Got my active lil paws on a Life-Like Proto Y-6b in great condition with a fried digitrax sound decoder in it. Looked at the beauty that it was and kept pondering how could i get up the courage to cut into it and end up with a class Z-4 NP??? So it sat for a few months until the day the courage arrived! I won't show any before pics, but here are a few of the starting pics: This is the GHQ cab that needed a front wall built to fit. Put a lot of lead shot into every cavity of the boiler and frame In the tender went the speaker and loksound decoder with a small keep alive cap circuit I built. That needs to have a larger cap installed if I can find one with more capacitance and the same size. The new pilot, again by GHQ, installed in the original deck. Will have to figure out a working coupler here one day. The frame and boiler ready for test assembly. I used a tcs 6pin plug to connect the tender and loco. Am going to have to add a 2pin as well because I like to have the firebox light effect in these things. More pics to follow. The unit has been running around the NPBH for a couple of months now and has been successfully hauling 6 - 7 cars up the 5.3% grade on one end! That end has the bridge on it. Having read a few threads about these engines, and disassembling this one, I determined that the best way to extend the life of the mechanism was to only put snot on the #3 drivers of each engine since it alone is geared. So far, so good!
Hemi - It is going to be the NPBH # 501. The #500 is still sitting in the project drawer, it is an older Riv type with a cast boiler and resembles the NP Z-3. Boxcab - I think I added about 1&1/2 ounces total, so far. It really pulls a lot more than it did in it's original state!
The steam pipes to the rear engine were too small, so those got replaced, as did the headlight. The distinctive NW tender got the seems filled and a walkway added and kinda NP-ified Had to cut the boiler forward of the cab to get it to fit, fun! Grit the teeth and be gentle! Had to flatten the smokebox face and move the compressors up there. The unit is running around the layout now for breaking in and final function tweaks before final detailing, piping and paint. BTW, I have a 5.35% grade for about 70", and this thing will drag 7 cars up that climb! A bit more weight and another coat of snot on the #3 drivers and it should get up to 9-10?
Very nice work so far. I found a TON of NP photos (and MILW, GN and many others) in Ron V. Nixon's collections. You might find some useful photos for your project. http://www.morphotoarchive.org/rvndb/frame-link1.html
So, here is where she stands today, getting some shakedown time before the final detailing and painting. So far it has only needed a little weight added to the back of the lead engine to counter the weight of the pilot, a tab of sheet lead took care of that. The pilot truck may need a tad more spring to it as it picks up every teeny flaw in the track and pops over the top in about 4 places on this layout. Or, maybe I should just fix the flaws in the track???
Very nicely done. I would second the track flaw correction--that will pay more dividends than fixing the loco to run on said flaws alone.
Definitely! Figuring out how to not produce said flaws and how to fix them is one of the reasons I built this original NPBH 'practice' layout. That and many other little things that I am remembering or relearning or trying new techniques, etc... All part of the fun! Having an understanding wife helps a LOT t'boot. :teeth:
Don't have a vid or pic, but found the load limit of this particular mallet. I have a 2% grade opposite the 5.3% and have been pulling trains up this to test. It is interesting because it also has a nice 's' in it. Anyway, the 501 can pull 20 cars plus a caboose up this stiff grade with nary a slip til the top of the 's.' But even there she judt does a couple of slips and grabs and keeps pulling. That seems like a good upgrade from the 6 or 7 she started with before these modifications! Also timed the current slow speed, 2mph in notch 1. May try tweeking that a bit more.
And here is that video. Took all night to upload from out here in the hinterlands....Sorry bout the noisy tripod movements, will have to do the silicone lube on there.
Just a quick little update, now she is pretty much broken in it's time to start the finish work. Building a firebox light tube so I can direct some light down to the ash pan area. Helpful hint, Walthers GOO does not work well with plastic fibre optic! So am now working on doing it a second time.
Spent my train time today building air pump piping, handrails and misc other pipes. Gotta redo the coiled pipes under the firemans walkway, didn't like the result. Also finished the optic for the ashpan flickers.
Alan, Nice job on this. I for one can understand what you have gone through with the handrails on the front porch and added lines on the side. Also the firebox flicker set up. How do I know? Well I did the same thing on my EM-1/AC-9 bash. Great job and you will enjoy. Carl
Thanks! Have I missed pics of your EM-1/AC-9 bash? Went and looked at your gallery, Nice! How did you get the parallel pipes, parallel?
