44 Tonner

[Chris333]

I stretched my frame way before I even thought of couplers :-[  It might be closer, but is not perfect. The Kato truck wheelbase is a tad off too from the prototype. If I remember my thinking back then, it was the longer frame would help the trucks not looks as bad. Who knows why I did it.

If you look at Randy's photo, you can't really tell he didn't stretch his.

But if I had this cast resin body in the mail I wouldn't worry about it till it was in my hands. Along with the chassis. For all we know the shell was made to fit the chassis.

The powered truck comes apart into a bunch of pieces. I had it cut down till the only thing sticking out was the gears teeth and even then I had to cut the back off of a 903's box, and even then had to file the lid of the box way down.

A real 44T is 18'9" bolster to bolster and 6'10" axle to axle in each truck.

[up1950s]

Other dimensions are
25'7" o/s axle to o/s axle span
11'11" i/s axle to i/s axle span

The person can be eMailed from eBay . Search his handle in the eBay feedback forum as given on page 1 of this thread . From there you can eMail him a question .

[randgust]

I was running the 44-tonner and the Class A climax last night - to evaluate the difference between the 'original' 3.5v and the new 12v. motor.

The 12v is noisier, slightly.  But the handling - that original resistor had such an impact on the torque.  The 44-tonner wants to accelerate like a rocket once it gets its momentum up - very hard to control.  The 12v. motor is steady as a rock and easily goes to full slip without throttle adjustment.

The difference is so stunning that I think I'm going to replace the motor.  I don't think I can jam in an 0816 Faulhaber, but the new critter motor should work in it just fine, and get rid of that resistor at the same time.

What still impresses me about the critters is how well they keep electrical contact for such a tiny wheelbase.  I've never seen anything like it.  That 'independent suspension' with the loose axle end cups and the ear contacts is just the best all-time pickup system ever invented, period.  That's what makes these so special.

[up1950s]

So the 12 volt is better ?

[tom mann]

Tom mann,
do you have a source for the Arcade and Atica decals, This was one of my ideas to one for
Arcade and one for the NKP.

I have the book Arcade and Atica RR. If you need pics let me know I can scan them.

Ron N.

No, I don't.  This is the first I've heard of the AARR.  I like the paint scheme due to it's strong MILW RD resemblance.

Somebody with an alps may be able to help.

[SirTainly]

.

[randgust]

Well, Richie, when I first put a brand-new 11-105 on the track, it buzzed and rattled its way down and I sorta moaned and felt ill, because I realized they'd done SOMETHING to the critter and I didn't particularly like it.

After you load it up with weight, it is just about as deathly-silent as the original one.  But now it has some torque, which the original was lacking so badly that's what motivated me to put the Faulhaber 1016 in the Shay.  The Faulhaber-equipped ones still put the Kato motor to shame, but the new motor isn't so bad you just have to replace it to make it usable.   Running the first mechanism under load on a grade was like having the worst momentum throttle in the world in your hand.

Better? I think that's a matter of opinion... I did love the absolute quiet of the first one, but about the time you actually have to switch a few cars with it, you're the one making the noise, so it probably is better with the  12v.

[up1950s]

Thanks Randy , I have one of each . I ordered another 12V for this project . I will use the older one for a less worthy project . Works out better to have the resistor version in a unit with more room anyway .

[bsoplinger]

No, I don't.  This is the first I've heard of the AARR.  I like the paint scheme due to it's strong MILW RD resemblance.

Somebody with an alps may be able to help.

Umm, was that blurry, impossible to read the road name on the picture in orange and black the AARR in question? If so, I think it'd be no trouble to use an ALPS to make decals for the engine, they looked like rather simple white lettering.

A much better photo would be needed or great latitude in accepting whatever gets printed as the output  :-\

[tom mann]

Since I'm doing three of these, I still need to find other nice attractive schemes.

MEC:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=251097

Claremont and Concord:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=15608
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=15598 (cool blue scheme)

Arcata and Mad River:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=176769

FDDM:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=15598

MILW (hold the phone, I didn't know they had any):
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=354247
good comment on the MILW:  Depends on who you ask, but this might be the very first GE 44 tonner; pics of this unit were used in all GE's ads and press releases. Serial 12909, delivered 9/14/40 as MILW 1690, later 1699, then 990, traded to EMD 1967, scrapped at Pielet. Should have gone to a museum!

[randgust]

Tom, Arcata & Mad River 101 is alive and well and back in Humboldt Co., recently donated to the Timber Heritage Museum in Eureka, for planned excursion service.  They just got it fired up and operational again a couple months ago.

A couple of my favorites are on tourist railroads - other than the Arcade & Attica:

Conway Scenics:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=40407

Valley Railroad/Connecticut Eastern RR museum:
http://www.cteastrrmuseum.org/images/inventory/ge44a.jpg

And, of course, the only surviving ATSF GE 44-tonner, #460 (not operational) Midland Railroad (Baldwin City, KS)
http://midland-ry.org/midland/images/engines/GE_460.jpg

[Chris333]

I saw this one owned by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad last year up by Cleveland:

http://www.cvsr.com/roster.shtml

[Ian MacMillan]

Conway repainted theirs years ago into BM/MEC black,

[railspike55]

Found this forum on the Arcade .... for your injoyment!

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=142&sid=6a7afa1dd4eb7e947766fd7b4c21aeab

Ron N.

[bsoplinger]

Since you're asking for other nice schemes now, I'll add in my $0.02  :

Lehigh Valley, from the NE railfan site: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/lv61.jpg and another non GE 44 tonner showing the scheme better: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/lv123a.jpg

They're B&W photos, but the loco was in a bright almost caboose red, the stripes and top were yellow with a black outline on the stripes, it looks similar in style to the BM/MEC pictures. And the good news is that Microscale makes decals in this scheme.