Model Railroading > potential minivacs for an HO track cleaning car?

I don't want to hjack Chris Campi's very illuminating thread regarding the Atlas track cleaning car. Given that the car is hard to find, I shall continue on with my own project using an Athearn DD40 (up421's club beat me to the punch on this one) equipped with a beefy old Holland tape drive motor and cast resin nuclear powered engine shells inspired by a 1950's AAR magazine ad. You'll find them by searching eBay for "HO Atomic Train", BTW.

What hung up the project was figuring what minivac from Amazon is narrow enough to use for the trailing vacuum car. Ideas, guidance anyone?

EO
Wx4.org



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/26 07:54 by EO.

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Where's the Athearn DD40? Looks like two F unit drives.

Hey EO, that thing may be better suited as a leaf blower! The rare ALCO LB A1 and B1 :-) Pretty cool set.

The image is from an eBay listing. The maker offers them as both F7A/B and Alco PA/B.

I plan to kludge the F7 version together to plop on the DD40. I actually have two old DD40's that I originally contemplated mating together to power a super-dooper cleaning train, but ultimately decided that this was way too overkill. I'm hoping to plop the vacuum cleaner onto a lengthy trailing car consiating of another atomic B shell grafted to an old Model Power railway cannon with a modified barrel. I still may use the second DD40's frame and de-powered trucks for this. Since I've never heard of a prototype track vacuum, I figure why not have fun with it? Unfortunately, I am 300 miles away from the project at the moment.

Actually, Chri's idea of using it for a leaf blower might work if...

Again, useable minivacs, anyone?

EO
Wx4.org
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/26 16:53 by EO.