I've been meaning to try one of these out for ages - finally got the opportunity to do so. Most of the following is an aggregation of what I've already posted to the Diesel Detailer:
The goal:
An F40PH-2C, TRCX (Tri-Rail) spec.
The parts guinea pigs:
1 Atlas B40-8 drive (50' between truck centers)
1 set of Atlas Blomberg M truck sideframes
1 set of Atlas wiper contacts to match the Blomberg M's
2 Walthers F40PH shells
Preliminary checks for overall fit brought up the following:
A. The Walthers shell is 31mm wide inside; the Atlas chassis 30mm wide. A perfect opportunity to reinforce the inside of the shell with 0.5mm styrene on each side to strengthen the cut and ensure a snug fit.
B. There is VERY little area on the Atlas chassis to sneak in mounting screws that a screwdriver can get to without risking working around the sideframes or the fuel tank details that will eventually make their way onto the chassis. The factory Walthers mounts turned out not to line up with the front of the B40 chassis either. Some improvisation will be needed here.
C. Ride height from the railhead to the bottom edge of the chassis is almost identical to that of the Walthers unit. No tinkering necessary in this department.
D. The Atlas coupler pocket bracket will need to be cut off the front.
I'm forming the batten strips with Evergreen's #8102 1"x2" (0.28mm X 0.56mm), their narrowest. Matches up with the existing Walthers sides perfectly when tested on my TRCX 811:
The shells arrived yesterday - three from Walthers, and a used one from eBay w/chassis. I put the Metra unit together as a working locomotive with the chassis from AMTK 300; the Coaster will be put aside for future use. Drives me nuts - it looks beautiful; yet, it's the wrong prototype (not to mention the prototype I'm kitbashing to begin with).
The two Amtrak units - the base and the donor. Turns out Walthers improved the paintwork on the F40's somewhere down the road - I recall #300 from the 2000/2001 run, with the improper lettering and slightly toy-like numbering. #242 is apparently later - better lettering and numberboards to boot. Either way, the older scheme is gave me fits with the lettering and striping when stripped in isopropyl alcohol - the new one comes off easier with exception to the red stripe, which is clinging for dear life.
Back end cut off #242:
Good fit!
Paint stripped:
Chopped one of the batten strips off on the LH side along with a cut and shave of the access step. Following is a dry fit of the batten strip. A lot of work for 2-3" scale inches of difference:
The donor's radiator grille was cut out today, and the #242 cut to match. Needs a styrene 2"x2" or 2"x3" (HO scale) shim in between, but the fit is good. I shaved off some of the rear detail for extending the batten strips too.
-Kurt
The goal:
An F40PH-2C, TRCX (Tri-Rail) spec.
The parts guinea pigs:
1 Atlas B40-8 drive (50' between truck centers)
1 set of Atlas Blomberg M truck sideframes
1 set of Atlas wiper contacts to match the Blomberg M's
2 Walthers F40PH shells
Preliminary checks for overall fit brought up the following:
A. The Walthers shell is 31mm wide inside; the Atlas chassis 30mm wide. A perfect opportunity to reinforce the inside of the shell with 0.5mm styrene on each side to strengthen the cut and ensure a snug fit.
B. There is VERY little area on the Atlas chassis to sneak in mounting screws that a screwdriver can get to without risking working around the sideframes or the fuel tank details that will eventually make their way onto the chassis. The factory Walthers mounts turned out not to line up with the front of the B40 chassis either. Some improvisation will be needed here.
C. Ride height from the railhead to the bottom edge of the chassis is almost identical to that of the Walthers unit. No tinkering necessary in this department.
D. The Atlas coupler pocket bracket will need to be cut off the front.
I'm forming the batten strips with Evergreen's #8102 1"x2" (0.28mm X 0.56mm), their narrowest. Matches up with the existing Walthers sides perfectly when tested on my TRCX 811:
The shells arrived yesterday - three from Walthers, and a used one from eBay w/chassis. I put the Metra unit together as a working locomotive with the chassis from AMTK 300; the Coaster will be put aside for future use. Drives me nuts - it looks beautiful; yet, it's the wrong prototype (not to mention the prototype I'm kitbashing to begin with).
The two Amtrak units - the base and the donor. Turns out Walthers improved the paintwork on the F40's somewhere down the road - I recall #300 from the 2000/2001 run, with the improper lettering and slightly toy-like numbering. #242 is apparently later - better lettering and numberboards to boot. Either way, the older scheme is gave me fits with the lettering and striping when stripped in isopropyl alcohol - the new one comes off easier with exception to the red stripe, which is clinging for dear life.
Back end cut off #242:
Good fit!
Paint stripped:
Chopped one of the batten strips off on the LH side along with a cut and shave of the access step. Following is a dry fit of the batten strip. A lot of work for 2-3" scale inches of difference:
The donor's radiator grille was cut out today, and the #242 cut to match. Needs a styrene 2"x2" or 2"x3" (HO scale) shim in between, but the fit is good. I shaved off some of the rear detail for extending the batten strips too.
-Kurt
