GE 44 Tonner in Z Scale

shortpainter Aug 19, 2020

  1. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    I'll take one in Milwaukee Road please!:D
     
  2. SJ Z-man

    SJ Z-man TrainBoard Member

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    Inspired ! Need that for the UP Engine Yard ;)
     
  3. Curn

    Curn TrainBoard Member

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    Tidewater Southern/Sacramento Northern/Turlock Western
    Or
    Southern Pacific/Petaluma and Santa Rosa.
    Or
    Arcata and Mad River
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2020
  4. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    Great stuff as always! Looking forward!
     
  5. eXact Modellbau

    eXact Modellbau TrainBoard Member

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    Looks great!
    How much is it out of scale?
     
  6. shortpainter

    shortpainter TrainBoard Member

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    The overall proportions should all be in scale accept for the width of the long hood. The distance from axle to axle on each truck on the prototype matches the Rokuhan Shorty. This allowed me to make the shell fit the real world scale and match the real wheel base. I placed the blueprints in the my 3D modeling software and built the model from there. Of course, there are minor compromises made to accommodate the minimum wall thickness for brass printing. This will affect the thickness of the window seals, long hood width, and protruding details(door hinges, handles, cab doors). Despite encountering many limitations, I think it came out pretty good.

    I can add some supports inside to do the job. I was also thinking about something similar to the windows that come with a MTL F7. A sprue with parts you just shove into the window openings. I'm still looking into different materials

    They are back in production but they are working at a reduced speed and, in my opinion, reduced standards. I'm hoping that by the time I finish up this model (a couple months) Shapeways will be in a better place.
     
    eXact Modellbau, bostonjim and ZFRANK like this.
  7. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Yeah, I seen they were doing brass again and jumped on a pair of the SW1200's before those disappear from availability. Remember the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #4, If you see it, get it, for tomorrow it will be gone!
     
    zedhed, shortpainter and ZFRANK like this.
  8. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That, sir, is incredible modeling and engineering in Z scale. Bravo!

    For glazing, why not use Micro Kristal Kleer? In larger scales, it turns out less-prototypical than we'd like, due to larger fill area, but that shouldn't be a problem in Z.

    Thoughts?
     
    shortpainter likes this.
  9. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    I have used canopy cement from several manufacturers, and they all have the same effect, but you can tell. It's OK, but not as good as Mylar Sheet. The best looking and most realistic window glazing is that silver tinted Mylar .003" thick sheet used for tinting windows. It is very clear when used for Z Scale windows, is very flat and shiny, and reflects light off just like real glass.
     
    Doug A. and bostonjim like this.
  10. Doug A.

    Doug A. TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great tip, thanks!
     
  11. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    Although I tend to be amazed by Z scale as a whole, that is an absolutely amazing piece of work. For something that size to move under its own power and look good doing it is incredible. More so when the one real compromise- the width of the hood- is one that Athearn was forced to live with in HO scale for many years. Congratulations on some very remarkable work.
     
  12. shortpainter

    shortpainter TrainBoard Member

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    I did some design work on the chassis. It will have two parts. The brass frame and a plastic clip to insulate copper strips. For this kit, there will be no need to use the shorty's circuit board or motor. I'm going to order some test prints to make sure everything fits.

    chassis.jpg

    When I designed this for a 6mm motor it made things a little complicated. By complicated, I mean the worm gear must be pulled from the shorty motor and a shaft adapter is needed to fit it on the 6mm motor. I have brass tubing to make shaft adapters for those interested in making one of these. To remove the gear I used a mini gear puller that can fit 1mm shafts. These are dirt cheap and come in many brand names.

    SKU107375.S3.jpg
     
  13. Chris333

    Chris333 TrainBoard Supporter

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    I order the piece I showed you in brass. Their estimated ship day is about 40 days after I placed the order. And that is just the ship day so it will take even long to get to me. Crazy.
     
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  14. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    shortpainter likes this.
  15. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Look at this:
    A 6mm x 20mm Gearhead Motor that spins at 1200RPM, remember a gearhead is a momentum device like a flywheel.
    6mm_Micro_Motor_540x.jpg Micro_Motor_FA-GM6-3V-25_specs_700x.jpg
     
  16. shortpainter

    shortpainter TrainBoard Member

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    The shaft on those gear head motors is not compatible with the Shorty drive components. The only motor I recommend is the 6x15 mm motor from Tramfabreik (https://tramfabriek.nl/motors.html). They are the only company that offers a 12 volt motor in that size. You could go with a cheaper 6x15 but it will only take 3 volts. A lot of sellers will claim they accept 6 volts but that's not often the truth. While trying to find the right motor I ended up in pretty strange places on the internet. I dug through the sludge so you guys don't have to.
     
    Kez, Chris333 and bostonjim like this.
  17. shortpainter

    shortpainter TrainBoard Member

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    The new chassis design worked out. Next up, I have to illustrate instructions, update the website and various other tasks. 30 days, maybe.

    IMG_2438.jpg IMG_2439.jpg
     
  18. shortpainter

    shortpainter TrainBoard Member

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  19. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    shortpainter, Kurt Moose and Kez like this.
  20. tjdreams

    tjdreams TrainBoard Member

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    Rudy Thankyou for taking the time to design such fine models and share them with us. When the shorty first came out i cut one up and made a working model with one of Stony's SW1500 but it was too light and wouldn't run worth a crap. Then you took it to the next level with your brass designs which added the much needed weight my idea was lacking. Since then your designs just keep getting better and better with each new model.
    I'm proud to say i now have one of each of your models and this last one the GE 44 tonner is my favorite.
    Again Thankyou for your efforts Your models have filled a void we've had in Z scale for a long time now.

    Stuck Home Alone this Holiday weekend I decided to start building one of the 44 toners as it was the only present Santa (aka "The Postman") delivered before Christmas.
    Your instructions were spot on and easy to follow. However they were for a DC insulation and I'm Running DCC. I don't know if you planned it this way or not but The space inside the cab along side the chassis is a Perfect fit for a TCS Z2 decoder. I followed your instructions where i could and instead of using the resistor i used the area to splice the motor wires to the decoder wires and was able to attach the power pickup wires to the tops of the power pickup springs with out melting the plastic.

    I still need to add the truck side-frames, handrails, paint, and decals but its been running like a champ on my test / brake-in track for a while now.
    Once again Thank You for designing such a fine model and sharing them with us

    20201226_132321 2-s.jpg

    20201226_132752 2-s.jpg


    David
     

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