Rebuilding a Roundhouse Boxcab

[Russ Bellinis]

What sort of drive does the box cab originally use? If it is like a blue box Athearn drive, you might be able to just replace the open frame motor with a can motor.

[faraway]

I wrote some days ago "a strip of lead is under the roof, that increases the weight to 180g/6.3oz". ....

The boxcabs are still great switchers and the weight is sufficient for the short cuts. But I would like to have a more robust current pickup. I can not see a failure in the design and wheels and tracks are cleaned to perfection. Pickup is in general fine but e.g. a GP38 runs more reliable.
The only difference might be the weight. I did therefor add another strip of lead at the sides under the windows. That brings the engine to 220g/7.7oz. That is about the weight of a new Walthers SW1.
I will come back some time later and report how the reliability changed.

ps. The lead I am using are sheets of 70mm/2.75" * 40mm/1.57" and 1.5mm/0.06" thick. One sheet folded fits fine under the roof and the other sheet is quartered and folded and fits in the front and rear on both sides just under the windows. Double side sticky tape is the simple mounting method without damaging the shell.

[shortliner]

What sort of drive does the box cab originally use? If it is like a blue box Athearn drive, you might be able to just replace the open frame motor with a can motor.

   

   

The original drive is via a vertical multi-stage gear train, and then via Jackshafts to each bogie - it makes the most dreadful grinding noise, amplified by the bodyshell - much better to do as Reinhard has done and use a GE 44-tonner chassis, or as I did, by fitting a modified Bachmann Underground Ernie chassis.

[faraway]

...I will come back some time later and report how the reliability changed....

The current pickup reliability improved with the added weight. I had no power interruption since the additional weight had been installed. The engine stalled about twice a day without the additional weight.
There is also another nice side effect. The engines runs even more silent because the weights glued to the sides reduce vibrations of the shell even more.
I would recommend to add weights at the sides below the windows due to the two positive effects at virtually no cost and space is no problem in the spacious cab shell.

[sailormatlac]

...I will come back some time later and report how the reliability changed....

The current pickup reliability improved with the added weight. I had no power interruption since the additional weight had been installed. The engine stalled about twice a day without the additional weight.
There is also another nice side effect. The engines runs even more silent because the weights glued to the sides reduce vibrations of the shell even more.
I would recommend to add weights at the sides below the windows due to the two positive effects at virtually no cost and space is no problem in the spacious cab shell.

Reinhard, what is the final weight after the last modification?

BTW, Canada Post is sure taking it's time! At least, I have a layout to keep me busy.

Matt

[faraway]

Matt, the weight is now 220g/7.7oz

[sailormatlac]

Not bad for a 5 inches long locomotive! Still waiting after the mail... and the layout is ready to be operated.

Matt

[Mileswestern]

You might want to ditch than ancient drive and make more room for speakers by utilizing this 3D printed frame, and mounting a pair of NWSL stanton drives beneath it. It's *MUCH* more reliable, DCC ready and pulls more smoothly and confidently. Then you can fill the boxcab with weight.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.shapeways.com/product/QMF9N8TCE/ho-scale-boxcab-locomotive-frame?li=shop-results&optionId=42519333">http://www.shapeways.com/product/QMF9N8 ... d=42519333</a><!-- m -->

[faraway]

Boxcab #3 has been picked up at the local customs office this morning. Boxcab #4 is still "somewhere" close to customs in the mail. Tracking ended last week in Frankfurt for unknown reason. I have started to prepare the GE 44ton drives with the usual support.

Both models are the first series of four boxcabs without the doors in the front and rear. I consider to modify one or both to get second series of five boxcabs.

This is what I got

This is what I want


I see two methods how to do that:

1. Create the new front/rear from scratch and glue it between the side walls not touching the sides at all
2. Modifying the front/rear by glueing small strips into the windows to make them smaller and fit a new door into a rectangle to be cut into the front/rear

#1 has the advantage to keep the model unharmed until I have created a new front I really like
#1 disadvantage is the extreme small space between the windows and the side. There is virtual no space left
#2 advantage is that it might be easier to do
#2 disadvantage is the very early point of no return and the cut door opening might have a rectangle shape or not....

Any suggestion taking my poor eye sight, clumsy finger and lack of patience into accounts ?



I changed the layout by glueing four small weights to the base frame instead of the sides of the shell. The large weight under the roof will be last. This permits better handling of the shell for modifications while the drive has more weight for test runs.



The truck side frames from LASERkit arrived too. They looks very good. The designed press fit is not useable for the new Bachmann models. The small support need to get larger holes to fit. I glued them permanent (CA) to the side frames and will use a "soft" glue at the truck side. I will give it a try with the wax glue when it arrives.

[cnrglen]

I went a bit more radical with the repowering of my boxcab/ climax:



I converted it to a band/pulley drive. I machined the chassis flat and replaced the motor with one out of a VCR. I removed all the gears out of the tower and made the large bull gear into a pulley by chucking it on a friend's unimat lathe. The rest of the drive is original but with the main gears gone, plus the tension on the bull gear to keep it from rattling, the drive is considerably quieter, more like an athearn blue box growl.

[faraway]

Another boxcab was in the mail this morning. It was a track cleaning vehicle lettered for MOW and most of the details are missing but it is my first one with doors in the ends representing the second series. It was my intention to swap the shell with another boxcab of the first series to get the roof details. Problem is that the boxcab to swap with is lost since some weeks between Florida and Frankfurt.
An alternative might be to kit bash this shell into the Jay Street 400. Nor coolers are required but there are platforms with handrails at the ends, the side doors must be closed and one window becomes the outlet of a cooler. The overall arrangement of side windows and doors will be still wrong.

This is what I got:


And this would be a possible use of the shell:
http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/jsc3003.jpg

ps. How are the boxcabs doing in Canada this days?

[shortliner]

You'll have some fun making those bogie sides for the Jay Street loco

[faraway]

You'll have some fun making those bogie sides for the Jay Street loco

That is not very likely. I will either use the GE 44 or Boxcab side frames. If I do that conversion at all. I am still hoping to get my forgotten parcel some day ....

This is a new baseplate extended by 5mm/ 1/5" at each end. That should result in platforms at each end as long as a window is wide. That is my estimate from photos.


I proceeded that evening doing my very first handrails.

[faraway]

I made up my mind and used the shell for a freelance Jay Street inspired boxcab model. Painted the baseplate with the platforms this morning and worked all day at the shell.
The short stack is best guess. There are no clear photos of the roof but on one photo is a shadow that might be a short stack of a remarkable diameter. The coolers went inside but there must be somewhere a stack and that position is plausibel.

I am thinking about a solution to do the two lights with LEDs on the roof.

[sailormatlac]

Nice work! I didn't have the chance to work on mine since I disassembled it. Do you have problem with the original gearing with your curve. It's totally useless when your curves are under 18" radius.

Matt