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Right now I'm tinkering with this old MPC diesel switcher that I picked up for $20 at a TCA show a couple weekends ago. I'm tuning it up as a donor chassis for the next 3D printed custom locomotive I develop.

I have to admit that I have in the past given the venerable old Pullmor a bad shake. When properly cleaned, adjusted and lubricated even this cheapo one can crawl along at near-scale speeds. I have PS3 MTH locomotives that don't run as smoothly as this!



I liked mine so much I got two! I definitely wasn't settling for the switch, so for a VERY quiet experience, I replaced the switch with an electronic e-unit - quiet and smooth. I added LED lighting for the headlamp and two green LEDS inside the Green class lights, all with a quick disconnect for easy shell removal. (Tape was removed after spot gluing wires in place )

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Looks like yours is running quite nicely also! So what kind of shell will you be creating?

George

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@GeoPeg posted:

I liked mine so much I got two! I definitely wasn't settling for the switch, so for a VERY quiet experience, I replaced the switch with an electronic e-unit - quiet and smooth. I added LED lighting for the headlamp and two green LEDS inside the Green class lights, all with a quick disconnect for easy shell removal. (Tape was removed after spot gluing wires in place )

IMG_5328

Looks like yours is running quite nicely also! So what kind of shell will you be creating?

George

That's a really nice LED wiring job you did there George. I have to admit that although I am IPC-certified to inspect cable harnesses, my own are never as nice looking as this!

To answer your question, I am designing a 3D printed body of an early diesel locomotive that has rarely if ever been made in O Scale. The conversion kit won't be ready for some weeks but I am intending to make it fit this MPC Pullmor chassis with as few modifications as possible.

I will be holding off a formal release until I've constructed a satisfactory prototype, but here's a sneak peek of the new locomotive's front fresh from my VIRTUAL workbench!

Kens Kustoms Early ALCO Locomotive

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  • Kens Kustoms Mystery Diesel Locomotive for MPC Pullmor Chassis
@GeoPeg posted:

I liked mine so much I got two! I definitely wasn't settling for the switch, so for a VERY quiet experience, I replaced the switch with an electronic e-unit - quiet and smooth. I added LED lighting for the headlamp and two green LEDS inside the Green class lights, all with a quick disconnect for easy shell removal. (Tape was removed after spot gluing wires in place )

IMG_5328

Looks like yours is running quite nicely also! So what kind of shell will you be creating?

George

Try a hot glue gun next time George. Quick easy and effective for holding wires in place.

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I replaced the rollers on my Dad's ZW Transformer he gave me with his trains.  I use it for accessories and my postwar O27 loops.  This was the first time did this repair and it wasn't quite as easy as I thought.  I still need to go in and replace the power cord and update the circuit breaker.  One of the handles is not moving the roller completing, seems like it is loose or something.  I might bring the whole thing in to be fully serviced.

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@GeoPeg posted:

I liked mine so much I got two! I definitely wasn't settling for the switch, so for a VERY quiet experience, I replaced the switch with an electronic e-unit - quiet and smooth. I added LED lighting for the headlamp and two green LEDS inside the Green class lights, all with a quick disconnect for easy shell removal. (Tape was removed after spot gluing wires in place )

IMG_5328

Looks like yours is running quite nicely also! So what kind of shell will you be creating?

George

George, I just saw this and I'm a little worried you installed that electronic E unit without the proper matching heatsink that also doubles as a mount to the frame. Here's my fear, it might work fine for bench testing, but when you throw some actual load on that engine then those TRIACs are going to heat up fast, They are right next to the body shell and I've seen more than one example of someone distorting a body shell from heat from a nearby E-unit getting hot.

Right now, my work bench is a hopper car hospital.  I had collected some 1930's die cast O scale aluminum and zamack cars in the past and tucked them away. I'm 84 now and a few of them are older than I am. Then back in 2009 I bought three Intermountain plastic kit-built B&O hoppers needing some repairs, rather than building them from kits I already had.  They can be quite tedious to do!

Well, their day arrived a few weeks ago and one-by-one they went through the shop, and most are ready for paint and lettering.

First, this completed Lehigh Valley two-bay USRA hopper, from a cast aluminum Scale Craft kit of 1936. Bought used and rebuilt. An Intermountain coal load for their plastic USRA hoppers is a perfect fit!

188b

Three Intermountain B&O N-17 class hoppers. Built by someone other than me from kits, these notoriously fragile cars with fine detail needed varying levels of repair work. Anything that is not black is a replacement part I made.  These cars will be touch-up painted to keep the original pre-WWII B&O lettering. Intermountain produced their kits in the 2000's.

