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 Posted - October 21 2006 : 01:51:20 AM
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I have been requested by a couple people to post some photos of my loco rebuilds. I mostly do AHMs. The first rebuild is an EMD GP18 used by National of Mexico. It started life as an AHM GP18. I replaced the hand rails with Athearn stantions and bent brass rod. I added wire grab irons. The truck mounted couplers were cut off and new mounts were added to the chassie. This allowed me to fill in the pilots with sheet plastic. I used body putty to re-contour the fuel tank and added the air tanks above it. I had to cut down the frame skirt to clear the tanks. The last alteration was to add the dynamic brake blister and move the exhaust stacks. The original paint was stripped off and new paint sprayed on. Decals are from Micro-Scale line. I replaced the original motor with a can motor and added twin flywheels and additional electrical pickup. Many have told me that I have wasted my time rebuilding this "old junk". So what do you all think? I would love to hear comments, good and bad.
http://hypoponera.tripod.com/hypoponeras_photos/index.album?i=0&s=1
http://hypoponera.tripod.com/hypoponeras_photos/index.album?i=1&s=1
Would anyone like to see more of my rebuilds?
Edited by - Hypoponera on October 21 2006 5:46:02 PM
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 Posted - October 21 2006 : 06:22:02 AM
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Wow! That's the old AHM GP-18?!? Amazing how sawing off those bad handrails and giving it grabs and a better underframe really change it appearance. Nice Work!![}:)]
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Posted - October 21 2006 : 1:47:17 PM
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Hypo,
Excellent! Yes would like to see more rebuilds. How does it run and pull well?
AF
Alco Fan
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Posted - October 21 2006 : 5:29:30 PM
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It runs very well! It's smooth and quiet. In fact it makes much less racket then my L.L. p1k Eire-builts. I have not done more then a quick speed trap for this loco. Minimum speed is about 3.5 smph while max speed is just under 90 smph. I do not have a good way of testing pulling power. It will pull 28 cars of various makes and conditions around a 5 foot loop with 18inch curves with no noticible slowing down. That is enough cars to almost fill the loop. So it has plenty of drawbar pull!
I will be posting more photos. Each loco will be posted as it's own topic.
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jlong
Big Six
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Posted - October 21 2006 : 9:15:32 PM
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quote:Many have told me that I have wasted my time rebuilding this "old junk". So what do you all think? I would love to hear comments, good and bad.
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They could be jealous of your skills as you did an excellent job with this. Your paint and decal skills excell let me tell you. Never let anyone discourage you from letting your creative juices flow where they want to flow.
I'm curious as to how you can motored it as I won a couple auctions for AHM diesels and may want to re-power them in their stock state.
John Long
Edited by - jlong on October 21 2006 9:18:06 PM
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Posted - October 21 2006 : 9:54:28 PM
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Hypoponera:
Es wird immer besser.
Post a few more of these, Mike, together with some under-the-hood postings and re-motoring clinics and the AHM forums will really obtain a following.
toldyaso, my friend,
MagAc
All those years toiling with 1/35 polystyrene static models served you in pretty good stead, eh? Excellent work.
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Posted - October 21 2006 : 11:48:51 PM
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Actually, the remotoring is far easier then adding the electrical pickup for 4 wheels. I will take some photos to let you see "under the hood". Micro-mark sells a really nice 5 pole, skew wound motor for $19.95. It gets put on sale for $9.95 twice a year. That sale lasts 2-3 months and I buy a couple each sale. The flywheels are $3.00 each and are from NWSL.
MagAc
My 1/35 tanks are prize winners at local model shows. But I had to leave tanks and start playing with trains as all my tank crews look like Bozo the clown! I can paint uniforms, but am horrible with faces!
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Posted - October 23 2006 : 11:45:44 PM
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Here is a peek under the hood of the NdeM unit. Unfortunately most of the drive line is made by Athearn in black plastic. These parts sit above a black painted chassie. So nearly impossible to see. But you can see the motor and flywheels. The tape on the motor is holding some wires away from the front flywheel.
http://hypoponera.tripod.com/hypoponeras_photos/index.album?i=8&s=1
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Posted - March 22 2009 : 10:41:05 PM
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 NdeM loco kool don't see that in HO or any scale to often
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Posted - April 04 2009 : 8:49:50 PM
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I like working with the AHM GP18s, also. .
Right now my project is a Southern Railway GP18. I'm using the MicroMark HM-5 motor. I do not think any manufacturer offers this locomotive with the Southern roadname, even if they did I couldn't afford it. Plus, I really enjoy this rebuild stuff. One thing I like to do with the AHM shells is take a Dremel tool with an end mill chucked in it; grind away the plastic from inside the cooling fans until I just get to the guide vanes. Clean up the fuzz with an x-acto knife.
Voila...see-through fans! The guide vanes or spokes or whatever they are called are thick enough that they won't break during the milling process.
