Well, I just paid for my ScaleTrains SD40-2 Preorder

[Ian MacMillan]

Oh F yeah. I'll have to pick up the NS ones from Lombard when they come in.

[spookshow]

Has anyone tried to actually run one of these things yet? The fuel tank on mine sits so low (particularly at the front) that it will actually catch rail joins and stop moving. I have the screws as tight as they will go, so I'm not sure what the deal is 



-Mark

[Scottl]

Those railings look fantastic!  Hard to find evidence it is N scale.

[Jbub]

Has anyone tried to actually run one of these things yet? The fuel tank on mine sits so low (particularly at the front) that it will actually catch rail joins and stop moving. I have the screws as tight as they will go, so I'm not sure what the deal is 



-Mark

Check the front truck. That looks to be sitting low as well.

[spookshow]

Check the front truck. That looks to be sitting low as well.

I think that was just an optical illusion. Let's try a different angle -



-Mark

[C855B]

Don't know yet what to tell you, Mark - mine won't arrive until Friday. But you know what? Your shots capture the incredible under-frame detail that make this a fabulous model. I hope we can get to the bottom (pun!) of the issue here.

[Jbub]

I'm wondering if there is a clearance/space issue with the speaker area similar to the Atlas loco fuel tank that would rub the rails. It's ever so slight, but I think I can see that the gap above the fuel tank is just a tiny bit wider.

[Philip H]

I was NOT planning to buy a spongebob squarecab . . .  but now . . . and I guess I will have to pony up for a KCS belle . . .

[wazzou]

@spookshow
Can you put something you know is flat and level on the rail at that same location?
Visually at least, it looks like the tank is level with the frame but it looks like the track is crowned at that joint.

Again that could be an illusion, but it does appear that way.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Sorry, I was busing running it!

Here are some pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5QsGkQTbEnJGRMMW7

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[C855B]

Visually at least, it looks like the tank is level with the frame but it looks like the track is crowned at that joint.

Again that could be an illusion, but it does appear that way.

Probably an illusion. I've noticed a slight fisheye effect when I take close shots with my phone.

[spookshow]

@spookshow
Can you put something you know is flat and level on the rail at that same location?
Visually at least, it looks like the tank is level with the frame but it looks like the track is crowned at that joint.

Again that could be an illusion, but it does appear that way.

The track is sitting on a thin piece of styrene to force a slight bulge at the join. So, no, the track is not 100% level. But then again, neither is the track on my layout. And that is where I am having problems.

-Mark

[chessie system fan]

Mine is in the mail. Can't wait.  Mark, on a flat piece of track, can you fit a MT coupler trip pin height gauge underneath the fuel tank?

[spookshow]

Mark, on a flat piece of track, can you fit a MT coupler trip pin height gauge underneath the fuel tank?

I don't have one of those, but I do have a piece of .015" sheet styrene. And, no, it will not slide underneath the fuel tank. Making matters worse, there are lips around the front and back edges of the tank, and those seem to be the main culprits when comes to catching uneven rail joins.

I do have an inquiry in to STC, here's hoping I simply got a defective unit.

-Mark

[chessie system fan]

Looking at your picture more closely, I suspect something isn't right.  I see light shining through a gap at the front of your fuel tank between the tank and the underframe. I suspect that shouldn't be that way.