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 Posted - July 05 2014 : 12:56:03 PM
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I started this project about 6 years ago, and finally finished! I always liked the look of the ATSF E6A, so I decided to build one.
I used an hold Hobbytown E unit chassis and one of the last E6 bodies made by Cary. Here's what the chassis looked like before I started:
I wasn't happy with how the gears looked, so I modified the truck frame to move them inside.
Of course, separating the truck frame here meant I had to add an extra screw to hold it together. I missed the first time with the drill, but my second try went well and holds the front of the truck together perfectly!
I was also having trouble with the original U-shaped axle bearings binding, so I replaced them with brass tube, which improved the free-rolling capability significantly.
The original plastic and brass wheels were ugly and over-sized at 40 scale inches. Fortunately, Intermountain 36" freight car wheels were a near perfect fit on the Hobbytown axles! I just had to file the backs a bit to get them in gauge.
I replaced the original DC90 with a high end coreless motor. The first one I tried turned out to be way too fast, but the second one works perfect for this chassis! I also added a large flywheel and good universals. Once it was running the way I wanted, the whole chassis was then painted silver.
I also added a diode for directional lighting, and made some simple plugs for the headlight so could remove the body more easily. I also added some hand-bent lift rings to the body, and made the long grab irons.
I then went on to fail twice while painting the body, which discouraged me enough to put it in the project backlog for over 4 years. I finally decided to give it another try this year, and this time, I got it done right!
I used some very OLD Microscale decals to finish it, and it was a miracle that they worked so well! I also added some etched windshield wipers that were leftover from a Stewart kit. The paint is Scalecoat II, and it's finished with Model Master semi-gloss lacquer.
This was a really tough project, and I'm glad it's finally finished! It's a great runner, and I think it came out looking great too! It's going to be a very long time before I do another Warbonnet, though!
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
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 Posted - July 05 2014 : 1:53:30 PM
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That's a nice-looking engine. I don't know if the full-size ones ever looked that sharp. Your hard work paid off. As for the drives, I'm curious about some things:
1) That shaft on the flywheel and the motor shaft look pretty big around. Is that the true size of those shafts or did you put some sort of sleeve on them?
2) I've never seen the kind of universals you used made of metal, before, but the ones between the motor and flywheel appear to be metal. Did you make them, or are those a commercially available product?
3) Those helical gears on the axle and drive shaft look like you could propel the shaft from the axles as well as the axles from the shaft. Can that drive coast a little?
Again, great model!
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - July 05 2014 : 3:01:20 PM
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Yes, I did sleeve the shafts. The motor had a 1.5mm shaft which I accidentally broke, but I was able to fit a piece of brass tube to what was left.
The metal universal came from an old Tenshodo GP20. I used it because it's secured by set screws instead of pressure, so I wouldn't risk damaging the motor shaft further.
The drive can coast quite a bit! That's one neat thing about Hobbytown drives. Their wormless design makes it so you can turn the motor by pushing the engine (so long as everything is working nice and free). That combined with the coreless motor and 1" flywheel make it a smooth runner and long coaster. My power pack actually supplies a tiny bit of reverse voltage as a safety measure, so there's no more than a couple inches of coasting if I cut the power on my layout.
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
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Posted - July 05 2014 : 3:07:52 PM
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What do you do with the old motors?
Real cool btw
I like the Sante Fe logo "shutters" around the windows
Will remember that 
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babuff
Little Six
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Posted - July 07 2014 : 5:00:46 PM
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Darth
What motors did you use ( the one that ran too fast and the current one )
Also how did you make the plugs for the headlight?
Leo
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Posted - July 07 2014 : 5:29:48 PM
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| That is one fine looking locomotive,nice work!
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Posted - July 07 2014 : 6:21:27 PM
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It's so good, I can't even tell it's a kitbash.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - July 07 2014 : 7:47:28 PM
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Thanks everyone!
microbusss, I set them aside unless I find another use for them.
babuff, both were surplus coreless motors from Microlocomotion. The one that was too fast was a 9-pole Maxon motor which turned out to be 6V. I found another use for that one, where it works much better. The one I'm using now is a 12V motor from Canon. The headlight plugs are made from brass tube and heavy gauge wire, which was squeezed slightly for a light press fit.
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
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Posted - July 07 2014 : 10:22:06 PM
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| Great stuff Darth. It's good motivation to read how you overcome obstacles. Beautiful paint work.
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Posted - July 08 2014 : 5:52:35 PM
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Neat job as usual, Darth. That flywheel is a beast... is it off the rack, or one you turned yourself?
Also, why didn't you like the gear tower facing forward? Was the gearing visible on curves?
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - July 08 2014 : 9:28:43 PM
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The flywheel is from NWSL. They actually make them even bigger than that for O gauge!
The gears were plainly visible behind the narrow pilot, so in this case, moving them inside helped it to look much better. Now on my Hobbytown PA-1 with external gearing, it's more hidden behind the ladders in back, so I don't mind how those look.
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
Edited by - Darth Santa Fe on July 08 2014 9:29:10 PM
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 Posted - July 09 2014 : 01:49:05 AM
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quote:
The gears were plainly visible behind the narrow pilot, so in this case, moving them inside helped it to look much better.
Originally posted by Darth Santa Fe - July 08 2014 : 9:28:43 PM
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I'd take the easy way out and hide them behind a mustache.
The Tyco Depot
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 Posted - November 26 2020 : 6:38:24 PM
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quote:
I started this project about 6 years ago, and finally finished! I always liked the look of the ATSF E6A, so I decided to build one.
This was a really tough project, and I'm glad it's finally finished! It's a great runner, and I think it came out looking great too!
Originally posted by Darth Santa Fe - July 05 2014 : 12:56:03 PM
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Beautiful Santa Fe unit.
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