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Posted - April 04 2009 : 11:15:57 PM
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Wow! You really had to look for this thread! I haven't seen this one in a while. It is one of three AHM GP18s I have posted here.
The Ahm GP18 is quite an adaptable little loco. It can easily be backdated to a GP9 or even a GP7 with minimal work. It is also easy to remotor. The hardest improvement you can do is to add all wheel electrical pick up. I will have to consider altering the fan housings as you described. Any idea how you could add operating fans?
I have used that Micro Mark motor in many repowerings. It is quite good and much cheaper then a Sagami or Mashima.
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Posted - April 05 2009 : 01:25:56 AM
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Nice work Mike.
I have rebuilt a few of the AHM GP-18 locos, a couple back dated to GP-9s. (I have 3 more in the shop to be rebuilt)
I've done the same mods to the Model Power RS-11 and F units
The extra electrical pick ups and a better motor make them run great.
Ray
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Posted - April 24 2009 : 8:52:24 PM
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Ray,
In a different thread, about 2 years ago, you mentioned changing the gear ratio in these locos by installing a Kato worm gear. Can you go into a little detail as to how you did this? Any trimming ,cutting, shimming to accomplish this?
Paul
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Posted - April 25 2009 : 01:03:58 AM
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It is basically a drop in fit. A few shims on the worm shaft and change the universal.
The Mehano worm has 2 starts and meshes with an 18 tooth gear giving it a 9/1 ratio. The single start (8mm dia.) worm from a Kato (or Atlas, or Kato clone P2K loco) meshing with the 18 tooth gear gives an 18/1 ratio.
quote:Ray,
In a different thread, about 2 years ago, you mentioned changing the gear ratio in these locos by installing a Kato worm gear. Can you go into a little detail as to how you did this? Any trimming ,cutting, shimming to accomplish this?
Paul
Originally posted by NC shortlines-April 24 2009: 8:52:24 PM
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Ray
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Posted - April 25 2009 : 02:04:56 AM
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Here's a picture of some Atlas-Kato worms I got at a good price from a seller on eBay. As Ray said, they're a drop-in fit except for adding some washers, since they're shorter than the originals.
/tyco/forum/uploaded/NickelPlate759/DSCF1050800x600.jpg
A friend did his own tutorial on the MR forum a while back. I think the worms he used are smaller in diameter, and barely engage the teeth.
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/57323/718310.aspx#718310
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - April 25 2009 : 02:22:59 AM
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The change in gear ratio makes quite a difference in low speed preformance.
I used smaller worms on some but had to make a new cluster gear (20 tooth)
There wasn't a noticeable improvement over the 18/1 ratio and it was quite a bit more work to do than the 18/1 conversion.
Ray
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Posted - April 25 2009 : 7:25:24 PM
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Thanks for the reply. I never noticed the double helix of the worm on the AHM. I would think that the 2 starts or double helix (not sure of the correct nomenclature) would give the slower speed and a single start would give the scale 140 mph. Shows what I know about gears. I was planning on developing my own re-gear setup for the AHM, like Ernst has for the Athearns. "Your" method is much simpler and effective. I'm going to see if I can acquire a few of those worms.
quote:| but had to make a new cluster gear (20 tooth) |
Cut your own gear from a blank???
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Posted - April 25 2009 : 9:03:36 PM
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quote:
Cut your own gear from a blank???
Originally posted by NC shortlines-April 25 2009: 7:25:24 PM
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I found some 20 tooth gears from some old motorized toys and mounted them on the same shaft as a 13 tooth gear from an old AHM C-liner axle. The worms came from AHM RS2 drives.
You could market a regear set for the AHM locos bymaking the spacers required and packaging the worms, spacers and a set of instructions.
The kit would fit quite a few different locos. AHM,Model Power, Life/Like, newer Mantua and IHC
Ray
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Posted - April 26 2009 : 01:55:03 AM
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I'm glad I bought a supply of those worms, because the dealer who was selling them hasn't gotten them back in stock. They were supposed to be for Atlas Alcos. I wish I had a part number.
Nice job with that C&O unit, Ray. It looks beautiful. 
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - April 28 2009 : 8:40:16 PM
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Is this it? http://www.atlasrr.com/pdf/PartsPDFs/HORS-11Locomotive.pdf
I borrowed an Atlas worm from another loco and put it in an AHM GP18 truck.
Worked just as advertised. I did have to trim a slight amount off the end of the bearing, the one that is installed in reversed position. With a decent motor, flywheels, and Atlas worm it should run very nicely.
Unspoken expectations are premeditated failures.
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Posted - April 29 2009 : 01:06:50 AM
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Hard to tell from a parts sheet, but those worms must be the same as mine. I packed on the thrust washers instead of turning the bearing around because I bought a pack of 100 NWSL washers recently, and I have to use them up somehow. 
The Tyco Depot
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