I started work on my first NS Admiral cab SD40-2. The cab is of my own design and is printed through Shapeways. It is a direct placement on the Kato SD40-2 "mid production" with a little modification to the walkway sill.
Man, I have two SD40-2 projects benched... maybe I should pick one of your cabs up... what units got the admiral cabs?
Of course he had too...with people like me buying up the BNs to renumber...I mean if I want to model the entire BN SD40-2 fleet...I need about 800 more -2s...
Here is a complete list of all the units that have been rebuilt and some currently being rebuilt. http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/ns_sd40-2a.html There is also the GP59Es, that got a shortened version of this cab (I have that ready to print as well) rebuilt GP50s road slugs that were rebuilt with the Sd40-2 admiral cab. http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/ns_rpe4c.html http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/ns_rpm4c.html http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/ns_gp59e.html Seesh, no wonder its hard to find them...lol
Started work on the new test track today built on a hollow core door that is 24 by 80 inches. Outer track will have 11 inch radius the minimum that will be on the new layout. Inner track will be 9 and 3/4 inch radius while a 3rd and innermost track will have my 8 inch radius that the logging critters will operate on. Nothing fancy and the sound made by the track on the bare wood will be my alarm system. Busy working at the bench and don't hear the sound means something is wrong check the test track. And that strange lashup seen in the photo is an Atlas 4-4-0 doubleheaded with a MicroAce 2-6-6-0.
My saloon walls are sitting on my workbench while I search old catalogs, Walthers website, mftr sites for scratchbuilding materials. I have made up a table to compare and compute dimensions of N materials in fractional inches, decimal inches, millimeters, HO scale inches and N scale inches. And see what I can order. Story is here: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine...ot-Falsefront-Wildwesttown-Build-Thread/page3
Finally got the track laid on the new hollow core door test track. The old Jouef turnouts used with the 8 inch radius section did not work out well so they were replaced with Peco 9 inch radius. Had to install a 2nd current feed wire to the inner track since the Peco turnouts do not route current from the other track when the turnout is aligned for the main. Tomorrow I will check all track gauge to insure everything is in gauge properly. Track is 11 inch on the outer, 9 and 3/4 on the middle, and 8 inch radius on the inside.
John, Good luck on the trackage. What do you plan to run on the 8 in radius curves that will not derail? My sister lived in Church Falls for a while before moving to Chesterfield, VA.
More of my endeavours in 3D printing. This is my CSX SD40-3 cab. aka the "spongebob" cab. Here it is after a bath in some bestine and with details applied. \
There is quite a bit that will run on that radius from some research I did back in the beginning of the year and posted here back then. It was about when the Atlas 4-4-0s came out and they are one of the locos that will run on this radius. The Bmann 44 and 70 tonners will also handle this along with several of the small old time 2-6-0s and 2-8-0 with small drivers. Also my MicroAce 2-6-6-0 handles it with no sweat. All of my quarry and logging cars negotiate it and so do the forty foot boxcars. When I started planning the new layout I knew I wanted a logging and quarrying branchline and space was a premium. Also like the prototype I loosely model, only light small engines, even in the diesel era were used on the branch. Also the Atlas Shays have handled this curvature. Some of the locos did manage 7.5 inch radius but I settled on 8 as the best compromise. So that inner track is just for when I either build another to test it or for when I have serviced and lubed or done repairs to test them after the work is done. I have just enough length in the test track to test pulling power and getting a grade is a simple matter of raising one end until the meter tells me I have the percent I want and then fixing it there. The 11 inch radius outer track is the minimum radius that is in the new design plan and would be found in the yards or staging. Almost all of the mainline water level route curvature will be at least 17 inch radius or better. I did not use any cork roadbed because I want to hear the loco running when breaking a new one in and I am at the workbench doing something. If the sound stops I better look at the test track because it has either derailed or is smoking, Heaven forbid.
Got the old power pack hooked up temporarily while I shop for a new for the test track. Also managed to convert the Atlas track cleaning car to wide angle MT 1015/16s. Then it was onto the test track to see if it would handle the 8 inch radius section and starting out with a 3% grade. Success on all counts. The grade meter. And the weed sprayer/ track cleaning critter built just for this purpose and 4% grade.
Still laid up with the bum knee and now a bum hip I'm spending my time at the workbench with minimal movements. So I decided to take one ot the two recently acquired Bmann full domes and as I call it GNasize it. While accurate for ATSF not for GN in that the GN version was smooth side with the only corrugation to be found was a band right above the letter board area. So with a combo of an Exacto chisel blade, sanding sticks, and small diamond files I am slowly removing the corrugations. I have some corrugation strips coming from Union Station that will end up replacing the very top. The upper untouched one will be converted to the BN theatre car as soon as the sides arrive for that.
A little tank car rehab. This one was in the dollar car box at Timonium without trucks, couplers, or superstructure.
New MRC power pack arrived for the test track Monday and finally set up the track and pack today. I found it will support 6 locos at a time with no issues which is about two more than I will have on the track at a time. Discovered one RS unit sounding like a coffee grinder and balky running. Upon pulling the chassis apart discovered that the universals were slowly reducing themselves to plastic powder on one end. Disassembled and lubed and realigned them but other than a little less sound not up to par. So this old Atlas/Kato unit will be dead lined and either rebuilt or become a parts source. Currently pictured running is a Alco FA-1 ABBA set and a RS-3. Waiting their turn are a ABBA set of Alco FA-2s that have been freshly lubed.
