I’ve started my first winter project…a critter in 7/8 scale. The base is almost done to the point I can start the body. Power is from an Aristo FA motor block. I have not decided if it will be battery or track power. I’m having difficulties spending $300 to make a $50 locomotive go. 
Hey, HJ! I showed you mine. I wanna see yours!! 
Neat!
I should get myself a set of those wide clamps one of these days.
The clothes pins are neat, too!
You use what works…
Ray, the clamps are from Harbor Freight. I think I paid $1.99 each for them. They have some other small clamps that would work like my clothes pins for dirt cheap too. I have some but I think they must all be out in the garage. I used them out there on the Box Cab this summer and they don’t seem to have migrated back to the house yet.
Warren
My experience has been that clothes pins have enough pressure in the smaller scales but not quite enough in LS.
In many instances I would agree with you. In this case it just needed light pressure on the ends to make sure they were making contact. The middle was already secured with screws. Besides if the pressure were too tight it might prevent capillary action from letting the bonding agent flow between the two pieces of plastic.
<< I’m having difficulties spending $300 to make a $50 locomotive go.>>
It ain’t a fifty buck loco----it’s priceless!!
TOG
Worth that little…Eh!
Got more done on the lil bugger today. Pilots are glued on and motor block installed. I also added a pair of air tanks.
I started on the hood. I’m using the hood from a Bachmann 45t and split it down the middle and widened it an inch. I’ll take a second one and lengthen this one. I’m also going to sand off all the side detail and add my own doors. Current ones are far too small.
And onward we go…
Neat!!!
Hey Warren why’d ya cut up the 45 tonner? I thought it was 7/8th to start with?
The 45 tonner is 1:20.3. But it represents a standard gauge locomotive regauged to 3’. 7/8ths is 1:13.7.
Warren Warren Warren, tsk tsk tsk…now I know that you know that I know that and knew that when I knowlingly posted my crass attempt at wry humor above this here post.
Now…I will assume that this lack of humorous recognition is do to the undo influence from too much work on your models resulting in an overall negative effect on your humor genes, so I’m going to give some sag advice and I highly suggest you follow it…
Now, listen to the 3 wise men and please follow their advice…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepFO4psgKE&feature=relateddo
It’s the fumes, man, it’s the fumes!
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
It’s the fumes, man, it’s the fumes!
The only fumes I have to worry about are:
The doc took the bottle away from me. Said my meds got me stoned enough!
Ok, let’s get this thing back on track… Hood’s coming along. It’s been widened and lengthened. Detail has been sanded off…cracks filled and sanded. A new exhaust constructed and the front grill done. The first pic is of the hood and chassis and the 2nd is with a USAT 44t for size comparison. This locomotive will be one BIG locomotive for such a small prototype.
My critter and it’s train are moving right along. I’ve started construction on a molasses car…a reworked Bachmann tank…and have the brake van started. I’m currently awaiting stuff from Microfastener and Plastruct. We had enough of a warm spell the other day that I could run outside, squirt my hood with some primer and duck back in before everything got cold. So now I have it all one color and can see all the minor defects that need to be taken care of with some Squadron Green and/or fine sand paper. I need to get busy on the cab.
Looking good Warren. I’ve got a 45 tonner awaiting surgery for my own 7/8n2 projects. How did you make the louvers on the new doors?
-Brian
The louvers are quarter round styrene cut to length, the ends rounded and glued on the door. As this represents an older locomotive I’ve used .125 bits. On a more modern locomotive, .060 quarter round works fine. The below locomotive, built by a gentleman in another group is also a 7/8ths cane loco…but quite a bit larger than mine. He used the .060 bits on the louvers by the cab. Got clearance problems now…this little locomotive is about 11" tall, 7" wide and 30" long.
