Great Northern W-1 Heavy Electric

[UP4-8-8-4]

Built Shapeways GN W-1 using the Broadway Limited Centipede chassis.

W-1 shell also comes with all driver & end truck side covers & end pilots.

Since the W-1 is longer than the Centipede I had to extend the end trucks to fit the W-1 sides.
Also drilled new holes farther out for end truck lengths, but retained the original mounting holes to factory chassis.




Both colors applied.



Finished W-1.

[Philip H]

I don't care what anyone says that's hawt! Got catenary to run it under?

[SD452XR]

Wow. That is sweet. 

[peteski]

Wow!  Nice!

Does it still have the original Centipede decoder and it sounds like a Diesel?    Just kidding. 

[GN Fan]

I am DROOLING!!  Great looking project.  I have wanted one for forever.  Now I will have to get the shell and chassis.

Tom Todd
GN Fan

[nkalanaga]

"driver & end truck"

The W-1s were probably unique among similar electrics, and diesels, in that all axles were powered.  The Centipedes, and MILW's Little Joes, had 2-D+D-2 chassis.  The W-1s were B-D+D-B, which would probably be very hard to model in N scale.  O, maybe, as one can get motors small enough to use as real traction motors.

In any case, a very nice model of what was probably the largest single-unit electric ever built.

Are those working pantographs?  If so, where did you find them?  Or did you build them?

[peteski]

Are those working pantographs?  If so, where did you find them?  Or did you build them?

They appear to be Kato GG1 pantos (non-working any unsprung). But nevertheless, very nice looking.

[UP4-8-8-4]

I do have plenty of catenary poles that I need to install on some track sections. My GG1's & "Little Joe's" as well as this W-1 do look better under the wire.
The W-1 is pre-drilled for use with the Kato pantographs as are both my Shapeways versions of the 'Little Joe's", which will use Kato GG-1 chassis w/free rolling drivers on each end after end truck stretch.
Have small springs to install so the Kato  pantographs will operate on the W-1, my Kato GG-1's and Shapeways "Little Joe" conversions.
All my Arnold GG-1's as well as my brass GG-1 and brass "Little Joe" already have sprung pantographs.

And am trying to decide a way to rid the Centipede chassis of the engine sound but keep the horn.

[UP4-8-8-4]

I am DROOLING!!  Great looking project.  I have wanted one for forever.  Now I will have to get the shell and chassis.

Tom Todd
GN Fan

It is a fun build.
A lot of conversions need to be made for the Centipede chassis to work, but well worth it.
As far as the yellow pin-stripes between colors. I applied around 35 separate pieces on each side to make all the small curves, etc.
I got two sets of Microscale decals of Great Northern #60-45 and one set of #60-815 for the Orange/Green paint scheme.
I did take step by step pictures as I went.
I did post pictures of the W-1 on Shapeways site.
Am working on a photo album as well as directions for conversion to send to Shapeways as they want to print it.

[peteski]

Have small springs to install so the Kato  pantographs will operate on the W-1, my Kato GG-1's and Shapeways "Little Joe" conversions.

And am trying to decide a way to rid the Centipede chassis of the engine sound but keep the horn.

How are you planning on equalizing the Kato pantographs so they don't lean backwards when rubbing against the overhead wire?  Those pantographs are so well made and good looking - it really is too bad that Karo didn't make them functional.

As far as the sound goes, I have not looked at the BLI manual but most sound decoders have volume controls for each sound effect, so you should be able to set the engine sound volume to zero.

[UP4-8-8-4]

How are you planning on equalizing the Kato pantographs so they don't lean backwards when rubbing against the overhead wire?  Those pantographs are so well made and good looking - it really is too bad that Karo didn't make them functional.

As far as the sound goes, I have not looked at the BLI manual but most sound decoders have volume controls for each sound effect, so you should be able to set the engine sound volume to zero.

As far as placing micro springs on the pantographs, I have several ideas, just need to take time.
Too bad Kato didn't take a better look at the way Arnold made them.

Thanks, will see if I can get the sound off.

[peteski]

All the photographs Kato makes, both for domestic (Japanese) prototype and for U.S. prototypes are just static models. They have stiff enough joints to stay in whatever position you place them in, but that's all.

I agree with you that it really is too bad that they did not go the extra step and made their pantographs operational. Even if they did not pick up electricity.

There are few models where Kato used functional pantographs, but those models were commissioned by Hobbytrain/Lemke (European model manufacturer). I suspect those pantographs were standard off-the-shelf European-made pantographs used by the other European manufacturers.  I think that there is a single company which makes majority of pantographs for the European N scale market. I base this assumption on my observation that many models from various European manufacturers use what looks like identical pantographs.

[mmagliaro]

This is really really good! 

You know, when I was looking at your photos, at first I thought something was wrong with the way the engine truck side frames stick out further along the sides than the pilot truck frames.  But not knowing anything about this prototype, I looked at some prototype photos before I shot my mouth off, and no, the prototype looked exactly like that!  You have it quite correct, sir!

The paint and striping on the body are super neat, smooth, and clean.  Very nice job.

[nkalanaga]

Yes, Kato's are nice pans, but not much use under wire.  Maybe someday we'll have working American prototypes.

Sommerfeldt, the catenary folks, used to make several styles of N pans.  They probably still do, but I wouldn't have any idea where to find them in the US.  Unfortunately, they were all too small for GN and MILW use, as they won't reach scale height wires.  The single-arm pans are probably usable for the Northeast Corridor.

My Kato electrics have Overland pans, extras I bought with their Little Joes.  They still won;t reach quite as high as I'd like, as the don't have the vertical range of the MILW prototypes, but they will reach the MILW's 24 ft wire height - barely.  On the little Joe they won't reach 25 ft, so all of my wire had to be readjusted to make sure none of it was over standard.  The MILW's maximum working wire height was 26 ft, and the pans could physically reach at least 28.  My wires aren't live, but it looks a little funny when the contacts are a foot below the wire...

A pair of those Overland pans cost almost as much as the motor they're on.

[UP4-8-8-4]

Here's a place to get all types of pantographs.
From what I can tell is their used on foreign engines.
But still plan to order several different types just to see how they will work.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Kato-N-Scale-Model-Railroad-Parts-and-Spares/180254/bn_1644225/i.html?_trksid=p2045573.m2388