Model Railroading > Santa Fe U30CG project (HO)

This is a project that I have been working on for some time.  The U30CG was produced in brass by Hallmark and much later by Overland.  Santa Fe had six of these originally for passenger service and then they moved to freight service.  These lasted until about 1980.  They carried all three paint schemes and Red/Silver, Blue pinstripe (2 of them) and Yellow warbonnet.  
Back to the Hallmark engine, the bodies on these are not bad but the drive is terrible.  I have decided to put Atlas U30C chassis into the shell.  Now the issue is that the fuel/water tank is too short on the Hallmark to reuse.  My employee at the store can do CAD and has a 3D printer.  I gave him the dimensions for the fuel/water tank and the measurements of the Atlas chassis.  He did a rapid prototype of the fuel/water tank and it is one piece and fits onto the chassis very well.  The project is coming along.  Going to refine the fit and then have Shapeways run the part.

1. Part of my U30CG collection (have over 10) 
2. Hallmark drive compared to Atlas drive
3. Atlas drive in Hallmark shell
 

Jeff Smith
Lakewood, CA
RailMaster Hobbies

---

---

---

4. Rapid prototype of the fuel/water tank
5. Test fit to the chassis and shell

Jeff Smith
Lakewood, CA
RailMaster Hobbies

---

---

Thanks for your efforts to improve the much-maligned U30CG.  I have two lof them and agree the drive is awful.  I went the Atlas route on one of them and the tradeoff of the incorrect fuel/air tanks versus the awful drive was easy to accept.  The other model rides on an Overland chassis and again, the running quality far offsets the tanks.  Keep us informed of your progress with more pictures.  Thanks!

How did you determine the height of the walkway above the rail? Did you just measure that with the old chassis before you started?

Once you figured that dimension out how did you modify the Atlas frame to make it work?

I have a pair of OMI F45s which came without drives and I would like to power them with KATO SD45 chassis.

I own a couple of Genesis F45 models I can take dimensions from to start but no way to measure the original chassis height.

Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/19 11:02 by fbe.

I never measured the height of the walkway, maybe I should.  Seems to sit at the right height.
In the modifications.  Picture 2 has the unmodified Atlas drive and picture 3 shows the modified drive in place.  I just cut off the ends of the chassis.

Jeff Smith
Lakewood, CA
RailMaster Hobbies

OK, sometimes it just all works out. If the couplers attached to the body still match the KD coupler height gauge the assembly must be right enough.

The pinstripe scheme makes any unit look good, EVEN A U30CG!
JB

So the Santa Fe had six U30CGs and you have over ten models of that unit?  Sounds like a cry for professional help to me.   ;-)

Is that model of the Pasadena depot scratch built or is it a kit available commercially? 

I had the Pasadena station custom built.  I have the original plans and had the builder use those.  It came out so great.

Jeff Smith
Lakewood, CA
RailMaster Hobbies

"JUNK UM" Santa Fe did !

Really interesting project! Love that Pasadena Station in the background.

Javier Cervantes
Castle Rock , CO