Did anyone notice the news item announced in the Model Railroader new releases, that Broadway Limited is going to produce Alco RSD15's in HO? I hope N scale manufacturers take notice! Maybe we'll see them in N before too long!
I'm sure that there are plenty of people that would gladly take some of these. Maybe Mehanoteknica will start making them again and torture a new generation of N Scalers....
I keep putting up pictures of my four, in hopes of invoking the Randgust Curse for the benefit of Nkind....... http://gustafson.home.westpa.net/9846_riordan.jpg In all seriousness, while they look good after all that work, and pull like little oxen (18g apiece, even with the friction tires removed), they still make enough mechanism noise and "shake, rattle and roll" with those wheels that I'd buy new mechanisms, at least. Everything I've tried so far to put a better mech under them has failed, and no, I'm not putting a mech without a proper Alco truck under it! Count me in for the party the day it is announced....four seats at the head table!
I have put an Atlas chassis under my RSD15. I used a Dash 8 40B with 628 trucks, you need to remove a little metal for the trucks to work, and round the corners of the chassis, and the shell fits perfecfly.
Whoa......whatchutalkinabout, sswjim? Got any pictures of that???? I've got a C630 to play with to test the trucks, and Dash-8's are all over eBay... I see Atlas still doesn't list C628 parts separately , but everything is there for the Dash 8. Geez, you didn't kill a new C628 just for the trucks....did you????
I bought the Dash 8 parts from Atlas and used the trucks from one of my 628's, I will replace them when they come available. I will try and get some pictures taken later tonight.
Ohhhhh Jim...you got Randy's wheels,(No Pun Intended!) turning now! He's got visions of smooth running RSD units running around the layout now!
Here is a shot on the Atlas dash 8 chassis. I still need to weather the trucks to match. A shot of the chassis. The fuel tank mods, cut off the old chassis and glued to the dash 8 tank.
Now that's just too doggone good! Hmmm... I guess I'm going to have to rustle up a Dash 8 40 B, and when 628 trucks become available, see if I can't come up with something like that! Or, I can hope and pray some quality manufacturer will start makin' gators! By the way Jim, how much modification did you have to do to get that result?
Jose, As far as Mehanoteknika goes I believe it is now a pile of debris, levelled during the last conflict, which improved model railroading a whole lot. But I have one RSD15 by Mehano which actually has all wheel drive and pickup, runs smoothly and relatively quietly, and the molded detail is state of the art. I love the see-thru radiator grilles. But it is the only one I ever had that has my "top shelf" rating. Everything else gets lumped with old Rivarossi FM liners at the bottom of my storage shelf. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
I just figured that since Atlas has been producing some Alco models of late, maybe they would throw us a bone and give us a gator!
Alister, Thanks for the kick in the groin. Made my day for sure. What a nice looking website with all of the dirty monster in the mechanisms below those brightly colored trains. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
MRC high hood RSD with Atlas frame. Had to grind a bunch off the grame to make it work. You can see the bottom of part of the frame in this picturw. I dont remember what Atlas truck I used under it.
