them.

What files or sanding tools do you use. And where did you get them.

Thanks for any help for this.

Ron

Needle files should be what you need, and a fine Xacto blade.  I got mine from Mainly Trains here in the UK but I suspect you can find a stockist closer.

[up1950s]

Filling the arc's on the sides of the frames proved to be a stupid idea . So I ground a notch with a large cut off wheel . I then added .030 x .060 plastic lying flat to the sides and top . These are over sized but of all the plastic I have , it will do . It just takes a 45 seconds per frame to grind them down to the final dimensions needed once the glue dries . These are glued to a piece of paper , which just makes this whole process easier . The paper will be filed off later . After this is sized correctly I add the thin stripes at the bottom of the frames below the journal area . I use .010 x .030 for that , and no filing is needed as the frames are about .030 thick . I will still need to add the beam thingy on the top center of the frames , but as of yet I haven't looked into it .

[lne]

Chris, I have one of the sideframes that I have yet to apply to my project 44-tonner if that will help, I will send it to you.

[tom mann]

A couple of things bothered me so far:

1.  The wheelbase is noticeably too short.
2.  The ride height is too high.
3.  Couplers are a tight squeeze.
4.  The frame is difficult to work with.

I decided to fix all three:




Lowering the body allows the coupler boxes to rise (due to the coupler height requirement), so they fit mostly over the axles.  The weight is from a LL E-8.  I think it's lead, and it brings the weight to just over 1oz.  The new frame allows for a lot of weight down low.



In this photo, you can see the new frame made from an I-beam.  Since there is no frame over the pickups, the wipers are installed on the body, an idea I borrowed from the LL SW series.  The motor sits in the same position relative to the worm gear that it did with the stock frame (now shavings and dust) so I didn't have to extend the drive shaft.


I don't have wires from the pickups to the motor yet, but a test run with wires sent in through the cab shows I didn't ruin anything.   It runs smooth, and the 1oz of weight allows for a smooth, slow start.  There is room for probably another 1oz of weight, so the total weight could be more than the Atlas MP15.

Stay cool and go nuts from breathing in lead shavings...

[up1950s]

Wow , thats some serious surgery Dr. Tom . Looks great .

[Chris333]

Total crap! 

I bet you wont put it in the microwave ;D

[tom mann]

Total crap! 

I bet you wont put it in the microwave ;D

Any tips to get my windows looking better?

[Chris333]

Any tips to get my windows looking better?

You might want to try one of those rotating plates for even cooking.

I just picked away at mine with an Xacto knife, the hole are too small for any file I have. The front and back came out nice, but the sides...not so good.

I would try to cut out the center post and back it with a piece of styrene with the 2 center windows in it. The center windows are inset on the prototype. Perhaps they slide behind the outer windows? and you could just model it in the open position.

I have a way to hide part of mine: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/erie26b.jpg

[up1950s]

The first attempt at mounting the sideframes .
Good thing .... It fills the gap .

Bad thing .... It almost touches the rail and the sill , I will have to reduce its overall height by removing the plastic shim at the top and remounting the sideframe to give more room .
 
Bad thing .... It looks like it is a retrofitted 5 foot gauge Russian truck because even after filing the OEM sideframes down till I could see through the plastic at the cup journals , the result is the laminated sideframes now are just about at sill width . I don't want to mess with the running qualities of the OEM trucks , so I think I will just live with "WIDE FOOT" till somebody produces a 44 tonner .

[up1950s]

Ok , I removed the added filler piece at the top of the truck , to reduce its overall height . There is now enough room for movement above and below the sideframe . This is now good enough for me , and I will now do the other powered truck . The thing at the top of the truck is a slice of 1/8 Plastruc H beam with 2 legs cut off .

[randgust]

Richie, I think those sideframes look pretty good.  Everything you do on a Kato Critter is going to be 'widefoot'.  If you file the sideframes thinner than the cup holes you're asking for trouble, trust me.   All my sideframes are wide and nobody's every said much of anything about it.

On the windows - here's how I did mine.  The primary cab window opening is minus the center vertical member.  The side windows slide inside on a track, they should be inset, not flush:



I'd cut the whole thing out and put a window assembly on the inside, myself, made out of strip styrene.

The transplant of the Faulhaber 0816 into mine went wonderfully.  Lots of room for the 8mm motor.  I left it on the resistor, so now I have great slow speed and much better torque.   The 1016 won't fit, but the 0816 (8v) will.

[up1950s]

Well , theres the both trucks for better or worse .

[up1950s]

I just ordered some Atlas Trainmaster handrails . Those will do much of the railing . I will only have to do the 2 angle rails at the cab , and all the step rails . The step rail are thinner than the walkway rails , so the change in size will be normal . This will save me loads of work that has always come out less than desirable for me . It will allow some flexibility , and replace ability . The spacing on the long hood of the Trainmaster is very close .370 ish both on the trainmaster rails at the raised part under the radiators and the GE 44 ton . I think this will work . Time will tell .



The underlined red area is what I think will work

EDIT , I later found out that the straight Trainmaster handrail set is a bit better .

[randgust]

Here's the modified 'first generation' 3.5v 11-105 that is my 44-tonner.  I finally replaced the original low-torque motor with a Faulhaber 0816 (8mm x 16mm) 8-volt motor from The Motorman.

I left the resistor in, which does wonders for the slow speed control on those usually 'hot' motors.  It's now just as quiet; just about 3-times the torque and half as fast.

The motor mount is a piece of brass tubing, held on the original frame with a 00-90 screw that comes up through the center of the bolster, drilled and tapped into the brass tubing, and the excess screw cut off and filed smooth with an abrasive disk.  The motor is goo'ed to the chunk of tubing, making the whole works removable to get at the board and contacts.  I also put a 00-90 screw through the circuit board into the frame now that the side supports no longer hold it.





For the record, I would have jumped on that resin shell in a heartbeat rather than scratchbuild the whole thing.....  But what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger, right?

[Chris333]

Richie,
Those sideframes ain't to shabby!