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Chuck

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  1. Chuck

    UP Passenger Train

    By Chuck,

    Here I'll blog about how I'm coming up with rolling stock to put together a 15 - 20 car long 1:29 scale Union Pacific passenger train. To be pulled by various engines including a PA/B ABBA consist, USA Big Boy, Aristo E8's if I can find more at a "reasonable" price and quite possibly a FEF. Heck I even have a pair of MTH 1:32 UP Challengers that I could use.
     
    To be powered via track or battery power. All engines have MTH ProtoSound3 DCS decoders installed that have the usual lights, sounds & smoke.
     
    Start by saying I do have some USAT UP passenger cars already though nothing like a did have at one time but that's another story.
     
    Okay I'll start by needing a baggage car for either batteries and/ or mounting a MTH DCS TIU. Well typical as Charles Ro supply is out of stock on the UP car so I bought a NYC 2-tone grey. When Ro runs out of stock it takes a few years for them to make more...if ever.
     
    I dis-assembled car, stripped paint via soda blasting and primed with Harbor Freight self etching primer. That paint really sprays nice as nozzle is the easy press design with and adjustable fan.
       
     
     
     

     

     

     
    Here's how I handle these big bodies for painting. I cut cardboard that slides into the grooves in body where floor fits. Then I hot glue a wood "handle" onto bottom. Having a temporary "floor" in the car eliminates a lot of masking and the insides of car skirt are exposed for painting. 

     
    Floor slid out.

     
    And I reinforced the top with a piece of plastic hot glued and with a screw run down into handle.

     
    Next is color paint coats but need to wait a few more days as paint manufacturer states 72 hours between coats.
  2. Chuck
    First I'll start off by stating that I am not a fan of the Aristo-Craft 3 axle motor trucks. A crappy rail power pickup design along with no spare parts available.
     
    Overall I do like the Aristo-Craft SD45 so I decided to mount USA Trains SD40-2 motor trucks. I do like the USA T design as they use both the wheels via axle bushings  and slider skates to pick rail power. I'm also a big fan of using traction tires. My idea is keep the locomotive weight light and pull good using traction tires.
     
    First off I started this on 10/31/2019 as it was such a beautiful fall day outside here in a northwest suburb of Chicago...

     
    Here's a SD45 chassis/ frame stripped down being prepped for the USA drives.

     
    I removed these pieces with flush side cutters and then sanded down smooth...

     

     
    For mounting the floppy axle steel guide/ bolster whatever it's called...

     
    But since I plate the floppy axle and make it solid with the rest of the motor truck I decided not to use the steel bolster thing...

     
    Just mounting the drive onto the chassis could be done but I didn't like it as it looked to "high"...
     
    The USA drives are a bit taller than the Aristo's so I decided to raise the bolsters...or lower the chassis.
    And since the USA drives pivot at a different spot than the Aristo's I calculated where the new bolster holes should be. In this case 5-3/4" away from the chassis top side ends...where the diamond plate stops. After I marked where the holes are to be I drew out where to cut for the bolsters. I just followed a USA SD40-2 frame and made the holes approx. 2" x 2".
     
    I didn't take any pics of just the square holes being cut.
     
    Here I made & mounted new bolsters out of some .110 or 7/64" hard acrylic plastic. Bolsters measure approx. 2" x 3".
    Glued and screwed. Pic shows how much shorter the Aristo SD45 frame is compared to the USA Trains SD40-2.
     
     
    Here's the 5-3/4" bolster hole...

     
    Here's the frame with slotted holes cut for truck wiring to pass thru...these holes are right next to where the fuel tank ends...

     
    Trucks fit nice...without the fuel tank being installed 
    So I had 2 options...either shorten the USA truck frames a bit or shorten the fuel tank.
    I figured a shortened fuel tank would be an eye catcher...so I opted to shorten the truck frames a bit.
    Here I chopped the rears of say about a 1/2"...or just next to the rear traction motor blower duct...Won't even be noticeable.
    Oh...should say I figured all that out way ahead of time...that's how I came up with the 5-3/4" number.
     
     
    Here trucks are temporarily mounted along with fuel tank and a end sill sitting on track compared to a USA SD40-2.
    With a bit of painting and some detail work it will be just fine 

     
     
     
     
 
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