Messing about with N-scale diesels
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Life-Like EMD Southern Railway E6A Resuscitation
Like HO/OO, you can choose RTR stock or mess around to whatever degree you want. I am a basher/tinkerer and enjoy turning a DC loco into a DCC one, preferably with sound. A bonus is that older locomotives cost considerably less than brand-new ones (as do passenger and freight cars). I routinely change plastic wheels for metal wheels, and I use code 70 track to allow pizza-cutter rims. I also swap the old rapido-type couplers for knuckle ones; they look better.I have a collection of Great Northern Railway freight cars in "Big Sky Blue", all second-hand and around $10-$15 each. All my Southern Railway passenger cars are second-hand, usually around $20-$30. New ones are $75+.
I just bought a used BLI E6A DCC sound-equipped (ESU Loksound, probably V4) for $100. Brand new BLI models are around $250.
I thought I would have issues with my eyes and fingers, especially as I am waiting for cataract surgery and have chronic peripheral neuropathy. I started with some second-hand locomotives and a few passenger cars to see whether I liked the scale. It grew on me, especially as it didn't take up much space. It's no more difficult than HO/OO scale. Dip your tootsies in and see whether you like it. You could of course go to HO/OOn30. Now that's a lot of fun.
©Nigel C. Phillips
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A slight change of plan. The renovated E6A chassis will be equipped with DCC no sound using a TCS split-board decoder with directional lights (TCS CN 1278), and will go into a CB&Q (Chicago, Quincy, and Burlington railroad) E8 shell, and the Southern E6a shell will get the BLI DCC sound chassis that is arriving shortly. The split board deocoder is what it says - 2 small boards with the decoder motor circuitry on one, and the directional lighting circuitry on the other, joined by 3 wires. I built 2 supports for the boards using odd scraps of plastic, and no, that's not Basset's licorice all sorts, those are 2 Lego pieces. Saves the bother of building a small square oblong, I will fill them with titanium putty, and will be adding further weight using titanium cylinders under the drive shafts. Titanium has just less than half the density of lead (with a fifth of its mass) but is much safer. Pictures to follow.
Nigel
Last edit: by BCDR
©Nigel C. Phillips
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Plastic covers for for the TCS decoder going into the E6A chassis. this is a split board design, one board for the motor, one goard for the directional lights.
Close-up of covers. Lego bricks and styrene sheet. Titanium putty will be used to give some additional weight. There is space under the drive tubes for some titanium discs.
Cheers,
Nigel
©Nigel C. Phillips
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Wiring diagram for the decoder.
Cheers,
Nigel
©Nigel C. Phillips
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Thanks Nigel, always wondered how they do directional lighting.
Ed
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'Petermac
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This decoder is meant for split frame chassis where there was previously a light board, but it is ideal for getting a DCC decoder where it was never intended and space is restricted. And it saves the hassle of wiring in directional LEDs. I may have to rethink those boxes though. The rear board is OK, the front one is running into space issues due to the lower height of the nose. A 'would you believe it" moment.
The Life-Like E6A chassis went into the BLI CB&Q body without major issues. OK lengthwise (space to spare), I just needed to take a smidgen off the sides. I will install knuckle couplers front and rear, as the locomotive is intended to be coupled to some Great Northern locomotive and passenger stock. CB&Q E7As pulled Great Northern transcontinental trains from Chicago to St. Paul, MN, where the engines were swapped for Great Nothern E7As or later on F3s and F7s. The CB&Q would often sneak one or two of their passenger cars into the train for transfer to a CB&Q train departing St. Paul for Chicago. Angry telegrams would be exchanged when this happened.
The following photos show the CB&Q locomotive body shell with a Life-Life chassis. That gaping hole at the front is where the front coupler goes. If the locomotive was at the front of the train it was hydraulically retracted, and doors swung into place.
Cheers,
Nigel
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I modified the front DCC board support, it is now sloped and the LED is now opposite the headlights on the CB&Q shell. I also installed some tungsten putty under the 2 board supports (red arrows), and under the drive tubes, increasing the weight by nearly 40 gm. That translates to another 4 passenger cars. I suspect a lot of weight may be detrimental. I have modern diesel switchers comparable in weight (90 gm) that can pull up to 10 passenger cars. My passenger trains normally have around 5-6 cars, so it should be fine.
