The EMD SD70ACe has a big gap

I saw SD70ACe locomotives being welded / assembled at the new EMD facility in Muncie, IN Last year & there were no big gap, just enough for the rectangular bellows shaped suspension elements, between the truck & the frame. There is the frame below the walkway & there are a lot of wiring / piping along the sides for convenient service access. Following the threads on these forums from a few years ago, it seemed like excessive gap that hobbyists complained about on plastic O-Scale SD70ACe were between the truck & the frame, not between the truck & the walkway.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

The models can not have the frame because of the designs of the motors. There is the same real gap between the walkway and the top of the trucks. It looks strange when translated to O Scale.

Andrew

Andrew,

That frame under the walkway seemed like the most important base on the real locomotives. It was robotically welded from the considerably thick sheets of steel extending from end to end. The rest of the locomotive, including the walkway was either welded or bolted later, on to this frame.

Regarding O-Scale models, here are some images of an old MTH 2-rail SD70M-s from the initial run & an Overland SD70ACe made a year before the MTH. The SD70M-2 seemed to ride relatively higher than the Overland model. I speculate that the scale-wheeled MTH model used the same layout as the 3-rail version & ended up with excessive gap to allow the wider flanges on the 3-rail model to swing under the locomotive.

I haven’t heard hobbyists complain about the scale wheeled MTH SD70ACe from the recent runs. Either MTH lowered the model or hobbyists got tired of complaining here.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

UP 1982 looks exactly like the real SD70ACe locos.

The minimum radius on that O Scale model must be large compared with the more O Gauge 3-rail designed models.

Andrew

Andrew,

UP 1982 was the first O-Scale model I bought when I moved to O-Scale. I also had concerns about the minimum radius & here is a portion of the reply I got from Brian Marsh at Overland from whom I bought this model.

I would suggest that you use the 45 and 49.5" curves for this larger
locomotive.  The 40.5" curve might work but you will need to keep speeds
slow and make sure the track joints are very smooth.

For such large locos like the SD70ACe units it is best to use nice long
sweeping curves.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan