Bob – LOL!
I got the parts out of the rubber but could not salvage the mold. The shapes were just too irregular. I’m currently in the midst of a second attempt at molding the parts.
ya know you can grate up old mold rubber nd use it mixed with fresh stuff as filler for new molds…recycled as it were so its not totally lost forever…
Yeah, I’ve done that before and will do it again with this one, but thanks for the tip!
And I save the resin drips and extra bits to use as filler for big castings.
Finally have another update on this project… First, here’s how I made the mold for the brake shoe assemblies:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1543c/IMG_1543c.jpg)
I was concerned about the sand lines, which seem to be in a position where they are likely to get banged up a bit in use. So I inserted brass rods into the mold prior to casting:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1548/IMG_1548.jpg)
Here’s a shot of the masters (top) and the castings (bottom). As you can see the castings are slightly thicker and rougher, but should be acceptable:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1551c/IMG_1551c.jpg)
I made the brake rods from brass:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1564c/IMG_1564c.jpg)
I used short sections of rectangular brass tube to make the clevis on the brake rods. First I grind off one side of the tube, then cut off the short sections using a Dremel and cutoff wheel:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1565c/IMG_1565c.jpg)
I also made castings for the brake lever and the sideframe extension that goes above it. Here’s how the sideframes look with the brake cylinder, brake rod, lever and extension in place:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1574/IMG_1574.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1575/IMG_1575.jpg)
That’s all for now, more later. .
looking good Ray
I’ve finished the trucks on the RS-3. First, here’s a “before” photo showing one of the stock trucks for comparison:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1435c/IMG_1435c.jpg)
And now here is the finished truck:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1624c/IMG_1624c.jpg)
And a couple detail close ups:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1607/IMG_1607.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1608/IMG_1608.jpg)
This truck has the cast brake shoe assemblies:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1620/IMG_1620.jpg)
Prior to painting, I masked off the openings to the motor and gears. Then I used a q-tip to smear vaseline onto the tread and flange of the wheels. I applied a coat of gray primer, then a coat of Rustoleum gloss black. To weather it, I began by mixing some Model Master “Gun Metal” and “Steel” paint together, and dry-brushed it onto the areas that seemed likely to become scraped or scratched. All the rest of the weathering was done using Apple Barrel flat craft acrylics. Next I added some rusty colors. Some of this rusty color was applied directly over the “metallic” colors, then rubbed partly off. When this had dried, I went over the whole thing with a wash of dusty gray-tan mix. When that dried, I added a mix of “apricot” yellow and black to a few areas, to represent grease. The final coat was a very thin wash of blue-black over the whole thing. Once the final wash was dry, rubbed my fingers over various parts of the trucks, removing some of the thin layers of acrylic and letting some of the black undercoat show through. Then I sprayed a light dusting of Krylon UV matte finish over the whole thing. The weathering is a bit understated, meant to look well-used but not overly grimy. It looks a little better in person than in the photos. I’m not sure if it’s enough though, but I can always add more weathering to it later if necessary. . .
That looks great. Nice work on the shoes and brass rods.
Fantastic Ray. I think the weathering is just right for an in-service but well maintained machine.
This is one of those projects where one thing leads to another… Having made the deck wider, I decided that the fuel tank needed to be wider as well, so I built a completely new fuel tank. This actually works out well though because I now have room to fit the speaker in the tank, eliminating the risk of moisture damage posed by the factory speaker location. And of course I also got to detail it out nicely too. Here’s the original fuel tank:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1630/IMG_1630.jpg)
And here’s the new one:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1663/IMG_1663.jpg)
The areas that have been patched with putty look pretty ugly now but it’ll look much nicer when it’s painted:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1662/IMG_1662.jpg)
In this photo you can see where I’ll be mounting the speaker. I still need to drill a bunch of little holes to form a speaker grill:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1651/IMG_1651.jpg)
The original air tanks weren’t worth reusing, so I’m replacing them too. The new tanks will be wider and more detailed. Here a shot of the new tank next to the old one:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1660/IMG_1660.jpg)
A closer view of the new tank (I still need to build the second air tank for the other side):
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1653/IMG_1653.jpg)
Here’s how the fuel and air tank will fit together. I still have to add the plumbing, too:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1667/IMG_1667.jpg)
I already had some domes, but I didn’t have any styrene tubes in the correct size for the air tanks. So rather than order them online and have to wait to have them delivered, I found a pair of plastic knitting needles at Michael’s that were exactly the right size! .
