Weekend Update 12/19/21

[sirenwerks]

Sirenwerks:  Nope, just some sheet metal on a standard MILW boxcab, and they only did one end.  The other still looks like it did in the teens.  It was intended to replace the Westinghouse passenger motors, and allow the two passenger Little Joes to go to freight service.  As a passenger motor it wasn't really successful.  On even a 1% grade it could only do 35 mph, and couldn't make the schedule.

Eventually diesels took over the one remaining passenger train, and the two converted motors, E22AB and E23AB, were coupled back-to-back to make one freight motor, with a streamlined cab on both ends.

There's nice section on them in Noel Holley's book on the Milwaukee Electrics.

As much as I like Japanese design, a Little Joe in Armour yellow would have been more pleasing.  Buy my favorite freak electric is still GN 5011, like a baby faced hunchback.

[nkalanaga]

I have a Kato EF-58 with two Bachmann F-unit cabs, inspired by the GN 5011, in MILW paint.  It doesn't look bad, but I suspect that the MILW would have bought motors with shorter truck wheelbases, if they had bought more.  The Joes didn't particularly like the sharper curves.

That's the advantage of my new model.  Using the same traction motors, it would have the same horsepower as a Joe, has all of its weight on the drivers, and is more flexible.  I could see it starting out as a boxcab, similar to the BA&P motors, before it was semi-streamlined.

[bbussey]

Getting a 3D printer means lining up stuff to print after I get it set up, and pushing forward on models that there was no incentive to finish without a decent output option.  Among the projects is Conrail 10 four-axle version from the OCS.  I'm roughly following MTL heavyweight specs.  But no need for a separate underbody and false floor, so the interior will have a floor height that's lower than the standard MTL floor.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[robert3985]

I did some horse-trading last week and these showed up yesterday! BLMA 150' UP Truss Bridges which will be a centerpiece on my Devil's Slide LDE.  These are very close to the twin bridges which cross the Weber River at Devil's Slide, and I'll be making a few modifications to them after I strip them down to bare brass after the first of the year.

Photo (1) - BLMA Brass 150' UP Truss Bridges for my Devil's Slide LDE:


Need to find another horse trade for two more bridges for my Taggarts LDE...

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Buy my favorite freak electric is still GN 5011, like a baby faced hunchback.

Oh man, I love it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76677346@N04/40737847814

[davefoxx]

Oh man, I love it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76677346@N04/40737847814

Nice!  But, what is that appliance on the nose?

DFF

[wazzou]

Nice!  But, what is that appliance on the nose?

DFF

Samsung Side by Side Refrigerator.   

[nkalanaga]

Bus bar support.  All of the Ys had them but on the boxcab version they were simple square boxes with a sprung bar and contact shoe inside, mounted on the roof.  On the 5011, the springs and bus bar were in the open, mounted on top of this support

In this picture, it appears that the bar has been removed, or not installed yet, and only the supporting box is there.  It only had that box, and bus bar, on one end, so had to be either the leading or trailing unit, if three units were coupled.  I wonder if this was taken while the motors were being prepared fo shipping to Pennsylvania, after the GN ended electric operations?  The PRR didn't use the bus bars.

The motors were designed to be run separately, unlike the MILW boxcabs, but also had MU capability.  The GN added these so that one pantograph could power multiple units, rather than every unit having to have its own raised.  Usually,  the front and rear pans were raised, regardless of how many units.  With three  units, the middle unit relied on the bus bars for power.  Bus cables, such as the MILW boxcabs used, would be too inconvenient to have to connect/disconnect every time the consist changed.

[PiperguyUMD]

I’m in danger of finishing a project! WM Baldwin VO660 #103. The shell is essentially finished. I was hoping to finish today but discovered that I’ll need some smaller LEDs for the headlights. I’ll take care of the lenses once the LEDs are in. Also some quirky things to work out with the decoder, but at the end of the day, she’s running!

Two things that I’m exceptionally happy with are the front grill, and the cab windows. I made the grill out of wire mesh cut to fit into recesses in the shell. The windows I printed in clear resin, then wet polished to 10,000 grit. They’re held in place by pledge floor polish.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Very late to the show.

I have been looking at the Atlas ACF flush deck 89' flat. These were manufactured with the coupler mounting pin set too far back and as a result, the stuck Accumate couplers will not swivel enough to clear any type of curve whatsoever. I initially replaced these with the medium shank EZ-MATE couplers as they were a drop in fit and worked. But they are also huge and look awful.

