So this is happening...
To turn it into this
In 2 rail....P48....it's just one experiment....can't hurt right?
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Looking right now on how to tame this two motor beast in dcc and it seems that running two Zimo MX64H decoders. One for each motor and a QSI for the sound will be my best bet. And a NCE 5 amp DCC system to run it. Hmmmmm. Gonna be fun
If that's an Atlas China Drive unit, Dan Dawdy had a great deal of success wiring the motors in series and using 2-amp decoders in his RS1's. The big problem is if one truck slips, but sufficient engine ballast and not dragging too many cars should avoid that issue.
Hope this helps.
Not sure why you would need two motor control decoders, and frankly there are pretty good options now for sound decoders with good motor control. The zimos are definitely good for motor control. I don't know if they offer sound yet on a combined board. But the Loksound decoders are well regarded with respect to both sound and motor control. And I think they now even offer a board intended for direct replacement in Atlas engines. It's something to look into.
Take Matt's advice and check out Dan's work. The rs-1's he references are Atlas 2-motor models, so there should be a pretty direct parallel to what you are trying to do.
Jim
I'm curious about your interest in TORCO. I grew up in Toledo, and spent a lot of time around the docks as a kid. It was very different (and infinitely more interesting) then in so many ways. It would seem to be an obscure operation to pursue from out west.
Jim
I kid you not,I have read Dan's article about 20 times 
but I started getting the idea of using the dual zimos from a thread I found on the old atlas forums about taming the China drives. One particular modeler got a constant 2 smph out of a atlas GP35. So Iam thinking of patterning my build off of his. I don't pretend to fully understand all of the ins and outs when it comes to this matter so all input is appreciated. I am a mechanic,not a electrician so I may well complicate matters unnecessarily....
And as to my interest in TORCO Jim...well I dunno. I stumbled accross a few pics of the SD35's and liked how weathered they were in that bright chessie paint. So not knowing what TORCO was a acronym for,I googled it and found myself lost in the operations and overall ambience of the combined ore dock operations of Lakefront and Presque isle. It has this overall gritty industrial look that I think would be awesome to replicate some day. But first I want to dabble in a little P48 modeling and see where it goes. Those dirty rusted SD35's sure do have character don't they? I would like to ask...Do you have any personal info you can share about the Toledo docks? Or reading material you may know of to further my knowledge of the operations there during the late 80's? Seems to be somewhat hard to find detailed info online.
Like I said guys all input is appreciated and considered so keep it coming. Going to be a month or two before I have The funds to buy the electronics and stuff. So all info is good info!
The only personal info I can provide on the docks is that they were really cool, with both McMyler dumpers and Hewlett unloaders present. But I was just a kid back then, so I paid attention to different stuff. At best, I might be able to find slides taken by my dad, but they are currently in storage so checking into those won't happen anytime soon.
You can find two pdf's on the Toledo docks on the CSX Historical Society website in The Journal publication. It's the best that I can offer at this time.
Thanks! That's some very good pics in the pdf's. Gives me some great ideas. I definitely appreciate it. And if you ever do get those slides out I would love to see them.
Sure, no problem. You can also find photos via google. I prefer the old days. I think the old dumpers and the Hewletts are infinitely more than the modern equipment.
I agree.I have fond memories of SD's as a child. And that is why I like the 80's for my modeling era. Seems so much simpler to me. Guess we all look at our childhood with rose colored glasses. I have found quite a bit on Google. But it takes some digging to find specific photos. And track arrangements. Those PDF's you linked to are invaluable for that cause for some strange reason it never occurred to me to check the CSX historical site.
So I received my 2 rail SD35 from a fellow forum member on here. Thanks Calvin! And immediately set about making a list of modifications I need to do to bring it up to my standards.
The list is as follows....
Correct horn.
Scratch built correct scale draft gear boxes.
Foot boards removed and all lines for the factory pilot spacers filled and smoothed.
New coupler cut bars, brackets and psc my hoses.
San Juan scale knuckle couplers.
All new scale diamater handrails and grab irons. Will keep factory stanchions.
New Psc drop steps. Wiper blades and scratch built Windows that will open and close.
Add some brass frame detail. Including I beams and traction cables etc to fill in the space between the trucks.
Truck side frames moved in 1/16 of an inch to give the correct stance. Along with NWSL .115 wheel sets gauged to P48. Truck side frames will also get all the brake shoe hangers modified as well. More on that as we go.
All lift rings replaced. And the hunt is on for suitable replecment radiator grills. May have to have them etched for me to get the 3d look I am after. If I do get custom etches done for the grills I will also do all the steps while I am at it.
Fuel tank will be modified to remove the cast on air tanks and piping. I will also replace the filler neck,sight glass and vent pipes as well. Will also add fuel tank brackets and a styrene overlay to correct the fuel tank end plate weld pattern.
So far I have started mocking up and planning the frame modifications to accomplish the I beams to simulate the frame. Using 3/16 brass channel. Here is a s@#$% pic to illustrate. 
More pics as I go. I have a ton to order from P and D tomorrow. And I am waiting on more brass to accomplish the frame details. This should be fun.
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So,not much activity on this thread. So here is a update if anyone actually reads this anymore
So have a few unplanned days off (walking pneumonia,yay) so while healing up I started some more work on the chessie SD35. First up is I couldn't stand the shape of the fuel tank casting and the terrible air tanks. So I removed it and cut the offending tanks and cast in piping off. Also slimmed the fuel tank mount to make a more correct fuel tank mount. Also allows me to run a full length frame rail to tighten up the underframe appearance. I also started on the frame rails. They are 3/16 brass channel slimmed to the correct profile. To add to the brass frame rails I machined some new air tanks as well. Some pics so far.
Keep in mind the frame rails are just set in place so they sit lower than they will when finished. Next up this evening is to figure out a clean. Glue free brackets design to attach them. Then to wrap the fuel tank in styrene to provide the correct profile and plate design of the prototype. Also will be adding styrene end plates to represent the way the prototype tanks are constructed. I still need to order the rest of the parts to finish the tank details. So I'll post as I go. Comments welcome
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And a pic of some of the tall grass I have been working on as the second layer of scenery textures. The base is a paste of tea leaves,dirt and white glue. The weeds are sisal twine and jute rope. All attached one group at a time. The water is a work in progress. I don't like the wind blown ripples in this case so it will be redone with some casting resin. I will be adding more vertical eliments with various JTT scenery items. 
Not very happy with it yet. But it is my first real effort at scenery so it's all a learning process. 
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TJ,
It all looks outstanding. Don't change the rippled water, it looks totally real in the pictures. The loco is going to be magnificent.
Ron
Ron H posted:TJ,
It all looks outstanding. Don't change the rippled water, it looks totally real in the pictures. The loco is going to be magnificent.
Ron
Thanks for the compliments Ron! I hope I don't dissapoint on the loco
And I still don't know about the water. I'll have to wait and see how the rest of the scenery progresses.
Did some more work on the fuel tank and frame rails. Figured out a way to attach the frame rails using 2/56 machine screws and factory hole locations. I'll show more tomorrow on this set up. The ends of the tanks are .10 styrene. Glued to the ends. Then roughly cut with scissors. Once that is close I wrap the tank in two layers of blue masking tape. Then take the sanding stick and sand the end plates flush with the tape. After the tape is removed it leaves a perfect .10 lip all the way around 
Tomorrow I have to go back to the Dr and see when I can go back to work. Honestly not looking forward to going back. 70 hours a week gets old. But in the mean time I will do as much as I can and post as I go.
Thanks for looking!
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theteejmiester posted:So,not much activity on this thread. So here is a update if anyone actually reads this anymore
TJ,
I'm enjoying watching your progress. Thanks for sharing. I'm getting inspired to share some of my projects. Your SD35 is looking terrific! Earlier, you mentioned an NCE DCC system. FYI, I have a 10amp wireless set with lots of extras that is almost brand new (some parts are still in unopened packaging) from my brief 2 Rail days that I'd be willing to part with. Email is in my profile if your interested. Keep up the good work!
Bryan
So,after looking at the SD35 for a couple days....I am unsatisfied with the width of the trucks,and the frame rails. With that in mind tomorrow I will tear it down and narrow the trucks and work on moving the frame rails in another scale 8 inches. This should be fun. Order to P and D. Hobbies went out too. So end of the week I should have a box full of brass goodies. Then I can start on designing and building scale coupler boxes to accept the protocraft couplers.
I've been using a ton of the ESU LOKSound decoders in HO and N and both the motor control and sound is phenomenal. With the built in caps the O scale unit just released is just the ringmaster to time those beasts. I just bought my first O scale decoder to try it out. I fund these decoders to be the best thing going. They work incredibly well, sound amazing. Are super easy to program and they're programmable so you can move em around your fleet or update the file. If you have a programmer you can set up all kinds of crazy cv functions. I'm thurougly impressed with the LokSound product line
Matt Makens posted:I've been using a ton of the ESU LOKSound decoders in HO and N and both the motor control and sound is phenomenal. With the built in caps the O scale unit just released is just the ringmaster to time those beasts. I just bought my first O scale decoder to try it out. I fund these decoders to be the best thing going. They work incredibly well, sound amazing. Are super easy to program and they're programmable so you can move em around your fleet or update the file. If you have a programmer you can set up all kinds of crazy cv functions. I'm thurougly impressed with the LokSound product line
That's the ESU 73399 correct? Reading through the literature that ESU provides it seems to be a very good choice for what I am after. And your positive feedback is much appreciated. I am gonna go this route. Thank you
Let me check out the specs when I get home and I'll tell you which one
Sweet. That's the one I thought it was. Thanks again. I'll be picking one up and getting the speaker issue figured out. Then post some vids
Im working on some G scale units now and will be using the Visation speakers I procured from ESU. I will let you know how they sound. Judging form the way they are made they look to be a great speaker albeit quite tall
I look forward to it Matt.
I received most of my parts to finish the fuel tank on the SD35. Still waiting on the P48 wheel sets and some more brass. But this will give me a great start for the weekend.
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Gonna be sweet.
Ron
I think so too Ron. Didn't get any real time to do anything this weekend unfortunately. Have inventory coming up in my store so it is taking a lot of my free time. I am hoping to get a couple hours in on my next day off next Sunday to do a bit more. But it might not happen. So it could be a while till I am back on this project. Going to keep buying everything I need so when I do get back on it I will be set. Stay tuned
So,after only having one day off in the last month and a half 
I got a few mins to start working on the radiator grill idea I had for the SD35 project. It's not fitted in place in the pics. Just pressed over the factory grills. So the final instal will be more flush. But I am so far pleased with the results.
The final design will be three separate pieces per grill to introduce depth to the radiator sections. As always comments welcome. Although I have been thinking I should start a thread in the 2 rail forums to keep this on topic.
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