Large Scale Central

My Great Trains F-40 Project and Superliner Cars

Modeling
#1

A short while ago I picked this Great Trains F-40 body shell up on EvilBay:

With the intent to build it up so I have something to pull my Great Trains Observation car around. Now thanks to a fellow MLS forum member XL Special, Larry Trumbull, who as Marlon Brandow said, “Made me an offer I can’t refuse”, I now have a very large reason to proceed with this project now, actually 3 very large reasons…

I am now the very proud owner of 3 vintage Amtrak Superliners that Larry offered me. These are big cars, about 24" long, nicely detailed to me, and very impressive looking, did I mention these are large? I did some preliminalry testing on the layout and yes! they should be fine going around it, they juuuust make it through the new tunnel portals in the background. I’m just glad I aquired these BEFORE I had set in the scenery, Now I can builld the layout around the clearance these cars will require. I just now need to build an engine strong enough to pull it around the grades, or if worse comes to worse, maybe a USA A-B F-3 set???

Did I mention these are large cars? Theirs some work to do to them, which Larry pointed out before I got them. The biggest being I need to add couplers back onto the trucks, one car has some glazing missing, and theres some ACC hazing but overall these look great as is. and if I decide to get nutty, the top comes off and they look like they were intended to have interiors installed. Now theres a summer project! Did I mention these are large cars? To this day I am still amazed no one has aquired the molds and reissued any of these models. What a waste of tooling. With all the brewhaha over modern passenger cars and engines that happened with LGBs Amtrak cars theres obviously a demand for the modern out there, but is anyone listening? Big Thanks Again Larry, I dig them! Did I mention these are large cars?

#2

NICE! Ive always wanted to build a GP40FH2 myself… I had no idea that there was a body shell I could work from. Know of any others for sale?

#3

Hey, Vic! Those cars look pretty big! :wink:

I suppose the reason the tooling for the Great Trains stuff was never picked up was that they weren’t the best sellers when they were available. No demand=no value. That does lead one to wonder if the tooling still exists, though. I’m not sure about the Superliner cars, since they’re noticeably shortened, and might tend to look a bit off-kilter next to USA, Aristo, or even LGB’s new Amtubes, but the loco could have a reasonable degree of success if you could get something like a USA GP-7 frame to fit under it or even just the trucks. (not that I’ll admit to having any knowledge of diesels to know that the trucks are the same.)

Later,

K

#4

Hi guys

Bob, the seller indicated this was the last one he had, infering he had sold others previously, but these engines turn up complete on Ebay from time to time, and occasionally at train shows and sell for reasonable prices. They are not that rare luckily.

Kevin, these are 1/32, not 1/29 so yeah they would look a little odd in comparison with Aristo or USA cars, but MTH stuff should be OK next to them. Once again the whole 1/29-1/32 issue. These are big cars in 1/32 even foreshortened as they are, I can only imaging how big they would be in 1/29, but then again next to a 1/29 Big Boy or Bmanns 1/20 K-28? Size is relative I guess…

#5

Cool, I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Maybe one’ll show up somewhere at York, or the Big E train show in a couple weeks.

#6

Wow, 1/32 scale and shortened, and yet they’re still so big! Congrats on your acquisition.

#7

Some guy in Utah was selling them for awhile, after the one in Illinois gave it up. Old issues of GR have ads for it. Silver something was the name of it, as I recall. Was a phone # on the ad, i tried it awhile back, got an answering machine, but my message was never returned.

Jerry

#8

I like this link -

http://www.trainweb.org/fredatsf/protopass6.htm

#9

Started cutting the base ply for the frame, marked off all the locations for drivebricks (need to order the second brick), added weight, etc. Going to start adding basswood strips on the inside of the shell to give the ply something to screw into. Need to think about adding a cab interior, I’ll check John Warners FP45 log for that detail. Also need to decide how I’m going to add glazing on the inside. I’m going to make this engine heavy, as it needs the adhesion to pull those cars, the bricks themselves are like 2lbs each, add a big lump of lead wieght I have, and I should be able to get it up to 8 lbs. I’ll test it in action to make sure its strong enough before I finish it. Headlights? Hmmm…

#10

Progress pics, 'bout time huh?

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis01.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis03.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis02.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis04.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis05.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis06.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis07.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis08.JPG)

Body still sits a little too high,need to trim the mounting posts on the brick a little. I need to fab up the ladders and steps, not looking forward to that. Its going to be a PITA doing those. There are a few things that wont be quite prototype, but what the hey, since when have I ever counted rivets.

#11

Ok the undercarraige is getting really close. Ladders built, fuel tank 75%, remainder undercarrage stuff also getting close. First drive brick installed, trimming mounting posts on top lowered body just about right. Awaiting second drive brick, ordered it last week, it only shipped today :frowning: , should have it by Friday :slight_smile: . Still need to mount the couplers, and begin building the cab interior. Once I get the beast up and running, I can begin to consider new sideframes.

#12

Love your classification system: large parts, small parts, parts!

#13

Vic,
who are you ordering your drives from please? It seems that direct from Aristo might be the solution at full retail prices.

#14

Dave
You should hear me get all “technincal” with words like “Thingie”, “Whatsthat”, and “Not Thatun, Thisun”. If a die hard rivet counter type ever saw me at work or measuring something they’d have an annurism. Hmm, eyeball once, eyeball again, pencil mark, looks good, cut it, glue it. I view model plans as mostly “guidelines” and feel free to make changes as I see fit or parts allow, or to use parts that are “close enough”…90% of the time I have no plans whatsoever, and work completely by eye, or a small sketch at best, I work with plans and precision on a daily basis, and have no place for it in my hobby. Oh well, works for me :smiley:

#15
Tim Brien said:
Vic, who are you ordering your drives from please? It seems that direct from Aristo might be the solution at full retail prices.
Tim I've been getting them from Wholesaletrains.com for a while now. Best prices I've found. Dont know if they do overseas shipping, I would imagine so, but dont quote me on it.
#16
Victor Smith said:
Tim Brien said:
Vic, who are you ordering your drives from please? It seems that direct from Aristo might be the solution at full retail prices.
Tim I've been getting them from Wholesaletrains.com for a while now. Best prices I've found. Dont know if they do overseas shipping, I would imagine so, but dont quote me on it.
Yep, Wholesale Trains ships to Australia. In the past they've insisted on using UPS, but they may be offering DHL now. DHL is just as good, and a darned sight cheaper.

My labels are so old the glue’s dried and half have fallen off!

#17

Getting closer Chassis done, for the most part.

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis09.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis10.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis11.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis12.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis13.JPG)

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/F40chassis14.JPG)

Body height looks about right. Chassis still could use some detailing, still need to add couplers, ladders, and cab interior, plow looks a bit more agressive than standard.

#18

Startin to look like somethin now. Good work…!!

#19

Vic,
Years ago a purchased a batch of cast snowplows on Ebay. One or two of which look like the one you have and the rest are strictly diesel with MU and Brake hoses sticking thru.
I really like what you’ve done but I’m not loving the choice of plow. I think even a scratch built one would be better.

Chas

#20

Maybe Chas, maybe

I really dont want to scratch a plow, but one big negative is that the coupler pocket ends up being too high, the original GT version didnt even have a front coupler but this one is really going to need one to work well on my layout, the more I look at it, I realize its not a dismal plow but a steam plow. I might give it a whirl just to see what I can come up with.