Ray Dunakin said:Aren't those the best kind!
This is one of those projects where one thing leads to another...
Yep! It’s taking a lot longer than I’d planned but it sure is fun.
Ray Dunakin said:I understand! ;)
Yep! It's taking a lot longer than I'd planned but it sure is fun.
It’s really taking shape Ray! It’s gonna be a nice addition to your fleet.
P.S. I didn’t think roosters had the ability to think let alone understand. 
Time for another update… I ran into a little snag with those new air tanks. Although they’re the same length as the originals, they’re wider and are designed to mount more realistically. The originals are flat on one side and mount up under the edge of the frame:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1698/IMG_1698.jpg)
Mine are intended to mount on the frame, like the real ones do. Trouble is, they foul the sand lines on the front truck:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1701/IMG_1701.jpg)
So I had to order new, elliptical domes to replace the hemispheric domes. This reduces the total length of each tank by at least a quarter inch, more than enough to clear the sand lines. It also makes the tanks more accurate, as most of the RS-3’s I’ve seen have tanks with elliptical ends:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1745/IMG_1745.jpg)
While I was waiting for those new domes to arrive, I started work on the front pilot. I had hoped to be able to use most of the stock parts, but decided that too many changes were needed, so it was simpler to scratch-build. I did retain the rear portion of the pilot, since this has the tabs and such needed to mount it to the frame. I began by cutting off the poling pockets. Then I glued on styrene extensions to widen the pilot. I also used a Dremel with a small carving bit to lengthen the slots that support the steps:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1704/IMG_1704.jpg)
Then I decided to mount the steps differently, so I filled in the slots. This would have been easier to do if I had not already added some bolt details. I also sanded the poling pockets smaller and glued them back on, in their new positions:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1718/IMG_1718.jpg)
I couldn’t find anything better suited to represent the steel grill used on the steps, so I reused the original steps from the model. However, I sanded them to about half their original thickness:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1725/IMG_1725.jpg)
I built up a completely new front section of the pilot. This was glued to the rear section, rather than being attached with screws as the original parts were. I changed the position of the steps, to fit the now-wider pilot:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1742/IMG_1742.jpg)
Here’s how it looks on the frame:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1740/IMG_1740.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1736/IMG_1736.jpg)
I had to take some liberties with it, particularly at the coupler pocket, but I think I captured the essence of the prototype pretty well. I still have to add some more details, such as the air hose, MU cables, grab irons, lift bar, etc. .
Ray, wonderful work…
When you’re done will you build one for me??? Oh wait, I probably can’t afford your rates 
This is going to be an awesome model of one of my favorite diesels.
Ray Dunakin said:Q: What's the prototype? A: This [i]is[/i] the prototype. ;)
...but I think I captured the essence of the prototype pretty well.
Progress has been a little slow this week, but it’s getting there. Here’s the latest update… I decided to mount the air tanks to the fuel/water tank assembly, rather than mounting them directly to the chassis. I used some small screws from an old camera:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1753/IMG_1753.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1758/IMG_1758.jpg)
Both the front and rear pilots are basically finished. The brake hoses are from Phil’s Narrow Gauge – I modified them slightly for this application. I still need to make some MU cables. The handrails and associated stuff will be added later:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1811c/IMG_1811c.jpg)
I put the whole thing together temporarily just to see how it looks:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1799c/IMG_1799c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1802c/IMG_1802c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_RS3_Conversion_files/Media/IMG_1805c/IMG_1805c.jpg)
That’s it for now. Currently I’m working on the cab interior… more updates to come. .
Ray Dunakin said:Will "stay tuned for further developments".
more updates to come.