IMH09

Below is a Min-I-Scale diecast zamack four-bay hopper, in 17/64" to the foot scale. It was a mid-1930's effort to get accurately scaled cars for 2 1/2" O gauge track.  Maybe the ultimate in kit simplicity, it was three castings assembled with four screws, had pre-assembled trucks and used Model Die Casting working couplers.  While detail on it is rather heavy (and when assembled the car weighs and impressive 2 1/4 lbs.!), it is an accurately done B&O Class W-2a car of the late 1920's. B&O fielded a fleet of over 5,000 of these 70-ton capacity cars from 1926-1929, the only major railroad using this design at the time.  Min-I Scale was a 1930's producer.  The two body halves are assembled with two steel alignment pins. Modern day epoxies make assembly and sealing the seam between the body halves much easier.   The underframe ends were milled to receive 700 series Kadee metal couplers in plastic coupler boxes.

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This one below is a sand cast aluminum kit by an unknown maker. Maybe Scale Craft, but I'm not sure.  It is relatively light in weight, a shade over 1 lb.  It is also 17/64 to the foot scale and is made up of five castings assembled with 20 2-56 x 1/8" flat head screws and four 3-48 x 1/4" flat head screws. All the screw heads need to be covered.  Here the body has been given a coat of primer with Micro-Mark rivet decals added.  The model is fitted for Intermountain trucks and Kadee couplers.

Trihop19

Now for an all-steel two bay hopper expertly soldered together.  The steel used is .015" thick, which is heavier than the tinplated steel Henry Beeson used for his O scale Rail Craft kits of the late 1930's - early 1940's.  This model is also 17/64" to the foot scale, and dates from that period. It rides on Scale Craft (?) sprung trucks and I fitted it with Kadee couplers and a few added details.

STLh04

Last, this K-Line die cast zamack hopper, which is a clone of the famous Lionel 1941 semi-scale die cast hopper. It accurately models a B&O Class W-2b, in having a power hand brake and five-rung corner ladders in place of individual grab irons. Modifications were made to the end frame castings for 2-railing it and installing Kadee couplers, along with added under-fame and air brake line details on the body.   

KL07

Now, a lot of Scale Coat 1 satin finish engine black will be air-brushed to get them ready for final lettering.  That will be done out-doors after this uncertain Spring weather breaks with some warm, still, dry days in NE Oklahoma.

S. Islander

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Last edited by S. Islander

Just finished the repairs on the Lionel 3444 Cop and Hobo car. The car needed to be rewired, was missing a coupler and was missing the Cop. I ordered the parts from a couple of reliable vendors to restore the car. The car body, crate load and trucks cleaned up well. The coupler was relatively easy to rivet on to the metal frame once the armature rivet was removed. These style coupler heads have the integral rivet and the only way to access the rivet head is to disassemble the uncouple frame by removing its rivet.  I had the coupler knuckle and springs from prior projects so I only had to order a bare coupler shank. The insulation on the wires to the trucks on these postwar cars are usually brittle and require replacement. The #22 superflex wire is good for these applications. The Cop figure comes unpainted and I painted the hands and face using "earth" color. The finished car works well and is a good car for kids to play with.

20220402_173535The backup light on the B6 was originally misaligned and I was determined to make it inline with the rest of the tender.

While I had the tender open I found another extra connector like I had on another MTH ps3  Railking tender.   I didn't have any small LEDs so I went to the 'boneyard ' and requisitioned a UP style single red lense rear light stand and installed an LED .

( the real story was that the UP wasn't sure what duties this little engine would be used for  and sold it off to the B&O with the standard UP rear light )

Have a good rest of the weekend gang .

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Last edited by Dallas Joseph
@RJ Shier posted:

Took @Rapid Transit Holmes advice and added some grime to my hopper project. Not sure if I'll be doing any more weathering but I think this one came out ok.

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I'd say this hopper's weathering  "came out ( better than )  OK "  RJ.       Nicely done. 

  From the looks of this one , I  would say you had fun with it and it would be a shame if you won't be doing any more weathering.

You electrical engineers really baffle me Bob.

I'd hardly consider myself an engineer (except for the toy train type) Dallas. This one had me scratching my head, especially since I was following GRJ's wiring schematic. Turned out I had to drop the size of the resistors to get the bi-color to fire.

Looks like you are selling yourself short too. Nice work on adding the rear marker to your B6.

Thanks- Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

I'd hardly consider myself an engineer (except for the toy train type) Dallas. This one had me scratching my head, especially since I was following GRJ's wiring schematic. Turned out I had to drop the size of the resistors to get the bi-color to fire.

Looks like you are selling yourself short too. Nice work on adding the rear marker to your B6.

Thanks- Bob

.......and thank you very much Bob. 

No big deal about scratching your head on GRJ' s schematic.      I sense that there have been occasions where  John has been just a little impatient while trying to re -convey info to me .   My previous EE was like the joke about the three fellas and the light bulb.

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