Steeple Cab, is in Production

Most Impressive. I would be interested in one.

Nice!  What price?

Nice design so far can’t wait to see the final production 

Not sure yet on price, but I will sell the body as a kit. It's easy to put together. I'm going to supply all brass detail parts but not the pantograph as it would be different for scale or non-scale overhead like the older Lionel GG1. I use a type of plastic that can be put together with Acetone and a small brush. Works great and you have a little time to adjust. Any part you mess up I can supply a replacement free. This has much more detail than the first test runs. It just takes lots of time to print everything. I'm having lots of fun with this project as I have tried to get the big three to do this loco for years. Not sure but I wonder if the 44 toner will run on easy streets. That would be great seeing a small freight going down a city street. Don

Don,

Looks very interesting.  Is this model based on a SN or a MILW prototype?  Would it fit on an MTH S-2 or 44 tonner?

This is a generic GE Steeple cab. I will run mine on the Milwaukee but seeing as they only had three it wouldn't make sense to make that excact model. I have never seen any two groups that are the same. GE made hundreds of these locomotive and I don't know of any group that are exactly alike. Widows, size and many other things all seemed to be different. The SN had air tanks on top, Milwaukee was larger. Lots of added detail could be used to make these little locos closer to your railroad. I'm trying to make these shells fit on the Williams 44 ton scale switcher as it's a lot less expensive. Don

scale rail posted:

Not sure yet on price, but I will sell the body as a kit. It's easy to put together. I'm going to supply all brass detail parts but not the pantograph as it would be different for scale or non-scale overhead like the older Lionel GG1. I use a type of plastic that can be put together with Acetone and a small brush. Works great and you have a little time to adjust. Any part you mess up I can supply a replacement free. This has much more detail than the first test runs. It just takes lots of time to print everything. I'm having lots of fun with this project as I have tried to get the big three to do this loco for years. Not sure but I wonder if the 44 toner will run on easy streets. That would be great seeing a small freight going down a city street. Don

I hope that I am not getting too far off track here, but SN 654 does have an interesting and unusual history. In about 1928 the Sacramento Northern RAILROAD ordered two new locomotives from GE. They would become SN 652 and SN 653. At the time GE offered the SNRR an option for one more locomotive at a very good price if the ordered was placed by a certein date. The date was about the same time that 652 and 653 would be delivered in 1929.  The SNRR exercised this option just a few days before the deadline, and GE proceeded to start building another 65 ton electric locomotive. On December 30, 1929 the Sacramento Northern RAILROAD merged with the San Francisco -Sacramento Shortline to become the Sacramento Northern RAILWAY, making it the longest interurban railroad in the US, running from San Francisco to Chico, CA. Locomotive 654 was delievred to the Sacramento Northern RAILWAY in mid 1930, making it the only new electric locomotive ever purchased by the SNRy. The SNRy continued electric operation, finally just in the Yuba City Marysville area, until 1965. Locomotive 653 was given to the Orange Empire Trolley Museum in Perris, CA and locomotives 652 and 654 went to the Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista Junction, CA. 

The Razorback Traction Company would definitely be interested in one!   

Mitch

Very nice Don!  Would the body still fit the K-line S2 when you're done or will it be too small if it's made to fit the WBB 44 tonner?

Very cool I would be interested in one

Don:  Put me down for one, also.  I realize that you have modeled a standard GE steeplecab of about 45 - 50 tons, weight.  and realizing that the Milwaukee's steeplecab switchers were some 85 - 90 tons, weight, i just wondered if you could make both versions?  The lighter one would probably be equipped with a trolley pole, whereas the Milw version should have a pantograph.  

From what I can tell, looking at the various photos of the prototype, the main difference between the two was in the height of the cab.  And that was because the cab floor was raised about one foot.  I suspect that this was where additional weight was placed for additional tractive effort.  I wonder if you could make the standard cab, for general interurban use, and then make a special "riser" that would  lift the cab floor and make the engine look more "bulky", as the Milw engines appeared.  There might be a slight line or seam where the standard body fits on to the "extension" section, but I don't think that this would be too noticeable nor objectional once the engine model was painted. 

