7mm US model dabblings

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
The truth is that we're all correct (and therefore in some form of violent agreement). ..
:oops: apologies if it looks like I'm trying to fall out with anyone - not my intent at all :oops:

Of course the nose/windscreen issue reminds me of the very similar UK version of this problem.... any manufacturer ever nailed the Deltic profile absolutely spot-on..??!!?? ;) :D
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
:oops: apologies if it looks like I'm trying to fall out with anyone - not my intent at all :oops:


Jordan,
I didn't take it as such (and I don't think anyone else would have done; hope not anyway). The point I was making was just that we don't have an inconsistent set of views.

BTW, I was taken by your comment about people not mentioning deficiencies in the 1:48 F-units. Could this be because most US modellers don't model in 2-rail? I've recently seen a thread about some (horrible, almost Athearn-like) die-cast F-unit kits which people were raving about.

I also wonder if scaling-up a set of templates taken from the Highliner model might provide a useful comparison. I'd have to think about how to do that, but then again I keep thinking I need to do it to sort my E-units. :headbang:

Steph
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
:oops: apologies if it looks like I'm trying to fall out with anyone - not my intent at all :oops:

No offence taken or intended here either.

It's simple really, we all have differing values that we apply to our hobby, so long as we respect that then it's not going to be an issue. What may cause mild confusion is when one applies differing values to themselves, to others that might seem odd. There are those here that have one set of vaules and they stick to them irrespective of whether it's a loco, stock or scenery:thumbs: , I'm not like that, I have two feet, one in each camp, I like the diversity and I like the effect that having two contrasting views/attitudes has on each other, when you jump from one camp to the other it's like a fresh start.

I'd like a garden roundy roundy, I'd also like a S7 uber detail depot or small detailed layout, I'm placing the F9 and current stock in the garden package and am looking to scratch build some high cube wagons, why, because I can and it's a change from brass. I'm also considering R/C, the F9 is a big unit with lots of internal space, I have a spare 2CH R/C set and having researched my Quadcopter and purchased parts there of, it's clear to see that digital speed controllers are now getting pretty good, the only downside I can see thus far with R/C is the lack of good sounds.

I think US modellers mostly fall into the 'playing' trains camp if the truth be told, if you look at the market it's nearly all RTR with a smattering of kits around, yet in the UK we seem to prefer kits to RTR, or is it that there's more kit suppliers than RTR? The two nations seem to have a distinct difference in their approach to modelling railways.
 

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Most US O scalers do seem to use (pauses to wash mouth out) 3-rail. In fact Trisonic Pete over on RMweb has often commented how impossible it is to get 2-rail O scale stuff in the US.

If we want to see model F-Units that really are inaccurate, I can give you this offering... my first US-outline Loco :) an Atlas N scale jobbie from long, long ago...

Nscale1_zps77e26fc2.jpg

Complete with truck-mounted pilot, bad repaint by person unknown into Lehigh Valley livery.
I repainted it into the True Colors, but that didn't make it much better...

SooNscale_zps49c4a241.jpg
It's just so wrong in so many ways... Dynamic fan where the Soo had none; those strange pipes on the rear roof panel (as per the O version!!), it's an F9 numbered as an FP7... but it was "all my own work" & I had loads of fun with it. ;)
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
So, moving swiftly onward, the second parcel arrived today and just like Xmas I now have a train set....minus track LOL.

IMG_7919.jpg

There are five Atlas 50' box cars all complete, four decorated and one bare, in the four boxes are three complete...the boxes say 50 box cars but they're way longer and look like more modern 60'....kits minus bogies and the fourth box another kit minus one end, floor and roof. A sub Ebay package had the bogies and other assorted detail parts like doors, pipework, ladders etc, mixed brass and plastic.

The kits and RTR now give me rough measurements for scratch building any future stock, I'd like some end beam flats and some high capacity wood chip cars and possibly some high cube box cars but am trying to limit myself to wagons at 65' and under.

No idea on layout or Rail road/geographical location as yet or era but thinking industrial sidings, perhaps a wood chip plant, logs, chips/pulp in and refined wood products out (sawn products = centre beam flats) or box cars with what ever product. Did see a nice cameo in one of these online O gauge mags with a car float and link span, that might be interesting to do.

Unfortunately none of the RTR are in liveries I'm interested in and perhaps a little too old for my preferred era and I'm sure roof walkways were removed from a lot of box cars in the 80's and the access ladders too. The only stock to retain roof walkways being those with top loading facilities, I.E. covered hoppers and tanks. Thus all four painted RTR will be repainted and into what I've no idea yet.....not doing too well at this model planning lark just yet ;) If roof walkways are required I'll run up a NS etch with PPD for them and other sundries like ladders and such like.

There are of course some boxcar stock which retains ladders and maybe walkways, need more research in that field at the moment.

The RTR bogies seem to use a three point system and the transverse beams are sprung on all except two but the cars are very light and need some weight to stop them wobbling!
 

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
I was watching that lot on ebay myself!! Wasnt going to bid though.
IIRC roofwalks were phased out from the early 70s.. along with most 40ft boxcars as it happened...
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Yup, seems someone was having a clear out and someone else was as heavy bidding as I was so I let the other two lots the next day pass by and he got a steal with four Airslide 2 bay covered hopper kits for around £24 :rant:

The length makes sense, just measured these and they're 40' box cars :headbang: I thought they were 50', all of which now limits my options, or, I just wing it and it's my train set and I'll run what ever I like LOL

However, a quick check on the internet reveals several rail roads retaining 40' box cars until the mid 80's, including BN, SP, MP, CN and CP http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/181704.aspx and
http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=cp70000&o=cprail one from 1997! and another from 2006!! http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/ar...-ago-but-the-last-40-foot-boxcars-endure.aspx, so all is not totally lost :thumbs:
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Right I suppose this ought to go here, basically, a P48 GP38-2 kit.

