7mm Richards P48 US Thread
- Thread starter richard carr
- Start date
richard carr
Western Thunderer
You are right a lot went for export, I think Brazil took quite a few, but BN were still using them in the late 90s if photographers have put the correct dates on their photos. I really should fit some ditch lights to mine, even if they won't work.
Brian Daniels
Western Thunderer
I got a picture of C30-7 BN5537 in a consist at Mendota on 12-10-96
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Thanks Brian
Pictures of the back end of them seem to be rare.
Richard
Pictures of the back end of them seem to be rare.
Richard
Brian Daniels
Western Thunderer
Guess in the end of 1996 they must have been on their last legs for a class 1?
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Hi Brian
Certainly they were on the way out. They were bought to haul coal trains in the late 70's and early 80s BN and Santa Fe were the biggest buyers in the US .
BN used those mainly for hauling coal out of the powder river basin.
I've found photos of them dated as late as 1999 still hauling coal trains. The worked on most other things bar the container trains too.
I've also found photos dated up to 2016 of them operating on shortlines still in their BN green livery.
Richard
Certainly they were on the way out. They were bought to haul coal trains in the late 70's and early 80s BN and Santa Fe were the biggest buyers in the US .
BN used those mainly for hauling coal out of the powder river basin.
I've found photos of them dated as late as 1999 still hauling coal trains. The worked on most other things bar the container trains too.
I've also found photos dated up to 2016 of them operating on shortlines still in their BN green livery.
Richard
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I've been doing a bit more on the green machine, first decals, what a difference they make.
The micro scale decal sheet I was using didn't have any number board numbers, it was just the big numbers, but I managed to find some on SD60 sheet that I bought on the off chance that they might be useful one day as they were half price in the P&D sale.
Last night I added the MU hoses, Kadee couplers and windshields
It's starting to look the part now.
The micro scale decal sheet I was using didn't have any number board numbers, it was just the big numbers, but I managed to find some on SD60 sheet that I bought on the off chance that they might be useful one day as they were half price in the P&D sale.
Last night I added the MU hoses, Kadee couplers and windshields
It's starting to look the part now.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I've now been spending a bit more time on the SP SD9s. About 150 of them were rebuilt during the 70s and became referred to as SD9Es.
Visually there were two obvious changes, some (about 20 from what I can find) were fitted with a Farr Air Filter Box, most had a rain shield behind the cab that extended the cab roof profile back a fair bit. This was to help prevent water ingress into the electrical cabinet. Others also had light changes made with the gyra lights and emergency red lights removed on some locos. So the plan is to draw the necessary parts and print them. The first one I have tried is the Farr Air Filter Box. I couldn't find a drawing or any information about them, just a few photos of locos with them.
So this is what I think it needs to be.
It's too long across the body, by about 1.5mm, but I'll fix that on the next print.
Next I need to do the rain shield.
Richard
Visually there were two obvious changes, some (about 20 from what I can find) were fitted with a Farr Air Filter Box, most had a rain shield behind the cab that extended the cab roof profile back a fair bit. This was to help prevent water ingress into the electrical cabinet. Others also had light changes made with the gyra lights and emergency red lights removed on some locos. So the plan is to draw the necessary parts and print them. The first one I have tried is the Farr Air Filter Box. I couldn't find a drawing or any information about them, just a few photos of locos with them.
So this is what I think it needs to be.
It's too long across the body, by about 1.5mm, but I'll fix that on the next print.
Next I need to do the rain shield.
Richard
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Unfortunately Stephen, that glass was from last night, I just hadn't got round to washing it up.
I am about to open another bottle shortly but it is heading for 6pm
Richard
I am about to open another bottle shortly but it is heading for 6pm
Richard
Stephen
Western Thunderer
It's been bugging me since this conversation, that I was sure I had seen locos 'similar' to the C30-7 somewhere......memory finally kicked into gear - Cuba!
Not my photo, but I'm sure I did take some photos of them in and around the Havana area.....in fact I think I had passenger haulage behind one on an overnight train from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, will have to dig my photos out. There was definitely a loco swap about 30min outside Havana where the original train loco died a death - I'm sure I took a photo of the replacement loco on the buffers at Santiago....
According to Wiki, the Cuban fleet of C30-7s was purchased from the Mexican national railroad, about a similar time as they started importing other second hand GMD1's from Canada...
Cheers,
Stephen
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Over the weekend I had the urge to do some machining.
These are massive freight cars, over 18 inches long, but they run on tiny wheels, I think they are 28 inches on the real thing.
For once Atlas have actaully used the right size.
They look tiny compared to 36 inch wheels. So to convert these to P48 it's a case of reprofiling and thinning the Atlas wheels.
These are the smallest wheels I have had to deal with but all the usual techniques work, the one exception being that the form tool needed grinding down a bit or it would have removed all the support from the back of the wheel.
You need to pull the trucks apart to get the wheels out, including removing the springs from one side so be careful not to lose them.
You will then need an arbour press to remove the wheels from axles as the axles are knurled and they just won't pull off.
Here are the finished wheels, 1.3 mm thinner with a nice P48 flange. The easily go back on the extended axles on the roller bearing caps keep the side play down.
