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Post by iomalley on Nov 8, 2014 22:35:12 GMT -5
Well, I'm kinda leaning towards RDCs as Rapido's next 'BIG' announcement, seeing as the myriad of available roads will help the sale of these venerable work horses...so I gotta get these 3 Hobbycraft RDCs done before the announcement. While Proto did a good job with their rendition of the early RDCs with the large front windows and in-body headlights, those of us that model after the creation of VIA require alot of mods necessary to depict a proper RDC. So I started cutting, and filing, and cutting and filing and....you get it...to make the more popular late model RDC with the 'fin' top headlight... It's OK, but many compromises exist in the fit, and the side numberboards are a giveaway of my cheating. This one will be 6205 once I make some teenie tiny numberboard decals. The ends and roof over the vestibule were cut from an Athearn RDC. Width is the same, and height is very close, but the floor is on a different datum so I had to fudge it. the pilots sit too high off the rail. In the VIA era, the end windows on the early RDCs were converted to the smaller version, with the exception of the door window which remained large. I'm not going there with 6100, big windows remain, so I just added diaphrams and MBE numberboards which are so-so. STill need a pile of horns for these beasties too. Short shank couplers draw them a bit closer together... The CN one in the background I'm contemplating converting it to an RDC9, but I'll need to have the second engine box milled off to do this proper. Then the end windows need filling, 2 rad grilles, 1 fan removed from the roof and single rear headlight added. I think I'm going this route cuz I doubt Rapido will do the B unit. Cheers!
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 9, 2014 18:03:53 GMT -5
Way to go buddy!!!!!!
Those deathtraps are going to look great. What did you make the diaphragms out of? That's the one thing I have left to add to 6118.
Those angled headlights/boards aren't that hard to scratchbuild anyways. I've got two more Railliners to mod myself so I might get Chris to 3D print me some to save some time.
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 9, 2014 18:05:34 GMT -5
I might add that the only crappy part I found about the head end work was the fact that they actually metal plated these instead of painting them. Removing any part (ie the low mounted headlight) left a nice bump that was tough to completely sand down, however, the diaphragms mostly hide it.
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Post by CP_8530 on Nov 9, 2014 19:13:29 GMT -5
Nice Budds there! Don't forget the front diaphragm frame on that 6105. I was reading an old CN Lines mag on the CN/VIA units, and the diaphragms were something of a mess on them...they added them in the 60's, and then later pulled off the A-end ones for better visibility (leaving the framing, and the B-end diaphragms intact). Then in the VIA era they started putting them back on. Whatever! IIRC, only the later Walthers RDC's were plated, the original P1K's were just painted. I have a trio of P1K's that need upgrading for CP. Horns, roof numberboard, Gyralite, renumbering because Hobbycraft picked units that didn't even exist in those schemes...sigh. As for the Rapido announcement, m' lips are sealed guvna... Whatever it is, you could wait for the Springfield train show announcement (Jan 24/25 according to the latest Rapido newsletter) before deciding on doing the '9, or jump right in now. All the CN RDC-9's had that rounded end later phase roof, so it would require some reworking. I've spent some time around the Guelph Jct Express "Boise Budds" (castrated RDC's), one of the five had the later phase ends and it was easy to pick out in the crowd.
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Post by iomalley on Nov 9, 2014 19:39:00 GMT -5
M'eh, these are 75%ers. If I was going all the way, I'd put the smaller front windows in 6100. The Rubber diaphragms are from walthers, I'll look up the P/N I'm probably going to forgo the D frame too, there's a few ones that went deep without them... www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=37205
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Post by CP_8530 on Nov 9, 2014 20:23:47 GMT -5
That 'un's an ex-CP acquired by VIA, so none off the bat until I'd guess it went to PSC for work. CN/VIA also didn't seem too keen on equipping the baggage ends of RDC2's and RDC3's with diaphragms, I guess they figured they'd run baggage end (A-end) leading most of the time. Planning on doing an RDC4 too?
