What’s on your Workbench?

[sarge]

I rather like that! It's sufficiently different as to be interesting, though I've never had my hands on one. What drive did they use, or were you expected to power it yourself?

I admit being a fourth type of person who likes old models. In my case its the fun of seeing what can be made of them but using modern assembly techniques, adhesives, paints, decals, and other materials that have improved our lot over the years.

I acquired the enjoyment of that challenge building British O; ancient kits done with modern materials just were fun to build (or rebuild) in 7mm and the results were very often quite respectable. Even if they still were "crude" in some way, one never failed to learn something of the ways of the Ancients; even if they were long gone they still taught you their skills through those models.

Same goes for US O-scale. A Kemtron GP20 still builds into a very respectable model using modern tools, paints, and decals, yet the old challenges remain; build one and your yellow-smithing skills will certainly improve.

They're fun.

[ScaleCraft]

I am still getting the new shop in order, so there has not been a lot of time for modeling. However, I needed a photo of my Hawk EMC 600 HP switcher for my next OST article and decided to use that as an excuse to fix it up a bit. Here was the model as arrived:




I found it to be a bit tricky to form the wire to the correct width, but a couple of tries and I got the hang of it. Same thing with the solder joints, but with a little experimentation with different solder tips and techniques and I found a method that works for me. One critical item for me was to use only a tiny amount of solder on the tip. As it is, I have a small roll of very thin solder that is used for circuit board work. Using that and a long, thin soldering tip made it easy to get just the right amount of solder to the joint.

Jim

You know this.....bead blast the chassis again, hitting all those fresh handrails..I know from experience if you don't, that's where the paint will flake.

Got a shot of the drive? Vertical armature, field wound? Spurs down one side or chain?

[R.K. Maroon]

Bead blast the chassis again, hitting all those fresh handrails..I know from experience if you don't, that's where the paint will flake.

That sounds like good advice, Dave. I would not have thought to do it.

Here is a close-up of the drive showing all elements -- Skew-mounted Pittman DC93 PM motor driving a single worm gearbox on the lead axle, with a spring-belt drive to the second axle:


Note the two leather universal joints between the motor and the gearbox. This model is at least eighty years old, and the leather is still pliable.

The Pittman motor is not original. Hawk advertised this switcher with a K&D #1 wound-field motor. This one looks to have had one installed at one time, as the inside of the shell has been ground thin in the area around the motor to provide clearance. I have what I believe is the original motor. I will probably re-install it if it runs. I don't usually do that, but, as it is, the Pittman DC93 is commonly found in the Adams and Son FT and I need one for the B unit in an AB set.

Jim

[ScaleCraft]

Interesting.

A #1 K&D? Hmm.
The spring belt drive is surprising.
Would have expected chain.

[sarge]

Interesting is right. I wonder if the hood is over-wide to accommodate the K&D. So common to "adjust" dimensions for the big wound-fields of the era. Indeed, people got so used to the cab on the Lionel 700e, which is too high in order to accommodate the motor, that they still are visually upset by a Hudson with the cab where it belongs.

The spring-belt isn't that uncommon for that era; I seem to remember the Walthers boxcab using very similar spring-belt and pulley drives. Very effective, quieter than chain, and most importantly in that application, used a lot less space inside the wheels. Wasn't it Lindsay who used springbelts in HO?

Anyway, very cool...

[ScaleCraft]

Interesting is right. I wonder if the hood is over-wide to accommodate the K&D. So common to "adjust" dimensions for the big wound-fields of the era. Indeed, people got so used to the cab on the Lionel 700e, which is too high in order to accommodate the motor, that they still are visually upset by a Hudson with the cab where it belongs.

The spring-belt isn't that uncommon for that era; I seem to remember the Walthers boxcab using very similar spring-belt and pulley drives. Very effective, quieter than chain, and most importantly in that application, used a lot less space inside the wheels. Wasn't it Lindsay who used springbelts in HO?

Anyway, very cool...

Lindsay yes....but even some Lionel H0 stuff....I have one...gear drive, with pulleys on truck worm shafts and on motor shafts for spring belt. All it did was eliminate u-joints and gear tower.....allowed truck to pivot using spring belt. Oddly, takes an Athearn Geep shell (never tried anything else) done for Lionel with no holes drilled for handrail stanchions.

The famous one in H0 was Varney F units...multiple sheave pulleys, change gearing....I have a bunch of them!

[Chris Webster]

I’m with you on the C-420 being one of the sharpest looking of the intermediate roadswitchers. I like them probably too much, having amassed more of them than any sane man should possess.

They look sharp even in plain grey paint per this image added to Railpictures yesterday:L&N #1309 on March 26, 1981

[Jay Criswell]

Lindsay never used spring belts. Varney? Yes.

Jay

[sarge]

Lovely shot, that.

I love Railpictures. First, it's just the trip back to my youth and young adulthood. Second, its a helluva resource for painting and detailing.

Isn't it a little strange that everyone in O seems so old and models the "transition era" that what the marketplace considers "modern" era is almost half a century ago, and there is precious little out there that could really be called modern in O?

[sarge]

Lindsay never used spring belts. Varney? Yes.

Jay

That one is my fault, Jay. I asked it in a leading sort of way mentioning Lindsay. I was thinking about a different "Lindxxx" when I asked it, too.

I was picturing the Lindberg SW in my mind, which did.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[up148]

Isn't it a little strange that everyone in O seems so old and models the "transition era" that what the marketplace considers "modern" era is almost half a century ago, and there is precious little out there that could really be called modern in O?

Yep, we model what we remember of the "good old days" of our youth and for most of us here that was the 50's & 60's. I too felt like a babe in the woods at my 1st March Meet in 93'.... in my early 40's. I wish I would have had the good sense to communicate more with the old pros who were fading fast at that time. Great memories.

[Chris Webster]

I love Railpictures. First, it's just the trip back to my youth and young adulthood. Second, its a helluva resource for painting and detailing.

There's also RR Pictures Archives - they have quantity (5,257,054 images) while Railpictures is more focused on ultra-high image quality (725,000 images.)

[sarge]

There's also RR Pictures Archives - they have quantity (5,257,054 images) while Railpictures is more focused on ultra-high image quality (725,000 images.)

Yep, I spend far too much time searching those sites, and more. Grin!

Its why I have an older tablet in the workshop on a stand.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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