I forgot to take photos of the finished autorack, so that will have to wait until next week once I'm back from Chicago.
Richard
These are massive freight cars, over 18 inches long, but they run on tiny wheels, I think they are 28 inches on the real thing.
For once Atlas have actaully used the right size.
They look tiny compared to 36 inch wheels. So to convert these to P48 it's a case of reprofiling and thinning the Atlas wheels.
These are the smallest wheels I have had to deal with but all the usual techniques work, the one exception being that the form tool needed grinding down a bit or it would have removed all the support from the back of the wheel.
You need to pull the trucks apart to get the wheels out, including removing the springs from one side so be careful not to lose them.
You will then need an arbour press to remove the wheels from axles as the axles are knurled and they just won't pull off.
Here are the finished wheels, 1.3 mm thinner with a nice P48 flange. The easily go back on the extended axles on the roller bearing caps keep the side play down.
I forgot to take photos of the finished autorack, so that will have to wait until next week once I'm back from Chicago.
Richard
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Seeing one of these in the flesh....it is a truly massive piece of kit; HO ones are big but these O gauge ones are enormous and impressive.
Overseer
Western Thunderer
Hopefully Richard doesn't mind, your photo reminded me I took a photo of similarly painted ALCO looking locos in Havana in March 2000. When I looked at the slides, not C30-7 and I don't know what they are.
Mention of GMD1, this took me a while to realise it wasn't some Soviet relic. Still in worn CN livery. They looked much better later after repainting.
I was trying to photograph the EMD/GMD G8 and G12 locos but didn't get close enough before they zoomed off to western Cuba. This was sitting at a platform and does look Eastern European.
Stephen
Western Thunderer
MLW Model MX624 - 50 of them were imported direct to Cuba from Canada in the mid 1970s, which upset Uncle Sam by all accounts.
Twenty of these were purchased direct from CN - interesting part was that they had a mixture of the Bo-Bo and A1A-A1A versions, so in true Cuban style, they did a mix and match of the bogies and the majority of the fleet were converted to A1A-Bo locos. Funnily enough I was in Cuba at pretty much the same time as you in 2000, and filmed one of the GMD1s in CN livery, traversing the long metal bridge outside Havana Central Station one afternoon.
A Russian built TEM-21K - 79 built and supplied to Cuba from 1974 through to 1988.
I saw quite a few of the G8's working - mainly around Moron from memory. I'm sure I have a photo of one hauling a local passenger service maybe near Ciro Redondo, with the passenger cars consist made up of a mix of de-motored Budd RDC cars and the usual Cuban home-made box car conversions.
Cheers,
Stephen
Overseer
Western Thunderer
Thanks Stephen. Maybe these should be moved to another thread, although I only took a few diesel shots while waiting for trains so not much more to add. We travelled on one of the few Budds still running as an RDC.
Jordan or Plymouth Mad
Mid-Western Thunderer
I had an HO autorack once, it came as part of a 'bargain pack' offer, something like 5 cars for £25, seller's choice, so it wasn't a car I'd have bought specially, & I soon sold it on.
I have absolutely no use for one in O Scale either - although it would be 'interesting' to see it navigate my 36" radius curves, & my 'bad' track......
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Although most autoracks seem to move in either dedicated unit trains or as a large part of a manifest or stack train, you do still see the odd 1 on it's own in the middle of a manifest. On Saturday last I was watching the virtual railfan camera at Fostoria and saw a single loco taking 2 autoracks north to Toledo, that was the entire train nothing else.
JOrdan you could build a ramp at the end of your spur to unload cars. I'm sure it would go round your curves.
Richard
JOrdan you could build a ramp at the end of your spur to unload cars. I'm sure it would go round your curves.
Richard
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Hi David
You can buy P48 code 125 flat bottom rail 3 point gauges from Fast Tracks (handlaidtrack.com) they also do them for code 100 and 148.
I like these and have half a dozen.
You can also get some 3 point gauges for code 125 from Right o way ( I have a couple of these they work well) and the NMRA plate gauge (which I would recommend that you get one at least) which is particularly useful for testing the gauge on switches.
You can never have too many gauges for laying track.
I also laid some code 100 track and I made some roller gauges on my lathe for this.
You can get code 125 flex track from Right O way, I have used quite a bit as it really speeds up track laying. He doesn't always have it in stock but if you did want some it's worth letting Jay know now so that he orders you some when he does another batch.
Richard
You can buy P48 code 125 flat bottom rail 3 point gauges from Fast Tracks (handlaidtrack.com) they also do them for code 100 and 148.
I like these and have half a dozen.
You can also get some 3 point gauges for code 125 from Right o way ( I have a couple of these they work well) and the NMRA plate gauge (which I would recommend that you get one at least) which is particularly useful for testing the gauge on switches.
You can never have too many gauges for laying track.
I also laid some code 100 track and I made some roller gauges on my lathe for this.
You can get code 125 flex track from Right O way, I have used quite a bit as it really speeds up track laying. He doesn't always have it in stock but if you did want some it's worth letting Jay know now so that he orders you some when he does another batch.
Richard