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I’m thinking of kit-bashing an electric box-cab or steeple-cab on to an old Marx motor I salvaged from a find at a train show last year. I want keep it simple. Has anyone else kit-bashed a box-cab or steeple-cab locomotive? If so lets see them.

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Last edited by Khayden93
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Its the body of a French steeplecab with a custom frame to use a Marx motor unit. I used a tinplate looking trolley pole from a cheap windup knockoff. The headlight mount bracket was fabricated. I did the paint job. I used it wth prewar Flyer and Lionel consists circa 20'-30's....With compromise couplers.

I am almost done with a scratch built steam clockwork...using a Hornby drive. Ill post it when done. It uses a Marx tank car for the boiler..Ill post it when completed.

 

Last edited by electroliner

Here's my "Ode to Prewar" centercab I built to haul some prewar AF coaches. It's powered by a Marx double reduction motor and made of wood and PVC pipe, a Radio Shack light socket and other herbs and spices.  lol

I painted it like an old Ives cast iron engine, including some "chipped" paint around the edges of the roof.

 

Originally Posted by Khayden93:
Originally Posted by electroliner:

 

Great looking one

A suggestion..The body was made by Jouef in France and across the pond, steeplecabs in tinplate are much more common and my strategy was to go to the UK version of Ebay, as U.S sellers want an arm and a leg for this stuff. Also..I have bought Hornby etc there and the shipping costs are not as bad as you would think. Often they are comparable to U.S costs. Its a matter of having the patience to search for bargains as always. More often then not it pays off..

Last edited by electroliner
Originally Posted by handyandy:

Here's my "Ode to Prewar" centercab I built to haul some prewar AF coaches. It's powered by a Marx double reduction motor and made of wood and PVC pipe, a Radio Shack light socket and other herbs and spices.  lol

I painted it like an old Ives cast iron engine, including some "chipped" paint around the edges of the roof.

 

Thats simply brilliant. Amazing! My favorite is Prewar A.F. This is one I restored the headlights, pantograph and replaced the wheels on...

 

Last edited by electroliner
Originally Posted by handyandy:

Here's my "Ode to Prewar" centercab I built to haul some prewar AF coaches. It's powered by a Marx double reduction motor and made of wood and PVC pipe, a Radio Shack light socket and other herbs and spices.  lol

I painted it like an old Ives cast iron engine, including some "chipped" paint around the edges of the roof.

 

Love it awesome great job

Ive seen very nice cab body units, and GG1s carved in wood. Couldn't tell that it wasn't cast without really looking hard. I think wood would work well(). The motors shape screams electric center cab. A tall hood "block" profile short diesel switcher would be easiest, just keep the body's edge low enough to hide the big wheels(like the long tin MARX cab bodies with the steam sized drivers up front.

Originally Posted by mwb:

Here's one that started off as this:

 

and after adding a Weaver drive and a little bit more......ended up as this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow...I am in awe of your metal working skills etc. If you taught a class. Id attend and sit in the front row. Are the Weaver drives available separately? I have a interurban freight motor I cannot find three rail trucks for. Converting the common two rail trucks seems too daunting.

Last edited by electroliner
Originally Posted by Adriatic:

Ive seen very nice cab body units, and GG1s carved in wood. Couldn't tell that it wasn't cast without really looking hard. I think wood would work well(). The motors shape screams electric center cab. A tall hood "block" profile short diesel switcher would be easiest, just keep the body's edge low enough to hide the big wheels(like the long tin MARX cab bodies with the steam sized drivers up front.

Did not even think of doing a electric center cab might have to now

Originally Posted by electroliner:
 Wow...I am in awe of your metal working skills etc. If you taught a class. Id attend and sit in the front row. Are the Weaver drives available separately? I have a interurban freight motor I cannot find three rail trucks for. Converting the common two rail trucks seems too daunting.

That thing was a total bear to work with - better than 0.080 thick galvanized steel!  Soldering was "educational" to say the least,

 

Weaver drives?  I just buy up old RS-3 or FA units and strip out the drive components, and either resell or give away the body shell.  Cheap and reliable drives.....

 

A year or 2 back I adapted a Weaver drive into a set of Current Line traction side frames and put that under one of those old IMP ED144 boxcabs that KTM made that were imported in the 50's.  It's serialized in my column in O Scale Trains.

 

Last edited by mwb
Originally Posted by mwb:
Originally Posted by electroliner:

That thing was a total bear to work with - better than 0.080 thick galvanized steel!  Soldering was "educational" to say the least,

 

Weaver drives?  I just buy up old RS-3 or FA units and strip out the drive components, and either resell or give away the body shell.  Cheap and reliable drives.....

