Railroad Forums 

  • Atlas AEM-7

  • Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.
Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.

Moderators: 3rdrail, stilson4283, Otto Vondrak

 #95898  by ANDY117
 
Who makes the ditch lights anyways?

 #95945  by astrosa
 
Andy, I believe I answered that question in one of your other threads. Detail Associates sells some great ditch light castings that are easily added to any equipment that needs them. For engines like AEM-7s and F40PHs you need to drill and file holes, but for others they can just be surface mounted.

David, I'm actually a little skeptical that the Microscale decals are the right size for the side numbers. If I remember correctly the AEM-7 numbers are smaller, or at least not as bold. Also, you might be able to use the red and white stripes from the Microscale set, but you'll have to mask and paint the blue yourself (Floquil Conrail Blue is close, and Modelflex Amtrak Blue might be a perfect match - never tried it so I don't know).

The blocky numberboard typeface used on some Phase III and Phase IV engines was Microgramma Bold Extended, sometimes also known as Square 721 Bold Extended. If you can find the font online, you could make your own decals in a word processor using white text on a black background. Font size should be 7.5 points. If you have access to a laser printer you can print them on regular decal paper, otherwise use inkjet paper. Just paint the numberboards white before adding the decals so the numbers show through.

Or, if you'd rather not make your own decals, I do know that Caltrain's F40PHs used to have this same typeface in their numberboards when in their older paint scheme. Microscale's 87-473 set is designed for these diesels, so it should include white numerals for the numberboards. As an added benefit, Caltrain's diesels are numbered in the 900-series, so the set might even include the exact number you want.

And speaking of engine numbers, I don't know which AEM-7 was the last to receive ditch lights while still in Phase III, but I can point you to the website of someone who might. He maintains a roster of the fleet and which paint scheme they're currently in, so he may also have the information you're seeking.

 #96146  by mlrr
 
This is the progress that I've made on drilling the holes for the ditch lights. I'm actually usingd Details West's ditch light casings #229 (will require some modification) I had to fix the hole on the right side and close it up a bit. I used putty to do this so the hole isn't as wide now.

The ditch lights on phase III AEM7 I believe may have been round and not square like you see on the phase IVs and Vs. I have to check the photos I took a while ago to verify this.

Image

 #96156  by astrosa
 
Kyle,

The ditch lights are all the same. The cutouts are the rectangular shape with rounded corners, but the ditch light housings themselves are circular. I like the Detail Associates castings (#229-1022 for a pack of 4) because they're styrene and because the housings are molded separately from the mounting plates. I did forget to mention that I usually sand the backs of the housings thinner before mounting, since they're a little thick compared to the prototypes.

 #96210  by mlrr
 
astrosa wrote:Kyle,

The ditch lights are all the same. The cutouts are the rectangular shape with rounded corners, but the ditch light housings themselves are circular. I like the Detail Associates castings (#229-1022 for a pack of 4) because they're styrene and because the housings are molded separately from the mounting plates. I did forget to mention that I usually sand the backs of the housings thinner before mounting, since they're a little thick compared to the prototypes.
You're right Alex,

I had just made that observation not too long ago but the colors from the phase III livery throw me off a bit every now and then when it comes to making the forementioned observations.

Good point with the sanding down of the backs of the housings. I wish I knew of the Detail Associats castings. That would've been perfect. Instead I purchase four packs of the Details West's castings (For two AEM7s). I might consider sanding down the fronts too, but I still have a long time before I make that decision. I'm still in the paint phase of the project.

 #96694  by Mr Met
 
O/T 950 is still in phase 3 as of saturday feb 5