Under The Hood: The Mighty Katrinka!

While doing a search, I realized I'd never gotten around to compiling the Katrinka build postings from 2017 into one article, so here we go...

Noodled about with one of my "shop queens", an unholy amalgam of a 646 drive and a postwar Japanese diesel boxcab:

I reached the conclusion that the E-unit is in need of a new drum and contacts, as the motor is, to be charitable, intermittent and the brushes aren't getting power.  Might just find a working used unit and drop that in.  Anybody got a spare? 

In any event, this will be a nifty unit when it's done...

Had planned to do a bit of work on the boxcab project, but Shop Supervisor Norma Bates Kitteh is busy doing a time-motion study...

Got the motor on the boxcab working properly for the first time in years, and now am test-fitting pilot trucks (the plan is to replace the old staple-end trucks with MTH equalized trucks)...

A chum of mine got a look at the boxcab's bronze chassis and said, "You have to name that thing 'Powerful Katrinka' from the Toonerville Trolley comic..."

Works for me. 

In any event, Katrinka now has trolley pole hooks, and poles have been duly test fitted...

Next up will be truck mounts for the pilot trucks!

Katrinka's pilot truck mounts, while a trifle Chic Sale, do in fact work...

Here's Katrinka on the high iron, walking away with a heavy consist:

Until a break-in-two causes what's known as "a regrettable incident"...

Much to the discomfiture of the parishoners of Our Lady Of Sudden Deceleration:

All in all, though, Katrinka's maiden flight can be considered a success, I think.  ;-)

Fortescue having firmly declared that he wasn't setting foot on Katrinka until handrails were fabricated, the RTC shops set to work:

Trolley pole bases fabricated and test fitted.

Headlight assemblies made from brass tube and Lionel headlight lenses:

Body, chassis and railings prepped for primer!

Primer applied!

Cornelius "Commodore" Bunneh was on standby next door in case of emergencies.

Meanwhile, back at the shops....

Paint applied, the body and chassis baked for an hour in a 200° oven and preliminary assembly.  Fortescue likes the new railings!

Roofwalk cut and fitted.

Old school roofing trick:  Apply paint to the roof, then lay tissue on it.

Done right, it looks like a canvas roof.   Done wrong, it looks like drunken hillbillies went nuts with tarpaper.

Fortunately, I'm modelling a railroad with a fairly high drunken hillbilly quotient amongst the workforce.

Protip: If you're glazing a car from the inside, masking tape over the window openings helps hold the window material in place while you glue it.

Katrinka hits the high iron with a pair of borrowed trolley poles!

And no "regrettable incidents" this time!

Fortescue approved!

As befits her running gear's origins as a Lionel 646 Hudson,  The Powerful Katrinka has been running smoothly and, well, powerfully! 

Mitch