P48 for Cotton Belt: Roster addition SW1200

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Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Whilst fiddling with the trucks I decided to alter the truck mounting to the chassis.

From this....
155 GP9.jpg

Using these I made up from 3 mm brass angle....
154 GP9.jpg

To this......
156 GP9.jpg
158 GP9.jpg

The end result has released the top third of the long hood to be utilised as a sound chamber. The mounting on truck on the left is yet to be modified.
157 GP9.jpg

.... and talking of sound. The model has a large Pittman motor which would benefit from a ESU Loksound XLv4 due to the current draw, however, this decoder is a bulky affair at 51 x 41 x 14 mm and the hood width is only 31 mm wide :headbang:. The current motor arrangement and drive trains practically rule this decoder out - even if was mounted at different angles :rant:. So at this juncture it's 'Either die in the vacuum of space or tell me how good my poetry was' and the project falling flat :shit:.

At an improbability factor 2 to the power of 2079460347:1 and falling the route I'll adopt will be to replace the Pittman motor with two efficient low current motors to enable me to use an ESU Loksound V4 decoder as I already have a GP9 sound profile (which I have modified) to blow onto the decoder. I'm not too concerned about using an HO decoder as the loco will be primarily on switching duties. This also works out as the cheaper option :thumbs:.
 
Jordan

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Won't the Loksound L work? Smaller than the XL physically and 3Amp rather than 4, but it's what I plan to use with my Pittman-motored Weaver GP38-2. Edit: Also cheaper!! :) ;)
My kit-bashed Weaver GP40 (also Pittman motor) uses a "boosted" 3Amp Tsunami from Protocraft, but I loathe Tsunamis to be honest - how they got such a great reputation I know not!! I wasted my money on this one just a few months before the Loksound L came out.
Anyway I digress - 3Amp should be fine for your Geep.

Further Edit - like the truck-mounting mod.

Edit Edit again... I have used the Loksound L myself, already, in my Atlas RS3 (twin motors in series). It is narrow enough to fit 'flat' in US hoods.
 
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Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Thanks for your knowledge/experience on this Jordan. A Loksound L it'll be with the Pittman motor :thumbs:.

I'm with you on the Tsunami decoders. I tried one in a HO C424 (Alco 251 engine). Although the sound was good I could not get on with the decoder as it did not have the motor control and sound synchronisation finesse the ESU (and Zimo) decoders have. Together with a strange start up sequence i.e. not on a function button and awkward volume control :mad:.

The truck mounting mod came about to enable the trucks to drop out after releasing the outer end retainer. This avoids the undue pressure and bending required to release the original Roco truck retainer and damage to the truck sideframes as they are becoming increasingly delicate with the added details.
 
Big Train James

Big Train James

Western Thunderer
So I went looking at the ESU site for the dimensions of the Loksound L decoder. It seems to be the only version without dimensional data available. Does anybody know what the dimensions are?

Edit: nevermind, I just saw that it states 2" x 1" dimensions.
 
Big Train James

Big Train James

Western Thunderer
Thank you Jordan. I'll eventually need to sort out the 63mm versus 2"discrepancy, but it's nothing too urgent at the moment.
 
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Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Not much has happened over the last few days apart from adding the handrails and some details....

Drop steps and yes, one handrail stanchion is yellow.
159 GP9.jpg

Additional lifting rings towards the rear of the long hood.
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161 GP9.jpg

And a couple of gratuitous photographs as the sun was shining and I feel damn pleased with the progress thus far :cool:.
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And just spotted :headbang:the rear of the pilots and steps need a spot of weathering.

Other details remaining are the speedo cable, sand pipes, uncoupler lift bars, glazing, windscreen wipers, warning beacon, safety chains on front and rear handrails, couplers, air hoses, MU hoses, cab interior and front number boards - the last item referred to below.