Certainly GE had standardization in mind when they built those engines, and, in  fact, I believe that some of the 44 ton diesels as well as the first box-cab, I.R. diesels sometimes used the same trucks and maybe the same main frame.  One thing for sure is, these were definetely  GE engines, not Westinghouse-Baldwin that sometimes confuses some of the guys.

Paul Fischer

I would certainly be interested in one when they become available.

Very nice, keep u posted on when it will be available, love steeple cabs.

Sounds like it would be a fun project!  I would be in one.  Please keep us posted we’ll done! 

COACH JOE, with a very small modification it will fit on a K-line S-2. We designed two different ends, long and short. The large weights would have to be pulled out as they are too wide but there's room for smaller weights. I will be ordering the Williams 44 ton and see what needs to be changed. There will be no need for the sound system so hopefully everything will fit inside the shell. Would love for someone to post a picture of the inside of one. Don

Id be interested   Very close to this GE   Originally had trolley pole but then later converted to outside Third Rail

Interesting and interested in getting one as well.

Don,

Put me down for one as well.

Any chance there is room for a MiniCommander 2 with either the K-Line S2 or the Williams 44 tonner?  The board is 2"x1"x 0.65".

Bob Glorioso

I am interested in one. Please put me in the reservation queue.

Queue is the Brit  word  for line.I like the steeple cab very cool.I have an old MPC Pennsy Little Joe shell that still has the pantographs,so I am good to go!

Don , Is this steeple cab engine available yet? I have been looking for one like this.  Tim 

Hi guys, it's been out for awhile. The second one I sold won first place Traction at the O scale National Convention. He did a great job of super detailing. Here are some pictures. The black one is my prototype. The shell fits on the Williams 44 ton engine. If you don't want the electronics of Williams you can use Electronic RR equipment. Thanks Don 

Don: How much does it cost?

Would still love to get one of these,

Ray, it's $140.oo with brass and metal detail parts. Thanks Don

MWB, write to my E-mail address on the profile. Thanks Don

I am interested in a kit.

What  does the kit look like? Just the shell or do you glue the pieces to make the shell?

Also. I am confused by size. S2 is bigger than a scale 44 tonner. Are you talking about the William's 44 tonner that was like the Lionel?

Looks terrific, should be popular.

Are you still making these?  There's a real one in my hometown that ran on the streets when I was a kid. I'd be interested in having one for my layout.

are these still being made, I would be up for one

I was going to pick up one of these, but I notice that @scale rail has removed his email from his profile, does that mean he's no longer selling these?  It's been six months since his last visit, that seems like a long time...

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I was going to pick up one of these, but I notice that @scale rail has removed his email from his profile, does that mean he's no longer selling these?  It's been six months since his last visit, that seems like a long time...

They've been showing up on the Bay...

Mitch

@M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

They've been showing up on the Bay...

Mitch

Yes & no. There's a small 3D printed steeple cab being sold by Jason's Brass Poles on eBay, but it's not the one pictured in this discussion above.

john

it's not scale if that matters to you. It's way off!

this the one I designed to fit on a 44Ton frame, it's not to scale either.

Well, a scale one would be difficult to power I expect, they'd be shorter than the 44-ton locomotive.

@mwb posted:

Yes & no. There's a small 3D printed steeple cab being sold by Jason's Brass Poles on eBay, but it's not the one pictured in this discussion above.

been tracking these, wish they had a better photo

shorter than the 44-ton locomotive.  no. that's the perception here based on the shell parts that Don sells that fits the 44.

Don's version is cute.. but not to scale.

there are a number of steeple cab designs, the MILW RD Precision scale ones I have are larger.

I have posted photo comparisons.