3rd Rail SD9's are coming

Unbelievable model. Congrats! This is the kind of detail 3railers deserve.

Ahhhh the claw is gone! And a silver conduit to the trash can light....

Very nice, Doug. It's amazing what a few dabs of silver paint can do, coupler not withstanding.

Nice, the silver really does make a huge difference 

That looks real nice, 3rd Rail sure did a fantastic job on these and your modeling touches added the correct amount of prototypical finesse.  Totally nice!!! Great pics too!!

I was over there today and there are about 2 dozen models available.  The remainder are all in process of waiting for final payment or being shipped. All the SP units are sold and a couple of people who waited too long found out non were available.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out all the demonstrators were sold.  

The mods look great, Doug. Going to put the Kadees on my units after doing some test running at the club Picked up one of mine Friday afternoon (had them re-routed and they ended up going to two different UPS drop centers). Going to get the other one Saturday morning on the way to the club. Will post photos when I get them on the club layout. Seriously considering a pair of SD40-2's.

Very nice, I would add lens to the "garbage can lites" as I believed they were called. JMO

It has a lens you just don't notice in the photos. I had to put my finger on it to make sure. The seam you see just inside the outside edge of the can is the lens and you can barely see the glue around the edge of the lens.

Doug I was watching the Jug Hauler video today. I still dont see a train in the video and I barely notice the box

Just got notification "Out For Delivery"  woohoo!

Picked mine up Friday (1703 and 1704). Need to paint the air hoses on the Kadee pilots before I install Kadees. The detailing and paint are excellent on these units. Wish the budget had allowed for a couple of SP units. Sound and low speed running are great. Didn't really get much of a chance to do what I consider review level of testing. Hopefully I'll be able to do that this week.

Didn't see it in the instructions, but does the emergency light light up (which 3rd rail correctly placed on the CNW units)? The class lights are keyed into the directional headlights.

AWESOME!!! It's got "The Route of the 400" logo.  Matt, if I could like that a thousand times, I would. Love the engine and I can't wait to see mine tonight

That is beautiful Matt! Marvelous 

Pre Kadee.

Overall, pretty good model.  Not a TMCC fan.

The DM&IR Looks nice too!

I will post some photos of them later tonight.

Dave

The UPS man just delivered my EMD demonstrator model (one day early), in the driving rain!  Think I'll wait 'till tomorrow to open the damp box.

Nice model!    Looks very comparable to my Precision Scale SD9. You all have some beauties.

No high water pants, yay!

Jack, can you wait that long?

Matt Makens posted:

Jack, can you wait that long?

Sure can. I provided the original EMD Styling & Painting drawing for this model, and already have seen photos of the models, from Scott. Tomorrow, I'll open it and changeout the claws and pilots. This one might not get weathered.

Hot Water posted:

Matt Makens posted:

Jack, can you wait that long?

Sure can. I provided the original EMD Styling & Painting drawing for this model, and already have seen photos of the models, from Scott. Tomorrow, I'll open it and changeout the claws and pilots. This one might not get weathered.

I would suggest not removing the pilot to install the filler for the Kadee couplers.  The pilot comes off easily with 2 screws and the pilot handrails separate at the tees.  But,  reinstalling the handrails to the tees can be annoying.

You don't like TMCC? Ahhh c'mon Dave 

I couldn't get the pilot insert in without removing the pilot. Not to mention the electro coupler plug is under the edge of the pilot. I had to take the pilots off.

with kadees

Doug. I was able to keep the handrails in tact and still remove the pilot just a little bit. Dave

Christmas is early   Getting ready to install Kadees.

CB&Q/C &S SD9s

SP SD9/SD7

Very impressed with the Railsounds horn quality in the first video Dave Minarik posted.  Lots of depth and presence to it -- MUCH more than prior Railsounds that Lionel would license to companies like 3rd Rail and Atlas-O.  Very encouraging... can't wait to see and hear the E8/E9's which are due in March 2017.  I have two Canadian Pacific units on order.

David

So envious Doug those BlackBirds are SWEET! I already have OMI brass samples factory painted; these I think are better! 

If the smoke unit is used, the diesels can not be returned.

Who would actually want to return these SD7s and SD9s?

Andrew

Erik C Lindgren posted:

So envious Doug those BlackBirds are SWEET! I already have OMI brass samples factory painted; these I think are better! 

Thanks nothing to be envious about.  I got lucky and picked up the second SP SD 7 when The C&S did not come in the Chinese red scheme( 1959 deliveries) as ordered and canceled the second CB&Q SD9. The good thing. The C&S SD9 survived in that scheme until a year after the merger. 

The Burlington "blackbird" paint scheme is a real beauty.  As an addendum, the SD9's/SD7's were ordered for Western service and for the "Q's" southern IL coal line. One or two SD's replaced one O1a 2-8-2 in mine run service, and 3-4 SD's replaced one M4a 2-10-4 on 8800 ton mainline coal trains. Note that Sunset is doing the O1a's - - would mate up quite nicely with the Burlington SD9's, as they worked side by side into January 1959, both on the coal line  and leased to the Colorado & Southern, to replace diesels wrecked in September, 1958.

Definitely like the scheme and many were still in the blackbird scheme at the merger. Although I have only found a couple of 337 in the mid 60s. I have found both 336 and 338 in photo taken after the merger and can only assume that 337 also was in that scheme at the merger. Which is good.

Question.........and only a question (so Erik doesn't come back with I'm disrespecting Scott Mann), were the side mounted breather pipe on the Q units added post delivery?

A NOTE TO 3 RAIL CONVENTIONAL RUNNERS. WE TURNED OFF THE SOUND DURING INSPECTION AT THE FACTORY. THE RAILSOUNDS BOARD REMEMBERS THIS SETTING. WHEN ONE RUNS THE MODEL IN CONVENTIONAL MODE, THE SOUND REMAINS TURNED OFF. ONE MUST HAVE ACCESS TO A TMCC SIGNAL TO TURN THE SOUND BACK (AUX1 - 1,1,1,1)  ON... SIGH..... IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING.

I SUGGEST TO ALL THAT STILL ONLY RUN CONVENTIONAL, INVEST IN A CAB-1L OR LEGACY REMOTE. THEN YOU CAN FULLY ENJOY THESE MODELS.

Off to China. SP S-12 inspection, El Capitan 2nd Run Production and many projects in design.

Scott Mann

Chuck Sartor posted:

Question.........and only a question (so Erik doesn't come back with I'm disrespecting Scott Mann), were the side mounted breather pipe on the Q units added post delivery?

Yes.

Beautiful models! Congrats guys enjoy them!

Thank you, Scott! Can't wait for my pullman hw and the RI rocket

By any chance, has any one opened one of these up? I would be curious if one could fit a DCS system in there.

John Sethian posted:

By any chance, has any one opened one of these up? I would be curious if one could fit a DCS system in there.

John,

I will get on that.  I really dig the sound in the board but I am not too crazy about lashup performance.  TMCC seems pretty archaic (reminds me of writing a computer program with punch cards lol).

They are belt drive. Motor in the body, drive shafts in the fuel tank.

Dave

Scott,

Thank you for making these!

Dave