mickoo
Western Thunderer
In that order I hope, followed by wet on the inside and outside...... beer, wine, sailing, inter alia .......
P48 for Cotton Belt: Roster addition SW1200
- Thread starter Yorkshire Dave
- Start date
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
On the subject of grilles (not Bear or George Foreman) and shutters I decided to see if I could modify the radiator shutters.
Firstly I cut a strip of paper 3mm wide and stuck a piece of thin styrene down the centre with Plastiweld to represent the pivot. The individual shutters were cut from the strip and superglued to the etched shutters.
The bottom left radiator shutters are the original and the bottom right are after my modifications.
Close up of the radiator shutters.
As temporarily fitted to the loco. Firstly unmodified radiator shutters.
Modified radiator shutters
Firstly I cut a strip of paper 3mm wide and stuck a piece of thin styrene down the centre with Plastiweld to represent the pivot. The individual shutters were cut from the strip and superglued to the etched shutters.
The bottom left radiator shutters are the original and the bottom right are after my modifications.
Close up of the radiator shutters.
As temporarily fitted to the loco. Firstly unmodified radiator shutters.
Modified radiator shutters
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
The radiator shutters have now been completed and installed.
This is a comparison with the etched and modified (left) and moulded (right) radiator shutters.
A close up comparison
and finally........
This arrived today.... a Black Widow GP9
. Which now gives me 3 locos including SSW GP9 and the ATSF U23B.
As to whether it remain in Black Widow livery I'm not sure as I would like to convert this to one of the SP low nose variants as depicted in the R L Dengler photograph below.
This is a comparison with the etched and modified (left) and moulded (right) radiator shutters.
A close up comparison
and finally........
This arrived today.... a Black Widow GP9
. Which now gives me 3 locos including SSW GP9 and the ATSF U23B. As to whether it remain in Black Widow livery I'm not sure as I would like to convert this to one of the SP low nose variants as depicted in the R L Dengler photograph below.
Attachments
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
Ooh, sneaky!
Is that another of the ones with the Atlas/Pittman drive?
Steph
Is that another of the ones with the Atlas/Pittman drive?
Steph
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Yup....
. Just need to work out how to keep the drive with the low nose for which I have an idea already.
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
There's space for that I think - you may remember I was going to build the first one up as a CNR GP9rm.
The concern was the bogie mounting clip, which you could perhaps do without?
Steph
The concern was the bogie mounting clip, which you could perhaps do without?
Steph
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
The CN decals are still here.....
There is just enough space and the bogie mounting clips will have to go. I've worked out an idea to fabricate new ones lower down so they are contained within the GP20 type sloping nose.
There is just enough space and the bogie mounting clips will have to go. I've worked out an idea to fabricate new ones lower down so they are contained within the GP20 type sloping nose.
Brian Daniels
Western Thunderer
Here's one I did earlier, quite a few years earlier actually. As you can see I chop nosed it too and had to remove the bogie retaining clips but replaced them with pieces of plasticard section glued to the side of the bogies to stop the bogie dropping out. I also made a working dynamic fan! Must admit it was a tight fit to get a Digitrax chip and a Soundtrax chip in there.
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Thanks for the ideas Brian. Nice and simple which I'll plagiarise
.I see your GP9 has the early handrails and is than an F45 in the background?
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Oh Blombergs........
! caught dumbing down 
.
(In as dalek voice).... You must call them trucks! You must call them trucks! You must call them trucks!
! caught dumbing down . (In as dalek voice).... You must call them trucks! You must call them trucks! You must call them trucks!
oldravendale
Western Thunderer
Why? We invented the b****y language!Oh Blombergs........
(In as dalek voice).... You must call them trucks! You must call them trucks! You must call them trucks!
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
I'll trade you a frog for a crossing if you like.
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Truck, trucks and more trucks.
I''ve spent a few days tinkering with the GP9 truck sideframes to bring the brake blocks in line with the P48 wheels.
The trucks are scale width (no compromises from Roco again) but they have been designed to fit around a NMRA standard tread width 40'' wheel which means part of frames have been removed to accommodate this.