 

A year or 2 back I adapted a Weaver drive into a set of Current Line traction side frames and put that under one of those old IMP ED144 boxcabs that KTM made that were imported in the 50's.  It's serialized in my column in O Scale Trains.

 

Still very nice work

Originally Posted by Khayden93:
Originally Posted by mwb:
Originally Posted by electroliner:

That thing was a total bear to work with - better than 0.080 thick galvanized steel!  Soldering was "educational" to say the least,

 

Weaver drives?  I just buy up old RS-3 or FA units and strip out the drive components, and either resell or give away the body shell.  Cheap and reliable drives.....

 

A year or 2 back I adapted a Weaver drive into a set of Current Line traction side frames and put that under one of those old IMP ED144 boxcabs that KTM made that were imported in the 50's.  It's serialized in my column in O Scale Trains.

 

Still very nice work

Thanks!

Still have 3-4 more boxcabs and a few steeple cabs to power stacked up in the projects queue.

Originally Posted by handyandy:

Here's my "Ode to Prewar" centercab I built to haul some prewar AF coaches. It's powered by a Marx double reduction motor and made of wood and PVC pipe, a Radio Shack light socket and other herbs and spices.  lol

I painted it like an old Ives cast iron engine, including some "chipped" paint around the edges of the roof.

 

What are the dimentions of the engine?

Originally Posted by Khayden93:
Originally Posted by handyandy:

Here's my "Ode to Prewar" centercab I built to haul some prewar AF coaches. It's powered by a Marx double reduction motor and made of wood and PVC pipe, a Radio Shack light socket and other herbs and spices.  lol

I painted it like an old Ives cast iron engine, including some "chipped" paint around the edges of the roof.

 

What are the dimentions of the engine?

8.25" long over the pilots, 2.625" wide over the roof overhang, and 3.625" tall at the headlight.

Originally Posted by Southwest Hiawatha:
Electroliner
 
Where did you get your AF parts? I have a similar boxcab in need of restoration. One of the parts I need is the headlight, which is in the cab front rather than on top. 
 
Originally Posted by electroliner:
 My favorite is Prewar A.F. This is one I restored the headlights, pantograph and replaced the wheels on...

 

 

Hope these help..

http://www.brasseurelectrictra...r/americanflyero.php

http://georgetebolt.com/

http://www.ttender.com/partslist.html

http://www.mikestrainsandhobbies.com/parts/af_prewar.html 

Last edited by electroliner

I've got a Lionel Rock Island 44T unit that I will be turning into an electric - I have a GG-1 pantograph to mount on it and will add some more bits and cover up the end radiator vents.  It'll probably end up being painted Milwaukee Road.  The RI 44T doesn't have Blomberg truck frames which will help the look.

 

 I just placed the pantograph on top to give an idea of what it'll look like.

E-Loks 007

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Originally Posted by John23:

I've got a Lionel Rock Island 44T unit that I will be turning into an electric - I have a GG-1 pantograph to mount on it and will add some more bits and cover up the end radiator vents.  It'll probably end up being painted Milwaukee Road.  The RI 44T doesn't have Blomberg truck frames which will help the look.

 

 I just placed the pantograph on top to give an idea of what it'll look like.

E-Loks 007

Neat

To do: 1. Add this this list to old list.

          2. Find: appropriately sized Ford Grill

          3. Build: GE 125 ton steeple cab switcher #1000 in original Ford blue .

          4. Build: GE 125 ton steeple cab switcher #1001 in red on black.

         5. Avoid: "Here's the church, Here's the steeple" jokes.

 

ford1001

ford125tswitcher

 

"Someday"

 

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Originally Posted by Adriatic:

To do: 1. Add this this list to old list.

          2. Find: appropriately sized Ford Grill

          3. Build: GE 125 ton steeple cab switcher #1000 in original Ford blue .

          4. Build: GE 125 ton steeple cab switcher #1001 in red on black.

         5. Avoid: "Here's the church, Here's the steeple" jokes.

 

ford1001

ford125tswitcher

 

"Someday"

 

Very cool

Originally Posted by Khayden93:
Originally Posted by Adriatic:

To do: 1. Add this this list to old list.

          2. Find: appropriately sized Ford Grill

          3. Build: GE 125 ton steeple cab switcher #1000 in original Ford blue .

          4. Build: GE 125 ton steeple cab switcher #1001 in red on black.

         5. Avoid: "Here's the church, Here's the steeple" jokes.

 

ford1001

ford125tswitcher

 

"Someday"

 

Very cool

 That has to be the coolest diesel switcher ever!

Last edited by John23

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