So here is my first attempt at making MTL couplers fit.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
Mounting bracket made out of.02" brass sheet.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
The mounting pocket.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I'm using longer shank T couplers here with the bracket set back in the pocket. The would allow the spring to be glued to the coupler post. This also keeps the coupler from flexing up. A lip on the brass bracket keeps the coupler from sagging down.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
And here is the installation. It fits. It works. And it is completely impractical. This took me 45 minutes to fabricate with four revisions already under my belt. This would work if it was etched. But right now, I'm going back to the EZ-MATE and calling it a day.

[GaryHinshaw]

Nice job Daniel.  But you so need a 3d printer for tasks like this.  Draw it up, run a test print, tweak the design, then print a whole fleet's worth to your exacting specifications.  All in an evening. 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Nice job Daniel.  But you so need a 3d printer for tasks like this.  Draw it up, run a test print, tweak the design, then print a whole fleet's worth to your exacting specifications.  All in an evening. 

I wish I could, but I have no ability to design on the computer. I wish I did. I've tried several programs and I just don't get it.

Oh Bryan, any chance I could get my hands on an OCS 10, and whatever other cars you end up making?

[peteski]

Very late to the show.

I have been looking at the Atlas ACF flush deck 89' flat. These were manufactured with the coupler mounting pin set too far back and as a result, the stuck Accumate couplers will not swivel enough to clear any type of curve whatsoever. I initially replaced these with the medium shank EZ-MATE couplers as they were a drop in fit and worked. But they are also huge and look awful.
. . .
I'm using longer shank T couplers here with the bracket set back in the pocket. The would allow the spring to be glued to the coupler post. This also keeps the coupler from flexing up. A lip on the brass bracket keeps the coupler from sagging down.
. . .
And here is the installation. It fits. It works. And it is completely impractical. This took me 45 minutes to fabricate with four revisions already under my belt. This would work if it was etched. But right now, I'm going back to the EZ-MATE and calling it a day.

That is a clever solution. Too bad it is so time consuming.  I also don't  much like the T-shank MTL couplers because they seem to have too much vertical flop. The like to uncouple under load (one goes over or under the other one.  Standard (slinky) shanks are much more stable).

It would be nice if you could just mill out the slot in top and bottom of the draft gear box to accept the standard MTL shanks with their little nubs, but that would require a milling machine and some sort of a jig to make the process repeatable.  Too bad  Atlas didn't mold those slots into their draft gear box.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

That is a clever solution. Too bad it is so time consuming.  I also don't  much like the T-shank MTL couplers because they seem to have too much vertical flop. The like to uncouple under load (one goes over or under the other one.  Standard (slinky) shanks are much more stable).

It would be nice if you could just mill out the slot in top and bottom of the draft gear box to accept the standard MTL shanks with their little nubs, but that would require a milling machine and some sort of a jig to make the process repeatable.  Too bad  Atlas didn't mold those slots into their draft gear box.

Something like this?
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
It works, but still a lot of fussy bits to carve by hand. This would lend itself well to etching. In fact, I could probably use the same parts for the Athearn cars as the coupler boxes are almost identical.

This is only a proof of concept. The coupler can sit too high. I have to shave about half the height of the upper centering pin. The cover is too thin and flops around like a dead fish. BUT... it works. I think if I remove the inner bevel on the lid and use thicker styrene on both the lid and the shim, it might both lower the coupler enough and provide clearance so I don't have to shave down the centering pins.

Now I just need to make this repeatable. Luckily, I only have 6 cars to convert.

[GaryHinshaw]

I wish I could, but I have no ability to design on the computer. I wish I did. I've tried several programs and I just don't get it.

If that really is the only barrier, then do yourself a favour this holiday season and try out TinkerCAD.   If you can build things out of blocks, you can design with this free online program.  To get you started, I drew this example up in about 10 mins:



It's composed of 4 pieces: 2 slabs in red and two cylindrical shadow objects in grey (left).  When you group them (right) you have something resembling your part (I'm just guessing dimensions of course, but this piece is about 4 mm on a side and 1 mm thick).  Here's the link to the piece which you can use as a starting point:

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/5Of5Mku89T8

Sign yourself up for a free account, load this file, and start playing with it.  If you can get something that looks like it might work, I'll print a set up for you and drop them in the mail.  That will hold you over until your own printer arrives.    It will change your modelling life.