Original truck frames with P48 wheels. It is not evident from this photograph the brake blocks are in not line with the wheel treads but an oblique angle shows this. Also noticeable in the oblique view is the depth of the frame adjacent to the wheel.
In order to rectify this I removed the brake blocks from the sideframe with a piercing saw.
The white plasticard on the inner brake blocks is there to rebuild part of the block to ensure there is no visible gap between it and the frame when installed.
The modified truck is below (the brakes are temporarily installed and will be straightened and further details added on final reassembly).
Oblique angle. The void left for the NMRA wheels has also been filled to match the sideframe width.
I''ve spent a few days tinkering with the GP9 truck sideframes to bring the brake blocks in line with the P48 wheels.
The trucks are scale width (no compromises from Roco again) but they have been designed to fit around a NMRA standard tread width 40'' wheel which means part of frames have been removed to accommodate this.
Original truck frames with P48 wheels. It is not evident from this photograph the brake blocks are in not line with the wheel treads but an oblique angle shows this. Also noticeable in the oblique view is the depth of the frame adjacent to the wheel.
In order to rectify this I removed the brake blocks from the sideframe with a piercing saw.
The white plasticard on the inner brake blocks is there to rebuild part of the block to ensure there is no visible gap between it and the frame when installed.
The modified truck is below (the brakes are temporarily installed and will be straightened and further details added on final reassembly).
Oblique angle. The void left for the NMRA wheels has also been filled to match the sideframe width.
Big Train James
Western Thunderer
I presume the sideframes are diecast if you were using a piercing saw? They don't look too bad regarding detail. When I first looked at them before priming, they looked rather flat. There's more depth to the casting then I thought.
The brake rigging components and positions are pretty consistent across most of the EMD sideframes, including 2 axle and 3 axle versions. One thing I would like to do is an etch for the connecting rod that is pinned at the bottom of each pair of brake hangers (and is technically also present on the backside of the wheel) which you have cut off to adjust. As a compromise to casting and tread width, this rod is usually underneath or just behind the frame. And all of that chunkiness that you see at either end underneath the brake shoes shouldn't exist either. I'd like to cut out that part of the casting and replaced it with an etch in the correct position and also with proper openings.
Photo by Don Strack @ Utahrails
I have Atlas flexicoil sideframes for my sw1500 project that will need work in this area. I also will probably add a layer of plasticard to the back of the sideframe castings to thicken them up. The cross section is quite thin, due no doubt to the out of scale tread width and guage.
The brake rigging components and positions are pretty consistent across most of the EMD sideframes, including 2 axle and 3 axle versions. One thing I would like to do is an etch for the connecting rod that is pinned at the bottom of each pair of brake hangers (and is technically also present on the backside of the wheel) which you have cut off to adjust. As a compromise to casting and tread width, this rod is usually underneath or just behind the frame. And all of that chunkiness that you see at either end underneath the brake shoes shouldn't exist either. I'd like to cut out that part of the casting and replaced it with an etch in the correct position and also with proper openings.
Photo by Don Strack @ Utahrails
I have Atlas flexicoil sideframes for my sw1500 project that will need work in this area. I also will probably add a layer of plasticard to the back of the sideframe castings to thicken them up. The cross section is quite thin, due no doubt to the out of scale tread width and guage.
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
If it's the original Roco/Atlas/Red Caboose sideframes then they're plastic. I imagine a piercing saw makes a neater, finer cut than alternative methods.
For standard O, those old frames are far better than current Atlas offerings, especially regarding brake block alignment.
In my case though, life - or at least, modelling time - is far too short to worry about it.
For standard O, those old frames are far better than current Atlas offerings, especially regarding brake block alignment.
In my case though, life - or at least, modelling time - is far too short to worry about it.
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
They are made of a hard plastic. I find it easier to use a piercing saw as I can control this easier than a knife.
This is what I'd like remove but at the moment but it's the thought of making 8 (should be 16) replacements....
