Post by nyamodeler on Jun 30, 2015 6:38:26 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
Thanks to sirenwerks of the railwire forum, I began thinking about how I could make a C415 in N Scale. I spent a few hours today going over mechanisms that I could use for the model, and here is what I discovered.
The Atlas RS11 and VO1000 are about 2-3' longer between the bogies than the prototype C415. That is quite a bit in N scale. As some have suggested, I looked into chopping down an atlas chassis, but the problem is that the trucks would hit the motor bracket, look at how close the VO1000 trucks are:
After some more thought and research, I discovered that the atlas MP15DC has a different, shorter motor. The MP15 is about 4' too short between the truck centers. This got me thinking about what I could do with 3D printing to remedy the problem. Here's what I came up with.
I could 3D print a new frame in FUD, then send it up to canada to Miniatures By Eric, where Mr. Courtney works his magic and sends me back a frame made of brass. the frame would then be populated with the motor, bearings, worms, and other parts. To fix the trucks I could use AAR-B trucks from atlas, or 3D print them. I could also offer ALCo Hi-ad trucks using this method.
One advantage of using brass is that it will increase the weight of the chassis, increasing tractive effort. I can also fill in everywhere with brass, so the weight goes way up, something that MP15DC owners have been griping about.
For the shell, I plan to make all three cab heights and some different prototype detail differences available. More on the shell once I figure out the mechanism.
So now I need to get my hands on an MP15DC and start copying. Any suggestions and requests for the finished model are welcome. Keep your fingers crossed!
-David
--
David Cutting
Cutting Edge Scale Models
www.cescalemodels.com
Thanks to sirenwerks of the railwire forum, I began thinking about how I could make a C415 in N Scale. I spent a few hours today going over mechanisms that I could use for the model, and here is what I discovered.
The Atlas RS11 and VO1000 are about 2-3' longer between the bogies than the prototype C415. That is quite a bit in N scale. As some have suggested, I looked into chopping down an atlas chassis, but the problem is that the trucks would hit the motor bracket, look at how close the VO1000 trucks are:
After some more thought and research, I discovered that the atlas MP15DC has a different, shorter motor. The MP15 is about 4' too short between the truck centers. This got me thinking about what I could do with 3D printing to remedy the problem. Here's what I came up with.
I could 3D print a new frame in FUD, then send it up to canada to Miniatures By Eric, where Mr. Courtney works his magic and sends me back a frame made of brass. the frame would then be populated with the motor, bearings, worms, and other parts. To fix the trucks I could use AAR-B trucks from atlas, or 3D print them. I could also offer ALCo Hi-ad trucks using this method.
One advantage of using brass is that it will increase the weight of the chassis, increasing tractive effort. I can also fill in everywhere with brass, so the weight goes way up, something that MP15DC owners have been griping about.
For the shell, I plan to make all three cab heights and some different prototype detail differences available. More on the shell once I figure out the mechanism.
So now I need to get my hands on an MP15DC and start copying. Any suggestions and requests for the finished model are welcome. Keep your fingers crossed!
-David
--
David Cutting
Cutting Edge Scale Models
www.cescalemodels.com
