What’s on your Workbench?

[sarge]

Thanks Chris. I'll have to order one up and play with it.

My memory cannot be taken as 100% accurate of course, but I remember this as an interesting programme. If memory serves, the donor Es were parked in the deadline at Altoona and the engines pulled and rebuilt there. I can't say some of them might not have been done at Collinwood; something in my brain fires at that possibility.

Anyway, the fresh engines arrived in an F-unit B converted for the purpose. By that time, the RS-3 had been stripped and refurbished end to end and the new mounts, fans, hood section ready to go together. Just crane out the new power and set it in place.

Meanwhile, the 244 had been picked over for any useable parts which ended up in DeWitt's inventory. The stripped block was placed in the B-unit and sent back. As I understood it, they got dropped into the old E-unit carbody which was then sold "complete-not operating" to the scrapper by weight.

[Chris Webster]

That's my understanding as well Sarge. Amtrak made a lot of E-units surplus. Penn Central's had their Juniata shop pull the EMD 567s out of the stored Es and shipped them to Dewitt in a B-unit carbody. Dewitt put the 567s into RS3s and made all the components work together somehow. Dewitt then shipped the Alco 244s back to Altoona in the same B-unit carbody. In Altoona the 244s were dropped into an E-unit to ensure that the scrapper got the full weight of metal they were paying for.

Erie Lackawanna also had a lot of surplus E-units. They regeared and ballasted theirs and put them into freight service.

[sarge]

Erie Lackawanna also had a lot of surplus E-units. They regeared and ballasted theirs and put them into freight service.

Yep, I saw quite a few of those on EL. Usually an E back-to-back with an F.

The only part of the DeWitt Geep bit I can speak to firsthand was the DeWitt part. Everything nicely redone and ready when the B-unit showed up (usually late. Grin!)

The result never seemed to hang around there, always off to some other part of the system while unbroken and unadulterated RS-3s (along with DL721s) just kept chugging away around Syracuse. The yard was, of course, the big six-axle Alcos doing the heavy work and a herd of S-classes buzzing about. Interesting times.

[sarge]

Well, I transcended common sense and just ordered one. Just what I need, one of each version...

[De Bruin]

Well, I transcended common sense and just ordered one. Just what I need, one of each version...

Common sense aside, why would you not want one of each version, I would.

[sarge]

I have a bunch of parts for an OMI Alco S-class that needs something done with, so that's what is on the workbench today. Have a body, a deck, a pair of trucks, so looks like an S-4 in the works. A rummage through the brass shapes gives us a couple pieces of angle, shear up a few plates to start, and its time to build a frame and make a drive up.

Basic frame test-fit with the trucks and offered up to the deck:


Next, a Canon motor that I had lying about, a motor mount, some NWSL ball & socket joints, and some tube stock. Here's the first fitting up; lots of alignments and tweaking to be done:


The deck gets offered up again to check clearances...


After going back and polishing up the alignments, propshaft lengths, &c, and testing after each fix, the chassis runs reliably and quietly, so we screw it together for the first time:


All fits together as it should, draws about a quarter-amp running light, even draw in both directions, I call it good. Time for the cosmetics then.

I like S-classes. Lots of S-2 and S-4 buzzing about in my younger days; I always liked the purposeful cheerful chirping sound they made, and they were real tractors.

[sarge]

This thread has been a very interesting experiment over the last several months, though I have to say building things on the workbench really seems to be a niche interest here as opposed to doorstops and auctions. I'm wondering if perhaps we would be better served on an email list consisting of the three or four folks for whom there is mutual interest. Your thoughts?

Meanwhile, I got a little parcel from Shapeways today, and the contents within?





Looks like my next build after the S-4 might be decided for me. GRIN!

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[bob turner]

You two are falling into the trap you often mention that I am in - I post a photo of something I have slaved over on my workbench, and get zero comments. I assume that is because nobody cares about scratchbuilt anything, let alone my work. Then at least Martin urges me to relax; that folks are actually looking at my work, but don't want to say "that's nice" or something similar.

Sarge and I both build stuff - mine is usually brass; his is currently Shapeways. We should assume both are of interest here, and keep on posting. Right now MTJ 2-rail is busier than its counterpart on OGR, and that is thanks mostly to Sarge, Martin, and Maroon/Pete. Slicing off a part of it for four posters seems wildly counterproductive, and deprives the rest of us of interesting reading even if we do not comment after every post.

So please, no - do not take four of our six regulars and split off into a private discussion. Keep it here, so the rest of us can be inspired. Who knows? Maybe Shapeways can do my master for the Skytop end? I am following all of this.

Um, Opinion.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[bob turner]

An example of the negative comments? Are they what are bothering Sarge in this thread? I thought all the above was well received by our limited community.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[sarge]

You're reading between the lines where there are no words to be found, I'm afraid. I'm not bothered, insulted, or upset at all, just asking a question regarding interest now that this experiment has been underway for some five months.

The thread is intended not to be a monologue, but a place anyone is invited to show what they're building. If it is to be a monologue it really has no place other than perhaps self-advertisement, something I'm uncomfortable with.

I'm not looking for compliments, just wondering if one or two of us are the only ones with anything to add. If that is so, then the question was solely intended to get input as to whether others found value in its continuation.

It ain't "What's on Sarge's Workbench". It's called "What's on Your Workbench" intentionally. I'm interested in what you are building, not so much in what you think of what I'm building. Does that make sense?

[bob turner]

Yes of course.
I will add some stuff - all I am doing lately is adding injectors and check valves, but I shall share. I promise I read every word on this forum and do not remember anyone ever disparaging your work or Martin's, or mine, for that matter. I do know that Martin has a modeling thread on the Clubcar forum, which can be a nasty place. I seldom visit, because it sort of horrifies me.

[sarge]

There are other forums where the craftsmanship of building models is the focus.

An interesting statement, but admittedly one I no longer find true. I was at a loss to find one anymore, which admittedly was the idea behind starting this thread. My motivation was to attract builders and modelmakers here and make this forum attractive to others who make things and find themselves similarly in the wilderness.

I'd hate to think the real reason there are no forums for builders might be there are too few who build anymore and the only folks left are buyers and collectors...