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What On30 diesel do I want to make?

Started by Burlington Route, December 29, 2012, 11:16:56 AM

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Burlington Route

Well, we here are in need of an On30 diesel for the roster and I just got our donor chassis, a bachmann GP40 w/dcc...was only $38 so the price was right. I just contacted Mount blue about they're diesel body size{s} to see if they'll fit over the slightly longer chassis -  they suggest an S4 switch chassis and by looking at my modelrailroader vol2 diesel locomotive drawings the GP40 runs alittle longer than the sugggested SW/S4.
In the mean time I'm looking for ideas of what to scratch in case those bodies won't easily work...what's some good ideas folks....I'm not a rivet counter so prototype correct isn't a neccesity...we just want a decent looking diesel.
I do have a williams FM trainmaster O scale shell, but that would be alot of cutting to narrow and shorten her up...it'd probably be easier to just scratch a new body I'm thinking....

Burlington Route

Common folks....don't be shy...60+ views and not one idea?

darryl1936

Well   ahhh    I don't know !   You got that one Harry ?

Burlington Route

#3
Well, I appreciate the thought...let's start with the chassis I have.
I carefully popped the fuel tank off and then removed the 2 body screws under that to get the bare rolling chassis as shown.
Truck centers come in at 18 1/2'

Inner frame and weight structure comes in at a scale 2 3/4'...3' would leave some breathing room...and the height of said structure is at 5' tall at the highest LED point. "That" point was measured from the horizontal flat of the top of the chassis for reference sake. Nice and tidy unit overall!

To use the horizontal flat of the chassis platform as a body base I'd have a minimum of 28 1/2' to work with, but that won't leave alot of free air room for breathing so I'll probably shoot for roughly 30' of body sans any step platforms yet. I'll shoot for a 7' wide body...maybe 8' tops...and the OA length will be whatever looks right and not to leave too much room outside of either truck.

Now here's a question...ok...another aside from "what" diesel to build- how does one hook up any sound chips to this dcc board as I don't see any means of a plug with which to do so...I'm planning for a sound chip and speaker while I'm at it.
Just a reminder for those who may have missed it- this is the bachmann GP40 dcc chassis I'm playing with and if may have missed it any measurements given are in 1/48th scale.

TimR


Burlington Route

Now, not to toot my own horn here, but I still remember...at least I hope I do!...which end of a scale ruler to hold....the "flanger" was a week long project of whatever I had on hand for the G scale modular group I was in my early 20s - we needed it for the wisconcin train show - MDC trucks and the rest is styrene and parts box...earned me the knickname "flangerboy"{lol} and the G scale SW was tossed together weeks before USA trains brought out they're SW's...dropped that project and ordered a CB&Q cow and calf when I could...pardon the eons worth of scale dust on her{I'm 47 now}- Aristo U25 power trucks- the rest is styrene.




So, I can and will follow thru on this new scale venture...at least my evergreen stock won't take such a big hit in this scale.

Burlington Route

Quote from: TimR on December 30, 2012, 03:21:02 PM
How about an MK 48?
Guessing your not talking about the Mk48LVS...yeah, I still build models but not so much armor anymore- mostly semis, cars and sci-fi...not bad, but maybe a tad too euro for my current train cars.

Bas

Hello Burlington

I'm about to start this bash:

http://sbiii.com/rrpix/Ircodemo.jpg

It could also fit your GP40 body I guess...

Best regards from Switzerland

Bas

Burlington Route

Quote from: Bas on December 30, 2012, 04:12:28 PM
Hello Burlington

I'm about to start this bash:

http://sbiii.com/rrpix/Ircodemo.jpg

It could also fit your GP40 body I guess...

Best regards from Switzerland

Bas
Nice, an old boxcab, I showed my son that one and the CLW 400hp version but he said they look too old...everyone's a critic...he wants something close to a shortened F40 that "looks strong"...this is why I'm here for ideas!

alainc

Hi,
I've scratch this with a GP40... for the fun :)



the Bach-man

Dear Q,
Try this site:
http://www.mountbluemodelco.com/products.htm
Scroll down for the diesels.
Happy New Year!
the Bach-man

Burlington Route

Quote from: alainc on December 30, 2012, 06:10:44 PM
Hi,
I've scratch this with a GP40... for the fun :)




Neat, is that just a "reCab"...I saw the dynamic brakes and then quickly noticed the exhaust stack thru it and that's when it hit me that you may have used the main body plus a new cab.

Burlington Route

Quote from: the Bach-man on December 30, 2012, 11:58:05 PM
Dear Q,
Try this site:
http://www.mountbluemodelco.com/products.htm
Scroll down for the diesels.
Happy New Year!
the Bach-man

Admin/B-man, I sent an email off to them about the realtime size of they're #18 seires bodies to see if it would fit but haven't heard back from them as of yet.
While your looking, can a Bachmann sound card be added "after the fact" with this chassis, or am I commited to another source? It's a #60303 with DCC on board...but no sound....yet.

Burlington Route

I spent most of the afternoon yesterday researching narrow gauge diesels and got the "nod" on a few of them from my son...this, by no means, means that the search is over. We here seem to like the export GE's at the moment....the GE UM6B tops the chart at this momnet in time along with the GE UM10B. The UM10B pic that I have has quite a bit of realistate in front of the cab and that would interfere with the inner workings just a bit, but then again, most proposed engines will no doubt have some sort of issue like that...I/we are looking for "something close".
The fact that I'm limited to the use of the supplied EMD trucks will make most engine ideas off the wall, so to speak, anyway...this is more for fun, as I stated in the beginning, but I'm going to try and make it believable too.
Another engine my son liked was a LeW DE IIS...."that looks like a strong one dad"

The biggest problem I'm facing is the lack of line drawings for these and alot of engines...the main body length can be shortened or even stretched to fit over the inner chassis, but "height" is what I need a reference to...so what sounds good for cab height....6'....7'....8'.......? Ideas?

Burlington Route

#14
Here, I'll make my reference pic finding easy for you-
The UM10B idea-
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/GE_UM10B_1969_CSN.jpg
...there you can see the open area in front of the cab that I kind of like....
Here is the other idea...that's the UM6B-
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1849566
Here's a DE601 -
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/The_Pacific_Ocean_coal_sales_transportation_DE601_side.JPG
Guess I'm on a GE kick lately...
...oh, and for your or my reference sake, I did just find this on the web...no line drawings but it has the basic specs given which helps- this is the GE section but you could backtrack thru it to find others!
http://www.thedieselshop.us/GE%20DataIndex.HTML