I say kit as it's currently a collection of etched parts in AutoCAD at the moment and once printed is a sort of aid to scratch building, though I suspect I'll end up etching most of the loco at some point. Material will be as far as is possible Nickle Silver.

The objective is a set of etches that'll cover the most prototype variants across as many Railroads and as broad a time span as possible, but I'm primarily aiming for my interest period which is modern day stuff, sort of 1990 onward and looking to cover BNSF, CN, CSX, NS and UP variants, obviously I cannot build them all, but until I finalize my subject model I'm trying to leave as many doors open as possible. The final answer will depend on the layout I finally choose and I've grabbed lots of juicy motivational photos off the web recently, like a kid in a candy store LOL. I will at some point pretty soon ave to decide on a Phase I or Phase II loco as there are some fundamental frame and chassis changes which cannot be covered by variants in the etches, not that i can work out as yet anyway.

First up is the Spartan cab which is common to all variants except the CN 2W variant (that cab'll come later) and with a few additional parts could cover a lot of the generic GP and SD classes from GP35 up to SD70 but I haven't entertained all that lot yet. I'll also add the Southern/NS high nose bonnet, something about that prancing horse motif on a hook nose GP38.

So a couple of images of the art work thus far, well small parts, it's all a bit spread out at the moment to make things easier to draw. The lower battery box cover has near scale treads which may not half etch well so the upper one has over scale treads to try and overcome this, each or either is sacrificial, I.E. which ever works will be used forthwith, the other scrapped.
Image3.jpg

Image2.jpg

Image4.jpg

More as it progresses, enjoy!
 

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Sitting up & taking notice!! Lack of a decent GP38-2 in 1:48 is a serious gap in the market.

I'll have a non-dynamics, 88" short hood one, please, but can I have it as standard 2-rail rather than P48..??? :)

No need to say what RR/Livery mine would be..... ;)
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Sitting up & taking notice!! Lack of a decent GP38-2 in 1:48 is a serious gap in the market.

I'll have a non-dynamics, 88" short hood one, please, but can I have it as standard 2-rail rather than P48..??? :)

No need to say what RR/Livery mine would be..... ;)

Yup you'll need the Phase II variant with pocket footwells, 88" nose, thick winter cab doors, bevelled intake filter housing, anticlimber front pilot and corrugated radiator screens with winterization housing over one fan, but you'll also need Phase I battery box covers and bolted cab side sheets. That lot do you?

I've yet to confirm that SOO locos have the toilet hatch on top of the nose.

There's four types of footwell as far as I can ascertain that I'd like to try and factor in, Phase I with it's sloping side wall, Phase II with it's pocket recess and, NS with it's almost unique narrow square cut deep pocket recess but with steps and finally, Canadian square cut but with steps in ladder format. This'll all come in the footplate etch work later but I'll try and grab small sections of photos to explain it all later.

Basic breakdown is cab etch (two types, Spartan and Canadian) which include noses (high & low 81" & 88"), hood etch, which is everything above the footplate rearward of the cab, footplate etch which is all the footplate, pilots, plows, footwells and anticlimbers and finally chassis which will be the solebar fuel tanks and such sundries.

More later, I've a week off work to look after the wife after her op so progress should be swift:thumbs: certainly hope to have the cab etch wrapped up this week.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Just one! although it has micro bubbles within, in fact this singular one (GP38-2) is in it's self a micro bubble within the larger US Railroads bubble.

As is typical of the US of A, it's a rather large and brash bubble which suffocates all others and thus requires all of my attention, it got to the point where it's shouting for attention was distracting toward other more 'gentle' bubbles:thumbs:

I'll run with it until it looses momentum and drifts off on it's lunar orbit, which like all before it will, until then I just enjoy the moment and maximise my time with it.
 

adrian

Flying Squad
I've yet to confirm that SOO locos have the toilet hatch on top of the nose.
Could they not find somewhere a little more discrete for them, maybe afford them a little decency? Knowing very little (i.e. virtually none) about railroading the otherside of the pond - the mind boggles with this one!
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Mick,

When you draw the Canadian cab I wonder whether you can put the ACFB on the cab etch? It's one of those things that seems to have been left off the HO scale versions of the cab, which means there's always some scratch building to do...

Steph
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Could they not find somewhere a little more discrete for them, maybe afford them a little decency? Knowing very little (i.e. virtually none) about railroading the otherside of the pond - the mind boggles with this one!

LOL

http://shop.cannonandco.net/category.sc?categoryId=3

Item 2, it's a hatch on top of the 88" nose to facilitate the easily removal of the whole toilet sub assembly, take off hatch, un-plumb toilet module and simply lift out, not fitted to all locos so it's a but hit and miss as to which do and do not have it, as usual, prototype photos of your subject are essential.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Mick,

When you draw the Canadian cab I wonder whether you can put the ACFB on the cab etch? It's one of those things that seems to have been left off the HO scale versions of the cab, which means there's always some scratch building to do...

Steph

ACFB? Not familiar with that item, do you have any more details?
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Sorry, finger trouble; ECAFB Electrical Cabinet Air Filter Box. Behind the left hand side of the cab, under the window on a standard cab, it's built in to the cab step of the Canadian cab.
Steph
 
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