My Connies, #34 and #37. Most of the mods to the appearance are pretty simple. The real stuff is inside.
The transmission for both engines was made by a buddy who is a machinist and engineer. The motor is turned horizontal and uses a Pittman 24 volt motor. The gears are titanium. They will reliably pull 10 accucraft cars.
Both engines use Air-wire and Phoenix Sound systems packed in the tenders. The wood loads are removable to allow for battery swap out.
Ken Brunt said:
Actually Graeme, it wasn’t all that difficult or involved. The biggest PITA was refrabricating the front pilot truck.
First thing you have to do is remove those support arms. I had to rebend them and shorten them too.
Those are attached to the plate that holds the buffer beam and pilot. That unscrews from the bottom.
That will expose the metal chassis. I cut the chassis just behind the pilot buffer beam in that picture above (about an inch back from it’s original length). Then all you have to do is cut the top plate to fit.
Then it’s just a matter of shortening the pilot truck and making a new mount for it. I left it loose and floppy so it tracks better. Reattach the top plate and shorten the support arms. Rebend them to fit the existing holes and screw them back on the top plate.
Those other holes on the side of the smokebox and on the pilot plate are for the snowplow. It’s a K-27 plow from B’mann. I also added a Kadee coupler to the front and back. While I was at it, I moved the headlight to the top of the smokebox and added marker lights.
I did all this about 10-12 years ago, so I may have forgotten a thing or 2 that I had to do, but that should get you started. I didn’t like that long front end on the Connie, but shortening it was all that difficult.
I am resurrecting this thread in the hope that I can see the pictures.
Ken is it possible to get the pictures re posted please as I want to modify my Connie.
The original pictures are long gone. But I did take some more, so maybe it’ll help you out. After I removed the plastic deck part that holds the pilot beam and coupler,
I cut the metal frame that holds the front deck on about an inch from the front of the cylinders.
The metal deck has four openings in it. I cut along the front of the forward opening.
Then I believe I had to shorten up the deck to get it to fit. (It’s been awhile)
The pilot truck had to be rebuilt. Took me a couple of tries to get it the way I liked it. It also helps to add a bit of weight to it, too.
It goes back where it came off from.
Kind of hard to see, but with the cylinders on the outside of the frame, there’s quite a bit of room for the truck to swivel.
The only reason I shortened it was I didn’t like the looks of that long front deck.
Hope this helps you out Graeme. Got any questions about it, just ask. I’ll try to remember…(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Thanks Ken,
With the pictures and the description in the post above I should be able to do something like that. Here’s hoping anyway (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)
I’m trying to reduce the overhang so that when I put a guard on my trestle the loco does not foul it.
Your welcome, Graeme.
I bought that loco not long after it came out and did the mods to it shortly after that. So how long ago was that?
And now you want my rusty brain to remember what I did…(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)
I got mine just before a dear friend and fellow G Scaler passed away a bit over two years ago, he said to me that is wasn’t working but as he had no use for it so maybe I could get it going again,
Turned out to have a split gear which I have replaced with a new brass one, I did not have the layout to run it properly so the new one should do it justice.
I am planning to Australianise it a bit so the front has to be shortened and maybe the cowcatcher has to go as well.
Do you have a photo of what your looking to achieve ?
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Do you have a photo of what your looking to achieve ?
The front will end up looking something like this but I’ll use the original buffer beam and there will be no buffers basically the cowcatcher is no longer attached and the length is reduced so the buffer beam does not swing out as wide as it does now.
I don’t think I’ll have to shorten the buffer beam to reduce the overhang as it appears to be the same width as the cylinders.
Same as length as Ken’s and buffer beam similar to Rick Marty’s (page 1) sans board although that may be an option as my Shay has similar boards.
Don’t have a Connie but did do a Big Hauler and changed it into a Prairie 2-6-2 using a LGB Mogul motor block
Here’s mine. Based on/Inspired by Fletch’s 2002 builder logs about building a K27 from a Connie:
http://4largescale.com/fletch/d3c.htm
(this was before the Bachmann K27 existed!)
These bashes were popular in the early 2000’s. I was a little late to the party, I completed mine in 2017!
video:
And the full builder’s log:
https://scotlawrence.github.io/Stonehedge/locomotives.html
thanks,
Scot
Very nice Scot - Where is that indoor layout? Looks very cool.
Mine has been apart for many years to get some cosmetic work. So far I have “lowered” the tender using Kevin Strong’s technique of adding some styrene boards below the deck. It doesn’t actually lower it, but makes it look lower as the wheels tuck in slightly. I’ll try an add a photo of where that is at to this post later today.
To fix the smokebox/pilot I planned to follow Kevin’s lead and extend the boiler tube by about 1.5" using a PVC pipe fitting. I got as far as removing the head lamp from the smokebox door and filling in the holes it left. I plan on a standard door center Baldwin number plate, then move the head lamp to the top of the smoke box.
Somewhere along the line I lost interest, or was distracted by something else and the work in progress got shelved. If I ever retire I will have plenty to do with all the unfinished projects I have accumulated (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)
The layout is the Christmas seasonal display at The Garden Factory in Rochester, NY. It was originally built by Peter Todd and Dave Rouse who were also responsible for the layout at Ridge Road Station in Holley.
A few years ago after the demise of RRS the Garden Factory layout was freshened and some elements of the RRS layout incorporated. It is a big draw that time of year in the Rochester area.
And now y’all sparked my (3rd) Connie Bash interest once again!
Jason
Thanks for digging this thread back up, Scott. I fixed a bunch of missing photos.
Beautiful job on that Connie Scott.
The yellow really makes it POP.
Are the graphics water slide or Vinyl?
waterslide, i used blank decal paper and a hp laser jet printer
Great job on the decals. The application must have been a bit tricky with that large a decal.
Looks SO real, Scott. Wonderful work, thanks for posting about it.
Beautiful work.
I am in a little bit of awe…