3809 has been powered up and test run on DC analogue however the controller I have (Fleischmann (Bühler) MSF-Trafo 6735) does not deliver enough Ooomph (amps) for the Pittman motor as it cuts out. An O scale controller (Helmsman) may now be on the shopping list.......:eek:

The ESU Loksound L v4 has been delivered which has prompted me to sort out my LEDs and resistors in readiness for the lighting. I'm waiting for some 3mm warm white LEDs to be delivered to make up the headlights.

Mmmmm.... do I also illuminate the classification lights as a 2mm tower/lighthouse LEDs fit but I don't know whether these lights were used in the 1980's.

The front number boards will also be illuminated but I need to work out how I'm going to finish these as unfortunately Microscale only produce their Number Boards Assorted - Clear Letters on Black Back Ground decal sheet in HO. Otherwise it would have been easy - paint the number board white then apply the decals and paint the gaps black. Now I'll have to think of another solution :oops:.
 
Jordan

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Re Class Lights, try this link;
Locomotive Class Lights
Locomotive Class Lights and Their Function

A bit of a minefield - isn't it always with US Railroads??!! Not helped by the practise with diesels of also using the Class light with a red lens as a rear marker light (as per B.R.) - actual Class lights were Green, White and Off; i.e. NOT being lit was also significant!! :confused:
The question of when they were dis-used seems to vary depending on each RR's operating practices; a quick 'Google' hasn't turned up anything definitive for the Espee, but 1980s is about the decade it happened.
 
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Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Well, having pondered a bit further with regards to the number boards I now have the font. Unsurprisingly called Railroad Roman (unless he's the chap who measured the distance between chariot wheels). Incidentally a Roman foot 296mm which is 1mm short of the long side of A4 paper - what have the Romans done for us.......

I have made up a file for reverse printing the numbers on a black background onto OHP transparency film. By reverse printing the back of the film becomes the front and will represent the number board glazing. The number board light lens can then be smooth sanded to opaque and the printed number board fixed to this.
 
Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
I received the Inkjet OHP film today and printed up some number boards to try out my theory as I do not have access to a laser printer (well I do at work but don't want to cause ££££££s worth of damage to it by letting clear decal paper loose around the heated drums).

Firstly reverse printing to in order to use the front of the film as glazing. However, what I did not realise until after printing the OHP film has a slight blue/grey tinge to it which became evident after printing :rant:. I can rant but it's something I wouldn't have known about until I tried.

Here is part of the first print laid on a sheet of white paper. All the numerals are 4.25 mm high.
173 GP9.jpg

And here against a white sheet of paper in front of the computer screen. It may appear black here but the purple tinge appears when light is shone from the front.
170 GP9.jpg

I messed about with the file a bit to increase the spacing between the numerals and condense 3314 - and yes there is a difference between the numerals for 3809 and 3314!

This was printed the correct way round and , again, here lain on white paper. In reality the numerals are sharper.
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And here against a white sheet of paper propped next to the computer screen.
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These are the two sheets. Correct way printed on the left and reverse printed on the right. These are just laid on a sheet of paper.
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After all this I'll be using the ones on the left and will have to cut some clear acetate sheet to form the number board glazing.

Incidentally 3314 is an ex-TNO GP9......;). Watch this space as they say.
 
Big Train James

Big Train James

Western Thunderer
There's a guy on the OGR forum that replaced his number boards using acetate with printing on the backside that is describe about a third of the way down page 4 here. May or may not be worth investigation.
 
Overseer

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I think nearly all illuminated loco number boards were/are black paint on the inside of the glass with a thin coat of white paint on top of the black (on the inside of the glass) so the numbers still show as white when the lights are off. The black numbers on a white background ones were done the same way except the numbers were painted/transferred on (instead of the area around the numbers being painted) before the white paint was applied to the inside. I think you are making it more complex than it needs to be, you just need to print in black on a thin white paper, plastic, or maybe white transfer film then mount that behind your preferred glazing material. Not too much light should get through the white as the real ones are not very bright.
 
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