Rocket Booster Train A/C Units

@Richie C. posted:

Supposedly there was a team of technical experts who monitored the cars and booster segments as they made the seven-day trip to Florida. I wonder if the passenger car was an add-on to the consist for the team to travel in.

I looked at at least a dozen booster train videos, never saw a passenger car in the consist of any of them.  Maybe that was the old trains from years back that were bringing the boosters for the space shuttle.  The trains I'm seeing are apparently for the upcoming Artemis I mission.  I found a couple of videos about the shuttle boosters, they used the same cars it looks like.  However, no passenger car in sight.

I suspect that maybe those experts rode the train one or two times, perhaps in a passenger car, but then they just let the train do it's thing after that.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I suspect that maybe those experts rode the train one or two times, perhaps in a passenger car, but then they just let the train do it's thing after that.

You are correct that they rode it during the space shuttle era. However it looks like there was an accident and the passenger car was scrapped. Monitoring was done through other wireless means afterwards based on Trainorders.com website.  So no more passenger car after 2007.

Interesting read in link about recovery. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/cita...oads/20080032810.pdf

However these models were originally (from MTH) based on the space shuttle rocket train and that is why it had the passenger car. The SLS (Armetis) use the same boosters but with an extra center section. So the booster is big than the space shuttle ones. So could still use it for modeling the SLS but the booster itself would be slightly different. Just some information that I thought was interesting.

But I wouldn’t mind adding the heat pump system to one of my sets (from MTH but still the same as Lionel).

Warrier River  IS the name of the passenger car in the MTH set version

Yes Warrior River was the passenger car in the MTH set. After the accident, Hialeah ( in the Lionel set) was to replace the Warrior River but they decided not to use a passenger car at all after the accident according to Trainorders.

Not sure where the name for the car in the Lionel set came from.

@John Hon posted:

Yes Warrior River was the passenger car in the MTH set. After the accident, Hialeah ( in the Lionel set) was to replace the Warrior River but they decided not to use a passenger car at all after the accident according to Trainorders.

So, based on that comment, the use of the Hialeah car is not prototypical at all, even for the space shuttle booster trains.  That's one less car I have to tow around.   I see from that report that the engines and passenger car took the major hit, I think I'd be reluctant to ride that train after that as well.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I looked at at least a dozen booster train videos, never saw a passenger car in the consist of any of them.  Maybe that was the old trains from years back that were bringing the boosters for the space shuttle.  The trains I'm seeing are apparently for the upcoming Artemis I mission.  I found a couple of videos about the shuttle boosters, they used the same cars it looks like.  However, no passenger car in sight.

I suspect that maybe those experts rode the train one or two times, perhaps in a passenger car, but then they just let the train do it's thing after that.

The only video I could find was this one showing the last Shuttle delivery. It has two passenger cars - at least one of which was a press/VIP car for the milestone event.

Final Shuttle Booster Delivery

Also haven't found any photos of the passenger car on the old booster trains, but as I recall it was always there carrying booster contractor employees. At least up until the train actually did derail and injured several:

Derailed Train Cleanup Begins

And finally back to the HVAC units, there's this UP page with a good overview of the transportation process including a couple of sidebars about the units (with photos):

UP: Rockets by Rail

John

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Your two UP what?  They didn't come with the Lionel Rocket Booster set.

I have three (it turns out) UP four-truck flats with transformers. I got them used and two-railed. The NASA one (still three-rail) has a "transformer" that looks more like a package boiler to me. Anyway, one of the UP flats is scheduled to surrender its two-rail parts to the NASA flat.

SOOO

made some changes curved the front and revised the grill

That looks really close Alan!

Are those tubes flexible?

OK, the logo is a nice touch!

I guess for accuracy's sake, we'd probably want that diesel fuel tank that you can see hiding behind the HVAC unit.   I haven't seen a good picture of that one yet.

Geez GRJ - now you are inflating production costs!😊

@DGuill posted:

Geez GRJ - now you are inflating production costs!😊

That's me, the Budget Buster!   I should work in D.C.

Yep I did…with DISA - can’t spell DISAppontment without DISA.😎

tank

Alan,

Your latest rending looks fantastic! If you are making extras, please put me in for a pair.

Thank you!

Chris

LVHR

That's a great looking unit, and certainly a worthwhile addition to the Booster train!

added drain pipe, at least I think its a drain from the photo; other surface details shown in the photo,

I have no idea what they are !!

added some structure to the back of the AC unit.

@AlanRail posted:

added drain pipe, at least I think its a drain from the photo; other surface details shown in the photo,

added some structure to the back of the AC unit.

There would indeed be a drain from the HVAC, in A/C mode, I'm sure it generates quite a bit of condensate.

Dumb question, how did you come up with the spacing of the slots on the platform?  Do you have a set of these cars?

john

I took your top view picture from above into my modeling program. Then measured the actual width of the platform, placed a line of that length over the platform and scaled the platform down so the platform width fit the measured line.

Now I have a scaled top view picture to use to model the AC, did the same for the side view so I have scaled pictures in the modeling program. All of the slots ( except the brake wheel slot) are then scaled as well.

easy from there,

I expect that the drain pipe is really the exhaust from the engine driving the A/C compressor.  From Alan's rendering it appears that the fuel line enters on that side of the unit.

Jan

@Jan posted:

I expect that the drain pipe is really the exhaust from the engine driving the A/C compressor.  From Alan's rendering it appears that the fuel line enters on that side of the unit.

I guess we can all guess what it is.

Would other views help?

I thought some slot measurements would be handy...

Spacing in mm

Spacing in inches

better views does help.

Thanks  jwtex   for the better photo.

Wow Alan, lots of great detail on that one!  That almost looks like it will blow cold air!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

You might have to dispense with the brake wheel, but I see the prototype doesn't have those anyway.

Correct. The prototype only has one brakewheel per car so the redundant brake wheels should be removed regardless of whether or not it is getting the HVAC upgrade.

design for the flexible hoses will be printed in flexible resin

First draft prints of AC unit hot off the printer:

Look great.  Put me down for 6   I have three rocket train sets that have been waiting a long time for these!

Bossman284; First thanks for the kudos!

Second, this is not a buy-sell forum so I cannot sell from this site.  OGR RULES!

Third, this is just a DRAFT print, final design still in progress.

Another fabulous project Alan.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I looked at at least a dozen booster train videos, never saw a passenger car in the consist of any of them.  Maybe that was the old trains from years back that were bringing the boosters for the space shuttle.  The trains I'm seeing are apparently for the upcoming Artemis I mission.  I found a couple of videos about the shuttle boosters, they used the same cars it looks like.  However, no passenger car in sight.

I suspect that maybe those experts rode the train one or two times, perhaps in a passenger car, but then they just let the train do it's thing after that.

Normally when a high value shipment the first one or two will have a large crew just in case anything comes up. After that the headend is on its own.

Alan, what would you change in a final design?  You should probably try to fit these to one of the booster cars to see if everything fits before doing any final changes.   I think the older MTH cars and the new Lionel cars probably have the slots in the same position.  Since I have both, I can try to measure and see if they're the same.

The prior draft prints were a little too big for the Rocket car.

so I resized them as this:

to make the painting easier I will print in two separate pieces that fit together