08-09-2011, 02:29 PM
The coupler mounting pads were then clamped in place and soldered.
016" shims were placed between the frame and the wood to get the correct bolster height. The bolsters were soldered in place with the king pin 1 13/32" from the end of the frame. A heat sink was used to keep the king pins from moving during soldering.
The trucks are 1973-1983 vintage Athearn trucks. They will be replaced with the 1980 and newer truck though because the mounting tabs for the metal side frames come to close to the frame and will short out on curves. Any GE or Alco 4 axle truck could be used by moving or modifying the bolster.
Frame with trucks installed.
Frame with shell installed.
Building the motor mount and fuel tank will follow as the project continues.
I swapped the trucks with another loco today and took measurements to calculate how far the motor needed to be recessed into the frame.
I'm using a Bachmann motor with mount I got in a parts lot.
The dimensions and possibly design of the mount may need to be different with a different choice of motor.
To figure out the depth of the mount I measured the distance from the bolster plate on the truck to the center line of the worm shaft. Then subtracted that from the measurement of the centerline of the motor shaft to the bottom of the motors mounting bracket. Then subtracted the measurement of the frame bolster to the bottom of the frame. This came out to be 3/16" below the bottom of the frame rail.
The one piece mount I designed will also include the frame floor and air tank hangers. It is made from .015" brass sheet.
A large hole will be drilled in the center of the mount to fill the fuel tank with ballast after it is installed.
There must be a .010" gap between the air tank hangers and the mount for the fuel tank to insert into.
This is a crude drawing of the mount. The red lines in the upper diagram are the fold lines.
I have the mount cut out and will get photos as I make the bends.
016" shims were placed between the frame and the wood to get the correct bolster height. The bolsters were soldered in place with the king pin 1 13/32" from the end of the frame. A heat sink was used to keep the king pins from moving during soldering.
The trucks are 1973-1983 vintage Athearn trucks. They will be replaced with the 1980 and newer truck though because the mounting tabs for the metal side frames come to close to the frame and will short out on curves. Any GE or Alco 4 axle truck could be used by moving or modifying the bolster.
Frame with trucks installed.
Frame with shell installed.
Building the motor mount and fuel tank will follow as the project continues.
I swapped the trucks with another loco today and took measurements to calculate how far the motor needed to be recessed into the frame.
I'm using a Bachmann motor with mount I got in a parts lot.
The dimensions and possibly design of the mount may need to be different with a different choice of motor.
To figure out the depth of the mount I measured the distance from the bolster plate on the truck to the center line of the worm shaft. Then subtracted that from the measurement of the centerline of the motor shaft to the bottom of the motors mounting bracket. Then subtracted the measurement of the frame bolster to the bottom of the frame. This came out to be 3/16" below the bottom of the frame rail.
The one piece mount I designed will also include the frame floor and air tank hangers. It is made from .015" brass sheet.
A large hole will be drilled in the center of the mount to fill the fuel tank with ballast after it is installed.
There must be a .010" gap between the air tank hangers and the mount for the fuel tank to insert into.
This is a crude drawing of the mount. The red lines in the upper diagram are the fold lines.
I have the mount cut out and will get photos as I make the bends.
Ray Marinaccio