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I've posted the photos on weekend photo fun but thought I should post here as well where it belongs.  This was a lot of work but worth it.  I couldn't be happier with it.  When I first saw this engine in the Lionel catalog I got excited at first but quickly realized it was a real photo and the actual engine would probably not look as good, and I was right.  I was disappointed but its what I expected since Lionel does not do  fixed pilot versions of their engines like MTH.  MTH does not have a fixed pilot version either for this engine and they did the DD40X which I don't like as much as the DD35A with the low hood, so I decided to buy the Lionel engines and fix them the way I want them.  Beside the Lionel DD35A engine sounds are much better and it operates better at slow speeds.  I could listen to the engine rev up and down all day. 

 

The only problem with the Lionel was that they wobbled due to eccentric wheels and inconsistent traction tire thickness.  I was able to replace the bad wheels and find better traction tires to solve the problem but it took some effort. 

 

Let me know if you have any question. 

 

 www.toytrainsontracks.com      DVD special

 

 

 

 Glued plastic to the top of pilot and used the dremel and file to trim edges flush

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Filled the middle with a solid piece of plastic then cut out rectangular hole for coupler.

Notice how the paint is gone.  you must file the plastic perfectly flush or a buldge will show after you paint.

 

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Used music wire for the railings.  It is flexible yet very stiff and rugged.  I then painted gray and white.

 

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At first I was not going to do the other side.  But most of the prototype added stair to this side.  I had to cut the deck and reuse the face (with red stripe) to finish the face.  I tried to paint the other angle with a red stripe but failed so I just skipped.

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Drilled hole for beacon.  Its hard to look at. 

 

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and used this kit from Hobbylinc.com and wired to internal battery through switch mounted under roof panel.  I found a signal on the board but needed to build another circuit to interface.  I may do that later, for now its manual turn on and off using the battery.

 

 

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I used a thin slice of white tubing, bored it out some and made ring for the base of the light.

 

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Used brass tubing to add the piping on the side like you see in the protoytype

 

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Added separate piping to add detail to trucks

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 Had to grind the mounts to allow the trucks to slide in.  These trucks stick out way too much.  Fortunately there was lots of room to move the in.  I also tap the wheels a little closer.  They can't go too much or they will not make the turns. 

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Here you can see one side is slid in so you can see how much room there was.  They moved in almost the thickness of the trucks.

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Before

 

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Last edited by Rich Battista
Original Post

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Really admirable work and result. Looking at my DDA35 again I can see why you decided to give yours the treatment.

 

Can I ask about the beacon? I was disappointed that Lionel did not include this feature. You said you found a signal on the board but another circuit would be needed to interface with it. What signal from which board/pin?

 

I ask because about the only modification such as yours I think I could undertake to mine would be to add the beacon.

 

I wonder however if you could use an LED wired to one of Ngineering's simulator boards like the one shown here - second from top of the list: http://www.ngineering.com/lght...20the%20railroad.htm 

and maybe just tap into another lighting circuit or the motor circuit for power? 

Guys, thanks.

 

Hankcock52,

 

   I can't remember which signal and I did not write it down.  It was the one which changed with the interior cab light and came from a white connector on one of the boards.  It only moves about 2v so you would need a circuit with high input impedance which could control a transistor using the 2v signal.  The cab interior light is not the best way anyway so I abandoned the idea.  Later I discover that the Legacy control has a beacon light control even though the engine has no beacon.  I would toggle that control and probe the boards unused pins to see if any respond then use that control. 

 

Rich

Originally Posted by Rich Battista:

Guys, thanks.

 

Hancock52,

 

Later I discover that the Legacy control has a beacon light control even though the engine has no beacon.  I would toggle that control and probe the boards unused pins to see if any respond then use that control. 

 

Rich

 

Thanks, that's really interesting to know. Maybe somebody has a diagram of what each of the Legacy diesel board outputs is for what function so you wouldn't have to search.I suppose that there might be different kinds and if so not all might be programmed to control a beacon.

 

Aside from that I am not sure how you would toggle the beacon control on a CAB-2 because I don't think it shows up with this engine's data loaded. I just looked at the Legacy v.1.5 manual Page 37 and maybe it comes up as "strobe" when you press and hold AUX2 but of course that won't tell you which output(s) it relates to.

 

Having used Ngineering's other light simulator products I swear by them and would be inclined to try their beacon offering.

It's the little details that make such a difference!  Looks great Rich. The black wash really brings out the detail in those truck side frames.

 

Pictures 1, 2, and 3 are the reason more people don't fix pilots... as well as needing big curves. Takes a lot of time, but executed like this, is the difference between toy trains and model railroading. Again... Excellent job!

Last edited by Former Member

Rich,

 

Your work is just amazing. The fixed pilots, extended handrails, and truck modifications completely transform the engine into a true model.  It just looks terrific.

 

How did you modify the handrails?  Did you replace the entire railing on each side from the cab down to the lower side steps (threading the music wire thru the stanchion caps), or did you just replace the section of railing from the corner stanchions on each side down to the lower side steps?

 

RTR Mark

Originally Posted by Ready-to-Run Mark:

Rich,

 

Your work is just amazing. The fixed pilots, extended handrails, and truck modifications completely transform the engine into a true model.  It just looks terrific.

 

How did you modify the handrails?  Did you replace the entire railing on each side from the cab down to the lower side steps (threading the music wire thru the stanchion caps), or did you just replace the section of railing from the corner stanchions on each side down to the lower side steps?

 

RTR Mark

 

Mark,

 

   I replaced the entire handrail with one continuous piece.  You almost have to do it that way since the stanchion does not provide much support, in fact the railing supports the stanchion.  I used thinner wire than Lionel uses which is closer to scale. Lionels handrails are and stanchions too thick but more rugged.  MTH handrails and stanchions are much thinner and to scale as you can see in the photo.  I didn't realize it until I got this NS Dash 8.  All the parts look very fine and detailed compared to the Lionel.  I was tempted to replace the DD35A side railings with thinner wire also but didn't think it was worth it. 

 

 

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