 Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Question: What is better than one poor man´s Maerklin HO scale Santa Fe F7 ABBA consist with two motorized units and two dummy units, respectively? Answer: Two poor man´s Maerklin HO scale Santa Fe F7 ABBA consists with two motorized units and two dummy units, respectively. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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 5 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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After some soldering and cabling, Brutus - the blue bonneted ABA F7 - became an ABBA F7. The extra B unit has a red instead of a blue cigar band, but since Brutus is a freight engine, this does not matter so much. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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6 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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2 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Originally Posted by: BrandonVA  El Captain? Now you're talking hi-liners :)  [/img] Yes, I am now...  Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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 Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,533 Location: VA
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Looks fantastsic! I saw in another thread you said they have a little trouble...working with wheel sets and/or weights?
Another item to add to the endless MMR wish list. I may try and pick up a few M* ATSF coaches first... |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Thanks B,
The rolling resistance was an issue in dry tests. Reason might either be that AC wheel sets are needed or the interior lighting pick-up shoes - "grinding" on the wheel shafts - are braking too much. Then when powering the track, the wheels are sparking when passing over turnouts, which is weird, since the coaches are equipped with isolated DC wheel sets. I have to experiment with AC wheel sets and disconnecting the interior lighting... |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Above prototype photo depicts lounge car #578, while I can only offer #576 en miniature. Please bear with me...  For the time being, I only equipped the front "Maerklin transition car" with a close coupler and kept the remaining NMRA couplers. This is visible on the pictures showing coaches which are not close-coupled (yet). I want to gain experience with the transition car before proceeding. When - like in the real El Capitan - the first coach behind the front baggage car(s) was a step-down coach (which is not the case on my layout since Fleischmann did not produce them), the latter should ride backwards, resulting in the five lower windows being the right hand side and the lower three windows on the left hand side. Once I equipped further coaches with close couplers, I will simulate this accordingly. CORRIGENDUM prototype #578 = diner scale model #576 = lounge car Edited by user 29 April 2014 18:41:02(UTC)
| Reason: Corrigendum Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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5 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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 Joined: 04/03/2009(UTC) Posts: 149 Location: Denmark
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Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Piece of cake - see photo.
We may have deviated wayyyy off the poor man's F7B theme - which, by the way, is very nice work - but I can't resist: Ak - you still there? Got any more cake?   |
Best regards,
Jens
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Sure do. This photo is an unpublished one (only a similar one in another thread). No match of your photograph though, since I neither have nine red ones nor any heavyweight coaches. Your photograph looks like the Grand Canyon (not the national park, but the train...). Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Prototypewise I could offer this AABBBA consist, I believe in front of the Texas Chief. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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6 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,533 Location: VA
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Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Prototypewise I could offer this AABBBA consist, I believe in front of the Texas Chief. Even with a ATSF "Shock Control" Boxcar in the background. I like the double A on front, seems more common with ATSF than some... -Brandon |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Research shows that ATSF F7 classes were as follows: 200 class freight service (with single headlight) 300 class passenger service (with double headlight) 325 class dual use (with double headlight) With the exception of the new SC set carrying number 305, M* produced ATSF warbonnets with double head lights and dual use numbers. Obviously ATSF freight F7A units had only a single had light and a blue body with yellow embellishments, initially with cat whiskers (see pic 1) and then with cigar bands (see pic 2). I like the "goggles" look of these F7A units. (The latter are not to be mistaken for the blue bonneted M* 3362/3662; some prototypes really existed, but those were repainted passenger units.) Did anybody bother to have a go at such 200 class freight units? Edited by user 10 August 2014 06:46:05(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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 Joined: 01/03/2008(UTC) Posts: 2,883 Location: South Western France
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Jacques Vuye aka Dr.Eisenbahn