I'll finish the wiring and add some working knuckle couplers next, then do some testing with DCC power.
Cheers,
Nigel
Photo 1. Tungsten putty. The red arrows show locations.
©Nigel C. Phillips
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'Petermac
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'Petermac
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Petermac said
Ah - I haven't heard of it because I don't fish !!!
From “Post #291,221”, 27th January 2025, 2:11 pm
I fish and I'd never heard of it either, but I'm not a Carp fanatic.
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Ha! Unfortunately, it is more expensive than lead (of which I have a 5 kg roll). I got a "Pine Car Derby" weight kit, Boy Scouts of America approved, no less. It is also useful as a substitute for lead shot fishing weights. This was a one-off experiment as this locomotive doesn't need that much weight. , I'll stick to steel shot and 2-part epoxy next time. Or put gloves on and put some lead into it.
This little project is almost finished, the next conversion needs weight so a slightly different approach will be used. More to come shortly.
Cheers,
Nigel
©Nigel C. Phillips
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©Nigel C. Phillips
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Mea culpa. It's a long time since inorganic chemistry. Density of metals (g/cm3):
Osmium, 22.6
Gold, 19.3
Tungsten, 19.3
Uranium, 19.1
Lead 11.3
Brass, 8.5
Steel, 7.86
Few of us can afford osmium or gold, and governments tend to be iffy about depleted uranium, Amazon doesn't stock it. So tungsten is the best of what's available. It's a pity Tungsten is a pain to work with. Mass-wise brass is better than steel, Tungsten in putty form is formulated to be around 90%-98% the density of lead. At least it's better than air. Now it might be worthwhile drilling some holes in the weight masquerading as a fuel tank and inserting some tungsten cylinders.
The pine car derby kit I bought has a nice selection of cylindrical tungsten weights, the boy scouts are meant to drill holes in the pine car and add tungsten cylinders to reach the desired weight. "Oi, I was in the scouts". So I weighed and measured a fuel tank - 17g and around 2.89 cm3. That gives a density of 5.88 g/cm3. It's a ZAMAC alloy, with a density of around 6.6 g/cm3. ZAMAC is MAZAC in the UK I think. If I replace 4 cm3 that's a net gain of almost 50 g. I'll try this on the next conversion.
Tungsten putty from Amazon is 2.5 oz/$15.00 US.
Cheers,
Nigel
Last edit: by BCDR
©Nigel C. Phillips
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this will be the last post on this renovation. I wired up the decoder and tested the locomotive. It runs fine, the headlight comes on when going forward, and the rear of the engine compartment lights up when going in reverse. The prototypes normally had a small spotlight to the left of the door to light things up when coupling at night. If you look carefully there is a small square light fixture. I think a small hole and some PVA allowed to dry transparent will do the trick.
I have some small jobs to do - put the second horn back on the cab roof (oops!), add some decent couplers front and rear, put the pilot back on, and add some MU caples front and rear. I'm quite pleased with the resurrection - trash can chassis to a working locomotive. I still have the Southern Railway E7A body shell to do something with. And that's the subject of the next project. That will be followed by a DCC sound conversion of a (decent late model) Life Like E7A chassis and another CB&Q E7A body shell.
Photos below.-
Cheers,
Nigel
Wired chassis, headlight on (forward).
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I probably being daft, but what are "MU caples" ?
Ed
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Ed said
Looks good Nigel 👍
I probably being daft, but what are "MU caples" ?
Ed
From “Post #291,238”, 29th January 2025, 12:21 pm
Me too ????
'Petermac
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what I've done Nigel, is pre cut some old roofing lead into weights and then coated them in nail varnish ? I just did a few different sizes so I can use what fits best. It meant I only had to put the gloves on once, cut and seal them and then clean down the workshop bench once. I keep a few in a tub and can put them in where needed without having to ' cover up' again.
It also means if I'm opening up locos, carriages or wagons where I've fitted them I don't have to worry. I can tell the one's I've done as they have a nice gloss finish 👍
Wasnie me, a big boy did it and ran away
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
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