The closest I've come to a genset is GP20D I worked on a few years ago. It was designed to fit over the AZL GP30 chassis. I stopped work on it because the chassis of the GP30 was just a bit too tall and I wasn't brave enough to start cutting it up. I liked these locos because I would see them around the Houston industrial areas running on UP tracks. I like those big windows.
Rudy, the 44 Ton'r would be a great addition to ‘What’s available in Z scale?" that we do at the National Train Show, using the "BFY" (Big F'n Yard). Here is a pix from setup. when we run, it's FULL of all the MTL, AZL and others. Next show is in Santa Clara ~July 2021. Should be enough time
I got my hands on an AZL Southern Pacific SW1500. It's a beautiful model and I like it very much. This is what I have been wanting to see in Z Scale for many years. It runs pretty good but I have not broken it in yet so I expect it run even smoother in the future. It does not like one of my Rokuhan switches very well. I have to coax it across the frog every single time while all my other locos can navigate the switch without pause. Not sure what that's about yet. Converting the couplers to Micro Trains couplers was not hard. The included part to mount the coupler worked perfectly. Just be sure the front of your MTL coupler is fully connected before cutting off the back of the coupler. Of course, I couldn't resist comparing it to the SW1500 that I designed a couple years ago. My version weighs quite a bit more. The AZL model is 0.73 oz while mine is 1.1 oz. They both have a remarkably similar speed curve. They respond to my 9 volt throttle with very similar speeds and they can even lash up together really well. As expected, the AZL model has super clean details and a beautiful paint job. The silver around the windows had me especially jealous. All in all, I'm really glad to see such a model in Z Scale. I can't wait for the Burlington Northern version.
Rudy check the leading pilot. I had the same issue with one of the locos we were testing running. I found the pilot was hanging just a little low. I was able to carefully lift up the shell just enough so it would pass. It was only catching on one of the four Rokuhan turnouts we were running the loco through. Cool photo of fuel trip printing!!! I had to zoom in on my iPhone to read it!
Make sure all of your chassis-to-truck tab pickups are on top' of the truck tab. There is easy to see 'eyelet' when it is on top, or just the contact blade blocking it. If so, Rob Kluz says easy to just pull the truck off. Also, remember the 2 traction tires (inward axles). A bit lighter and shorter axle-to-axle may contribute. The right side's contact is not on top. I was curious about the huge plastic isolation on Atlas Crosses. All other locos were longer and kept at least 3 axles in contact (meaning if there was a traction tire on one side wheel there was none on other side so at least 3 electrical contacts each side and any time). The SW1100/1500 ran over and over with fairly reliable slow running characteristics. Very slow switching not so good but likely better after I double check against by always reliable (not accessible at this time), clean the wheels and of course, DCC's inherent better slow running. Here's a video:
Thanks for the tip. I checked the pilot and it is in good shape. I figured out the stuttering over the turnout frog. I took the trucks off and saw a bit of gear grease on one of the copper tabs. After cleaning it off it now runs much much better. It can crawl turtle slow and the lights don't blink anymore. So nice!
It doesn’t fit an SW1200 shell. It is very close. It would be an expensive donor chassis, but if I took a mm off the front of the chassis it might drop right in.
I should add, shell removal is not easy, and it is very easy to damage the shell. AZL has a writeup on how to safely remove the shell. https://azlforum.com/thread/2046/emd-sw1500-removal
Late to the party finally got mine. Wow! Looks fantastic runs great! Seriously the coolest little loco I’ve ever seen!