Once a vandal, learned to be better and had great success! |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Thanks Dottore Ferriovia! Yellow bonnet on blue ground. Another interpretation which I was not aware of. There are also Athearn Genesis and Intermountain versions in the classic F7A and F7B freight unit paint scheme. For me the most difficult part is the roof portion. I am going to use attached pic as a reference. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Let the games begin: Take a battered 3649 and a neglected 4081, remove shells, strip off grab irons/window glazings/horns, prepare priming by cleaning surfaces with a toothbrush and toothpaste, rinse thoroughly and let dry. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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1 user liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Apply several layers of primer (let dry in-between). Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Select colors, ensure that yellow paint matches decal color (it does, but on the photo it looks different than in reality). Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 14/04/2006(UTC) Posts: 304 Location: Southern California
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Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Thanks Dottore Ferriovia! Yellow bonnet on blue ground. Another interpretation which I was not aware of... Hello AK, Nice to see the thread is still busy! F7 Yellowbonnets pulling Texas Chiefs are a good modeling project. I think Marklin released it in Z-scale some time ago. Please find more info behind this link: www.atsfrr.com/resources/BackRalph/Yellow.pdfRegards, Juha Edited by user 11 August 2014 19:28:11(UTC)
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2 users liked this useful post by Brakeman
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 Joined: 02/01/2012(UTC) Posts: 244 Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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OneGauge Marklin and MTH, ESU ECoS 2.1 on LGB tracks. MTH 3-rail 0-gauge, DCS on GarGraves tracks. Z: Rokuhan tracks, analog or DCC+TC Gold. |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Thanks Fellows,
atsfrr.com is always an excellent source of information and MTH brings a fresh wind into the three-rail market.
The yellow bonnet for a limited number of F units was a short-lived "de-railing" during the rainbow period after AMTRAK took over the ATSF passenger service. However, I am after "pure" F7 motive power for freight operations.
P.S.:
Having compared my paint with the cat whisker decals, I decided to get another yellow paint which is a better match than the one I have. |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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2 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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2 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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2 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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And that is the combo I am after (no luck with the switcher up to now).  Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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3 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Voodoo nuns ?  Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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 Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC) Posts: 15,871 Location: Gibraltar, Europe
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Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Getting there colourwise: Still another blue coating and reworking of the "transition areas" between blue and yellow areas needed.. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,533 Location: VA
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Ak,
I knew this idea would seep in eventually, you must have been tired of waiting to see someone else's trial and error :) I love it! Tell me, how did you remove the horns, window film and other details prior to painting? Is there something to dissolve the glue, or did you just carefully pry them off?
-Brandon |
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1 user liked this useful post by BrandonVA
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Thanks Brandon, Well, this someone had had his fair chance, hadn´t he? Trial and error are my middle names, now.  The vendor was so kind as to package the loco in a way which foresaw the postal service to break off the horns during transport (and twist drawbars - luckily I have an ample supply due to the earlier donation by BrandonVA´s drawbar emporium). Then, I only had to drill through the holes to make room for new horns. The glazing of the round bulleye windows consisted of transparent tape which was easy to remove. The cockpit glazing came off after cutting of the glue with a fine knife. Handrails (each unit has eight of them) consist of a thin wire, which can be taken off after unbending loose ends on the inside of the shells. Numberboards could be pried out with gentle force, using a fine screwdriver. Next step, fur applied, oh wait a minute, wrong topic.  Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 14/04/2006(UTC) Posts: 304 Location: Southern California
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Originally Posted by: BrandonVA Ak,
I knew this idea would seep in eventually, you must have been tired of waiting to see someone else's trial and error :) I love it! Tell me, how did you remove the horns, window film and other details prior to painting? Is there something to dissolve the glue, or did you just carefully pry them off?
-Brandon Hello, the horns, windows and hand rails are easy to pull apart. I remove the paint dropping the part in a pan with brake fluid. Metal parts can be rubbed with a metal brush, but use only cloth or paper for plastic. BR, Juha Brakeman attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Originally Posted by: Brakeman I remove the paint dropping the part in a pan with brake fluid. Metal parts can be rubbed with a metal brush, but use only cloth or paper for plastic.
Wow, alchemy at work!  My little chemist kit did not allow for such radical measures, and household members complained already anyway repeatedly about fumes and bad smell. Is this a 2006 photo or did you have a further unreported kit bashing project?  |
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Joined: 14/04/2006(UTC) Posts: 304 Location: Southern California
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Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Originally Posted by: Brakeman I remove the paint dropping the part in a pan with brake fluid. Metal parts can be rubbed with a metal brush, but use only cloth or paper for plastic.
