What Have You 3-Rail Scaled Lately?? Please Contribute to this Thread!!

Ben and Joe great work!!!!

Mario you just make all this look way to easy.

Finally back to train stuff finished my Atlas GN GP35s last night.

Not exactly new. But hey. It's a 3rs post...

Atlas trainman hopper painted and lettered Soo.

Joe, fantastic job on the LV caboose! I really like your technique. Looks great!

Here's my latest creation. PC 50' boxcar. I did the interior on this one, I think I'm gonna leave it empty. 

Thank you, Ben...right back atcha on the PC boxcar!  Here are a couple shots of the recently-completed L.V. caboose paired up with Baldwin switcher...

L & N posted:

First truck of my MTH 44 tonner. New axles, scale 33" wheels, and the sideframes moved in as much as possible.

 

 

Could you share how you did this? I run 2 rail and skipped this engine because it didn't look easy to convert.

Today's creation. Another Atlas hopper, tried to keep this one in better shape than the C&O unit. 

Still need to add Kadee's in the cavern left from the lobster claws. The pilots are fixed and the wheels are scal

Steve

Nice work Ben & Steve!  Thanks for posting it here.

The next project up on my to-do list is to turn this MTH B&O Jordan Spreader...

...into one that more closely resembles this Jersey Central one...

I'll post progress photos in this thread.

Engineer-Joe posted:

Could you share how you did this? I run 2 rail and skipped this engine because it didn't look easy to convert.

It wasn't easy.  I originally had the stock MTH drive axles machined to accept NWSL 33" wheels. When I pressed the wheels on to the MTH axles, the insulator in the middle of the axle collapsed. I ordered 3/16" axle stock from NWSL  and had the machinist  make completely new axles.  The idler outboard axles and bearings were removed, The  bearings were replaced with NWSL 361-6 epoxied in place, and 8277-4 wheelsets. Approximately .220" was machined off of each sideframe mounting flange,  .120" was milled off of each sideframe, new holes were drilled and tapped to mount the sideframe on the truck block.

The pilots were a little easier, MTH provided a threaded blind hole in each corner (2.6mm). I just cut the center section out, drilled a hole and mounted them without a spacer as that made the steps line up per the prototype.

Steve

My first one...

Lionel GP30

still fiddling with it, but I've ground off enough material to get it running. 

Used mario's 3D printed stuff to fix the pilots, works pretty well, just wish the finish on the 3D prints was a bit smoother.  

Have to clean up and paint what I messed with, then lengthen the handrails.  I'll probably Penn Centralize it a little, it's too clean. 

Boilermaker1 posted:

My first one...

Lionel GP30

 

Nice work, Boilermaker...welcome to the 3RS club!!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, been enjoying the nice weather and spending some much needed time on my other hobby. Anyway took the wife to York this weekend and scored this C&O 2-8-2 from Mr. Muffins. Great people. After a few test runs on the layout she received her Kadee's front and rear. I was also surprised by how very close it is to the prototype. This was a class of 10 former Pere Marquette engines on the C&O hence why they have none of the C&O traits. I like it, nice size, clean look, and pulls the entire Chessie Steam Special train without issue. 

Posed with the rest of the C&O fleet. 

 Finally started work on my Legacy 0-8-0. It came delivered as a Wabash. Turning it into a Boston & Albany. The middle part of the original 4 digit Rd. No. is 52. A correct number for a B&A. In the past I just made a T bracket from brass stock and shimmed the hell out of it to get it at the correct height. There is a lot of clearance there for the stock coil coupler. On this one. I trimmed it out with brass square stock. The T bracket is soldered. The trim pieces are held in place with JB Weld. The square stock is glued to the tender shell. Allowing the chassis to separate. The T bracket is secured to the chassis using the tapped mounting holes that secure the speaker. A portion of the stock coupler mount was removed for clearance. I added a small piece of square stock and cleaned up a Atlas air hose for a press in snug fit. It's now off to the paint shop.

Some work...

GP35, finished.

CommVan on its way. (Pilot truck brake beams added, giant nipple axle ends removed.

Blasts from the past...

Thanks. 

-Mario

Dave nice work on the tender.    Mario finishing his GP35 inspired me and finally finished my SP RS11 using Mario's spacer and kadee mounts. What a pain but at this point 99% complete. I thought I had finished it a week ago but didn't like the fit so I redid it Now just to do a little more sanding and touch up paint.  

Since I was planning to make this one a dummy I pulled the electronics Trimed of half inch on both sides of the frame and sanded down the tabs on the trucks to lower the engine

Next i trimed the pilot and installed the spacer and the kadeee mount using Loctite 60 universal glue. This is rated at 1800 lbs per square once once dried. Drilled out the holes and then mounted the draft box and screwed them in.  Next Using the Loctite glued them to the shell and then used 5 sec fix( same as Bondic) to fill in the gaps and then sanded to hide the seams .  

Reinstalled the shell onto the frame 

Final check not perfect but works

This is from the test run last week before final adjustments. 

Great thread.  Unfortunately (or fortunately for me depending on your point of view) I gave up on 3 rail scale and simply run 3 rail for all my roads that aren't affiliated with my ever in the planning stages NY&LB.  I've gone completely 2 rail there.  No judgement on anyone here, I just find that 2 rail is really appealing for modeling, but my operating club layout is three rail and not to Kadee coupler standards when it comes to track alignment.

Finally got my 2 Chessie auxiliary tenders from MTH. Very nicely detailed but a bit pricey in my opinion. 

MTH includes stamped steel mounting plates and hardware for converting to Kadee's. 

However using these mounts the coupler too low. Simple solution was to use Kadee 747 underset shank couplers. Now they're spot on with no shimming. 

One of these days I'll get to modifying my spare 614 tender shell to accurately represent her extended coal bunker and change the lettering to Chessie System Railroads. 

Just 2 short videos of 614 in her duties for Chessie. First on the Chessie Safety Express. 

And second on the 1985 ACE 3000 testing program hauling coal. 

Ben Snyder posted:

Posed with the rest of the C&O fleet. 

The gravel and dirt in the turntable pit make it look very realistic. Nice work!