welcome aboard Kelly. looks like you are off to an awesome start. several of those were running at the o scale show in Cleveland on a Proto48 layout. keep posting we need more 2 railers here!!

That's impressive work. Welcome aboard.

Hello Kelly,

I stay tuned here because I'm interested too. Your chassis look very good. Nice work.

I look forward to watching your progress - those frames look great.

Kelly, your work is nearly an exact replica of the brass deck that was offered for the RC GP7/9 by Des Plaines Hobbies. Well done.

I have done a little more work on the frames.  The steel frames were bowing like a banana from being milled on one side and that was using hot rolled steel. 

I went back to the aluminum frame with a screw in weight trays or steel weight, haven't decided yet.  I have added a couple of holes at the ends of the frame for posts like the one in the assembly rendering.  The post can hold a tray that can support batteries or a decoder. 

The rendering shows a weight tray on the left, and a steel weight on the right. I will choose one or the other and include them with the frame.

I will keep you posted. 

Have you thought about brass for the frame?

Dick

Nice work !

I decided on glue in steel weights for the final design. The steel weights fit

into pockets that are milled into the top, inside surface.

Final weight is about 14 ounces with the frame and weight alone. The large hole near center is for a speaker wire into the fuel tank. 

when & where do I send my order??

Count me in too!

Wow, if you make a run of those I would buy at least one, and maybe two.

I emailed Kelly over the weekend and here is what he had to say. (perhaps evident just from the pics to many but not me.)

expensive in the raw material form so I choose aluminum. 

Frames are $78 plus $6.50 each.  He is more active on the yahoo P:48 forum.  (I hope he doesn't mind me divulging this info but it seems like this would only help!)

"This all started because the brass frames are no longer available."

   If someone is building up a high powered model a metal frame might be worth the trouble but it's not always necessary. I ran my Red Caboose geeps for years with the stock frame and never had a frame problem. The only thing I'd change for sure is the stock wheelsets, they pit badly and are hard to clean...DaveB

Thank you all for the kind words.

Some background... I have a CNC milling machine that I built myself a couple of years ago. I build custom homes for a living and do CNC work for fun, and to keep sharp.

The Red Caboose GP9 is actually my first O scale anything!  LOL  I wanted to try O scale and started asking questions about loco kits on another group.  I was pointed toward the Red Caboose kit and a list of common upgrades.  Everything was available except the brass frame.  It was my understanding that the stock frame suffered from the lack of weight and the tendency to sag in the middle over time if weight was added.

Once I had my kit in hand it was time to mill out a frame for myself that included some of the underside detail that the brass frame did not have. While asking questions and posting pictures on another group several people started to ask if I was going to make them available so I decided to do a limited run, those frames will be available in a few weeks.

I have been taking pre-orders with the understanding that the first run will be ready in a approx. 4 weeks depending on the holiday delays.

If anyone is interested please email me off list and I will send you details. 

"The Red Caboose GP9 is actually my first O scale anything!  LOL  I wanted to try O scale and started asking questions about loco kits on another group.  I was pointed toward the Red Caboose kit and a list of common upgrades.  Everything was available except the brass frame.  It was my understanding that the stock frame suffered from the lack of weight and the tendency to sag in the middle over time if weight was added."

 A lot of O scalers are obsessed with weight so I'm sure they could bend one of these if they tried. I ran mine as they were designed and other than the wheels they were trouble free and a great running little loco. I'm sure the guys wanting to trick out their locos will be glad to have a new source of metal frames since apparently the old one has dried up.... .DaveB

Kelly; best of luck with your new endeavor.

LOOKS LIKE A VERY REWARDING PROJECT.

Cheers from Michigan

anybody have Kelly's email?

Bob, I sent you an email with the requested addy.

Hi Guys,

My email is kelly.regan@verizon DOT net. Remove the DOT & replace it with a .

I was able to spend a little time working on my model. Two 1/4" aluminum

posts drilled and tapped to accept 4/40 screws make up the radio/dcc

equipment posts that fit the pre-drilled holes in the frame.

I used styrene to test fit the equipment  tray.  Clearance from top of

the tray to the inside top of the loco shell is .95 inches, plenty of room

for batteries etc.

I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas.

just got my frame in todays mail....sweeeeet.  now to get my engine out of the engine house and to the workbench.

Hi Guys,

I just received word that someone that purchased a frame

thinking it would fit with the original stock trucks.

As with the aftermarket brass frame my frame is designed

for the P&D Hobbies drive/trucks.  I am sorry if I did not make

that clear.

If you have ordered a frame thinking it will fit the stock

trucks please email me so I can send you a refund before

I ship your frame.

Kelly, I just bit the bullet and ordered the P&D conversion kit.  im sure this will make this engine run purrrfect

Sounds good Bob, sorry for the confusion. 

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to pass along that the frames are now available online at the link in my signature.  The site is very new and a little sparse on content but it is a work in progress.

Next up will be a gear reduction kit with ball bearing supported replacement towers.  I believe one of the pictures on the site shows the prototype tower on one end of the locomotive. This particulate loco was converted to P48 but that isn't necessary to utilize the gear reduction.