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 9, 2014 20:30:31 GMT -5
I'll be in Springfield this year so I'll email you from the hotel room Sean if someone doesn't leak us the intel by then. I was wondering on the diaphragms though as I have a shot of 6118 and 6218 at Cascapedia (VIA 621/622) on the Gaspe where the lead Railliner didn't have a diaphragm. I plan to model VIA 6118 and VIA 6218 as well as a CN unit and am sort of stalled waiting on the diaphragms so I'll be awaiting the part no's. I did model the diaphragm "underframe" on mine though and it really wasn't a hard thing to so at all. Dan, I think you can make out the plating on this model above the underframe where I removed the headlight. The model was plastic under copper plating under chrome plating. It was a Proto 1000 RDC-1, as for the run I'd have to check the box.
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Post by iomalley on Nov 9, 2014 21:54:34 GMT -5
Walther black rubber diaphragms, p/n 933-977, 2 per pack
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 9, 2014 22:24:56 GMT -5
Thanks!
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Post by iomalley on Nov 10, 2014 18:43:37 GMT -5
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 10, 2014 18:48:07 GMT -5
Are both ends blanked out on the nines? And is it the nines that are shorter or the fours?
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Post by iomalley on Nov 10, 2014 18:53:45 GMT -5
The 4s are the short ones...ironically, closer to the Athearn in length. Too bad Athearn shrunk everything except the car ends. The RDC9s have blanked out windows on both ends, (still have vesty door windows tho) and the short end (5 windows from the rads) has no engine box, sand doors or 2nd battery box. They also have no plow. VIA did run them on the rear sometimes, with old caboose style markers. www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=879600
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Post by CP_8530 on Nov 11, 2014 1:40:15 GMT -5
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Post by iomalley on Nov 11, 2014 17:29:32 GMT -5
Ha, you must be clairvoyant...6006 is what I decided to choose, I decided to stick with an orange EX CN 9. BTW, floquil old silver is almost an exact match to the Hobbycraft VIA/CN RDCs.
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Post by CP_8530 on Nov 12, 2014 18:48:22 GMT -5
That reminds me, has anyone tried converting the trucks on these to use NWSL's gearing upgrade kit to improve the top speed? I was looking at buying some for my RDC fleet but at $25 for a set that does only one unit, it can get pricy...
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 12, 2014 19:01:30 GMT -5
That reminds me, has anyone tried converting the trucks on these to use NWSL's gearing upgrade kit to improve the top speed? I was looking at buying some for my RDC fleet but at $25 for a set that does only one unit, it can get pricy... Faster deathtraps, that's all we need haha. I've never heard of that upgrade Dan, do you think it would help with noise? One of my railliners is quite loud at any speed and track speed was 50mph where I intend to model. Now my dilemma become more apparent.
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Post by CP_8530 on Nov 12, 2014 20:38:35 GMT -5
The motor has to spin quite fast just to hit its slow top speed, something like 65smph. The NWSL gearing apparently brings it up to something like 75smph. Prototypical speed can range but I know CP regularly had them up to 80-90mph on some runs. The gearing retrofit might reduce the noise a bit, but I'm thinking the large hollow interior probably amplifies whatever noise is generated.
It all comes back to the stupid compound gearing LL used on them when they were in their "Gear Ratio of the Month" period. Pretty sure Walthers never bothered to fix this either.
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Post by iomalley on Nov 12, 2014 22:28:28 GMT -5
You can always convert to the Athearn Band drive. I loved when you hit the brakes and they bounced back and forth when they came to a stop. I plan on running these freight-slow.
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Post by tjmfishing on Nov 13, 2014 15:47:46 GMT -5
You can always convert to the Athearn Band drive. I loved when you hit the brakes and they bounced back and forth when they came to a stop. I plan on running these freight-slow. Yeah
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rudy
Probationary Member
modelling Canadian and some US railroads
Posts: 18
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Post by rudy on Nov 19, 2014 20:30:47 GMT -5
Very nice job there. I too have modelled Via RDCs' from Athearn units Yes, I know rubber-band drive is something the "Flintstones" used, or, would have used on a Flintstone locomotive, but simply adding a flywheel or two, made them run reasonably well for me. Too bad Athearn didn't add the extra several feet of length. Anyone know exactly why? I think the shorter wheelbase was for tighter radius curves.
I think Rapido might just be doing these...that'd be alright! Maybe CN and CP cowl units will be next...
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