Std Gauge Steeple Cab Project

Very nice!

Very nice.  You may want to do a google search for Key System 1001. It might give you some ideas for additional details.  

  Cool ! Would it be sac religion to suggest  having someone make a plastic cab with a 3D printer ?

  Looks great! Reminds me of the Voltamp Steeple Cab Locos. IVES supposedly made a prototype for a steeple cab in the early 20s....

http://www.ivestrains.org/CD/w...ecials/Crocodile.htm

very nice Steve.

Looking good. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Very nice.

What a cool project Steve. Can't wait to see the finished project.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Steve, looks great!  It's hard to tell, but it looks like you've scaled it bigger than the Al Merris steeple cab?  How does it look with some cars?

That looks great. You are a man of many talents!!! I love your fabrication projects. They are really neat.

Bob

Steve,

The fact that you've done such a fine job of crafting this out of cardboard and you are using the heavy cast iron frame, begs the question, why fabricate a new body in metal?

Either way you go, I'm anxious to see the finished engine. I do have this spare Ives frame and motor.........hum.

Great job!

Eric

I think Steve got the idea from a picture I sent him. I picked up this Steeplecab on an Ives frame last York. After seeing it, Steve had the idea for the project. I think his sizes out fairly compatible to mine. As you can see in the picture, it is slightly larger than the Lionel 10 above it. Steve's loco looks pretty large by itself, but I think it would size up well with standard freight cars. Can't wait to see it in metal form.

ARNO

Steve, I think just by virtue of the fact that yours is built on an Ives frame and motor, it is beefier and more bulk than Al's.  Gotta be a better puller as well; the Al Merris steeple cab is pretty, but even with two powered trucks, one car is all it can haul around the layout.  

I believe McCoy abandoned the steeple cab project because of poor tractive effort; Al took it from there, i think you'd have to say he was only moderately successful.

I would imagine that both Arno's and yours would pull the same as an Ives 3241, which is pretty darn good.

I like the proportions of yours; nice cab.

Hojack,

I find it hard to believe that your Railtech Steeplecab (Al Merris) does not pull well. I surely can pull more than a car with it. I had it on my layout pulling my McCoy Black Diamond set with extra cars, 8 total I think. Either way, it pulled like nobodies business and never asked questions.

Al made many improvements to the McCoy underfloor motor. The McCoy underfloor motors had the problem of only running in one direction and running hot. They also needed a lot of juice to get going. Al figured out the armature timing was off and made the changes. He also re-geared it so it would no run as fast. Lastly, he replaces the rubber drive belt with a metal one, this helped get the traction down to the rails. His Steeplecab has 2 motors and should not be under powered. Makes me think yours might need a little tweaking. We could talk to Al about it if you wish.

ARNO

Arno, thank you for the background, only some of which (the lower gearing) I had heard about.  Tweaking may indeed be in order, as your description certainly does not portray the performance of my little yellow engine.  Let me get in down off the shelf over the holidays and give it a look-over and maybe see in what direction the problems lie.

In any case, Steve's use of the Ives frame and motor certainly by-passes any of the limitations of the under-floor motors.  This should be a fairly robust steeple cab!

Do you know any more about your York Ives steeple cab, from whence it came or whodunit?

David,

The steeple cab I brought home from York was made by a friend of mine, I believe you met. He was the older guy in the scooter. It has an Ives motor that needs some work to get it running... maybe I'll send it north for a refresh, you don't have enough projects!

ARNO

Like most everyone this time of year, I have a lot going on so this is where the project will stay till after the Holidays.

Steve

Very nice, Steve.   I like that, a lot.  Very nicely proportioned for those big McCoy cars.

Arno, for all my love of Ives, I'm not much of an expert on their motors.  Lubrication and brushes is about the extent of my know-how; after that, i get dangerous.

david

Looks great Steve! Looking forward to seeing the tin body fabrication.