Wow, alchemy at work! My little chemist kit did not allow for such radical measures, and household members complained already anyway repeatedly about fumes and bad smell. Is this a 2006 photo or did you have a further unreported kit bashing project? Hello Alsterstreek & co, yes, this is one of the unreported projects, a Santa Fe 300 class F7 freight taking a bath from 2008. Another one I need to finish is a F3B using Varney body. I literally got sidetracked when I moved to California and met the local ETE group. Last few years have been spent with the DB era III layout and club modules. Regards, Juha Brakeman attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Applying decals is a challenge: This is my second attempt after I had to abort the first one yesterday evening.  Fortunately, I had ordered two decal sets. Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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And after seven days the cycle closes for the ATSF F7 ABBA freight loco kit bashing experiment. I tried to match the setting of the initial 2006 photo at the beginning of this thread - see pic. Mission accomplished, but neither complete nor finished I would say. My strengths lie in another area, thus I would not do it again. Lessons learnt: The round(ed) prototypical paint patterns on nose and front roof are a nightmare and it is almost impossible to "industrialize" the process; and using a tape plus a fine brush I was not (cap)able of obtain acceptable results. Now, as the prototype is a freight loco which has always a somewhat battered appearance on color photographs, I can live with this, but (super-)detailing is not my world. Advice: Do not paint the inside of the number board shafts; otherwise the latter will not slide into place again... Following the instructions of Vallejor (http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/applying-decals/blog/1/35) and with the help of four products (gloss varnish/decal medium/decal fix/matt varnish), warm water, tweezer, toothpick and cotton swabs, embellishing the F7 shells with Microscale decals (and protecting the latter against being rubbed off by accident) was doable. However, for a beginner a spare set of decals does not harm... Edited by user 21 August 2014 01:16:43(UTC)
| Reason: grammar Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,533 Location: VA
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Now you've got variety! Cigar band with Geeps coming next? :) Photo is from Texas in 1964. GP7Bs. -Brandon BrandonVA attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Cigar band? I pass: Cat whiskers were already difficult enough. Edited by user 25 August 2014 02:27:25(UTC)
| Reason: Topic watch deactivated Alsterstreek attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 14/04/2006(UTC) Posts: 304 Location: Southern California
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Bjorn, motorized B-units are actually very useful. You can hook up dummy A-units to it to make again cheap consists (remember the title of this thread ! ). My intention was to motorize the Athearn B-unit body shell using a 3060 as organ donor and build a dual motor setup like the Märklin Amtrak model has. Now I've been running it just with a dummy A-unit and never hooked up a powered one. I ended up shortening the baseplate on so much that it fits on 4063 body shell keeping the Märklin dimensions. For Athearn shell it needs to be cut a bit shorter. I used Esu Loksound 4 with a magnet for the motor conversion. To me it runs pretty smoothly even in the lowest speed steps. Problem is more the big difference between the lowest steps and continuous power feed than getting it running slow. This is all with a blamed 3-pole motor. Please take a look at the video and pictures below. It's not as hectic as music videos today, but crank up the volume and you can hear the EMD 567 diesel rattling beautifully! Regards, Juha Brakeman attached the following image(s): |
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Originally Posted by: Brakeman
I ended up shortening the baseplate on so much that it fits on 4063 body shell keeping the Märklin dimensions.
That is what I did, too, for not having to re-arrange all the 3649 cabling between motorized units and pick-up shoe. I cut off the end of one of the motorized A unit body shells to fit a 4081 B unit shell on top. The last A unit of the ABBA consist is a trailing dummy on the 4081 body shell. |
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 Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC) Posts: 8,244 Location: Montreal, QC
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3 users liked this useful post by mike c
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,881 Location: Hybrid Home
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Wanna close-couple F7 equipped with hooks? 3 mm or 4 mm flat washer does the trick. See pic.  (Works also between B-units.) |
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Joined: 04/03/2009(UTC) Posts: 149 Location: Denmark
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Post removed - just realised this is a kitbashing thread ... |
Best regards,
Jens
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