I have started yet another loco build, Have I finished one yet? No. But that's what it's like having ADHD. Well I found the start of a CNJ Baldwin double ender on a Marklin 8858 loco, in my dad's collection. My interest was piqued, and somewhere some yelled squirrel! So off I went doing research and locating a drawing on the Train Web by Will Anderson. As I typically do, I brought the drawing image into Illustrator and scaled in Z. I drew up a new motor mount to fit between the split chassis. The Marklin 8858 chassis was way too short for me, so I cut apart my dad's attempt, disassembled the 8858 chassis, and figured out what I needed to do to get the correct length. BTW, the F7 castings were early experiments by RLW at casting loco shells. I will be cutting the chassis in half and creating a new motor mount(orange line work) and using a Sagami double shaft can motor.(red line work). The top details have been filed off to make way for a hump made from a bar of aluminum. The two ends will be cut up and reconfigured to create the middle section. Scott
GOOD GRIEF, these NMRA master certification efforts are spreading faster than a Silicon Valley Bank default…… LOL This will be an interesting project. Great to see you picking up your dad’s aspirations for unusual builds. I envy your Adobe Illustrator abilities.
Lance, Thanks for the nice comments! Cut the chassis in have and used the Dremel and file to remove inside and outside features. Now i can fit in the motor mount. The motor mount will be screwed to each half. BTW, it's nice to be working in my dad's train shop. Scott
Now that's what I'm talking about, your everything BUT a basic slice and dice! A very aggressive project, and another first of it's kind.
...and now we have the PA, so you can have alot closer trucks for it as well! This is gonna' be awesome!
Stayed up late last night and did some more work on the double ender. Got the base plate for the motor mount cut out and cleaned up. Clamped the base plate between the two chassis halves and drilled some tap holes. Tapped the holes and switched to the shell and did some file work to get the front more "baby-face" looking. Next up is cutting and drilling more pieces for the motor mount. Scott
Jeez, reminds me of doing bodywork on old 1st Gen Camaros back in my more youthful days….. Lookin’ good Scott. Keep the momentum going. Now, quick thought here, but there should be plenty of room for a DCC decoder and a speaker. Or is that thinking too far ahead? Although probably best just to get her up and running in DC first because there will be plenty of bugs to work out. No need in fiddling with DCC at this point.
Did a test fit last night and screwed the base plate to the chassis ends. Decided to put the trucks under and shells on top. This is not a tight radius loco. Length over couplers is 80' or 4.32" in Z. I like the proportions though. Scott
I dunno how easy it would be, but AZL is selling the trucks for this at $6.00 a piece. Those would make this look great, if you can get them to work. They're cheap enough to get them and see? https://www.azldirect.com/parts/AZLPATRUCK-MDGRAY
Kurt, Yeah, I checked those out when you mentioned the AZL PA. I was thinking to myself, what is a PA? Then I realized it must be one of the Baldwin built PR diesels. I was looking at the Marklin trucks and wondering how to modify the AZL to mate. Not sure if the gearing is the same. Maybe you can fit the AZL outside over the Marklin inside. Thanks for the suggestion, those will look real nice. Scott
So Scott great work as usual. And very unique! Definitely will be a first in Z! Oh and Kurt….how does AZL charge 6 for that truck and 30 for a GP!?? Strange.
Joe, Thanks for the kind words. So while I had some momentum last evening, and in between watching Oak Island with my dad, I did some more work on the motor mount. I needed to cut a hole in the plate for the motor housing and cut out the two motor supports. I used a scroll saw, drill press, dremel, and files. Scott
Spent some time at lunch, after work, and after dinner, and got the motor mount assembled for a test fit. I cut the drive shafts shorter to fit within the chassis ends. I'm glad I did this because the left hand side is a little crooked(angled down). After I tweak somethings, I'll solder it together. Scott Question, does anyone know how many teeth are on the PA truck drive gear? (The gear at the top of the truck)
Looking great! Can't wait to see the progress in this one! On a side note, I've always wanted to make one of these, a Great Northern Y1a, out of two Micro-Trains F-unit halves, and slap them on modified GG1 chassis! Giving me some inspiration with this thread!
Kurt, I have some spare F7 bodies if you need them, they are plastic though. Nice thing is you can find Marklin electric loco shells with the pantographs. Scott
Put a little time in this evening. Started cutting up the shell sections to see how thing fit. I trimmed off ladder on the right side of both sides. And I trimmed off pieces that hung below the main body. Because these are castings, I needed to file the insides smooth and even. Because the castings are a little soft, I cut some wood pieces to support the shell while I cut and file. Scott
