Standard Cab Dash 9?

[High Hood]

Hey guys, I'd really like to bash a standard cab Dash 9 sometime and I was wondering if anyone else has done one.  I'd imagine I'd take a Kato Dash 9 and replace the cab and sub base with an Atlas B40 cab and Dash 8 base.  I'm not sure what other mods would be necessary though.  I'd appreciate any help to guide me before I actually decide on taking this project up.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I don't know exactly where the extra height is, but I feel like the Dash 9 cabs are taller than the Dash 8 ones. Or maybe it's just those AC units that trick the eye.

[JanesCustomTrain]

There is room for the cab but the drive is too wide for the B or C40-8 nose, the drive would have to be milled narrower. Same with the sill part, the opening for the drive would have to be filed wider. Good luck, would be interesting to see the finished model.

Jane

[cnw mike]

Learn something new every day. I didn't even know there were standard cab Dash 9s.

[ljudice]

Ed is right, and I think the extra height is right under the cab.

The late Paul Gnash, who used to do the custom painting for The Model RR Shop in NJ built one and it was on display for a long time at the shop, it might even still be there.


- Lou

[RSWController]

I've done one. It was a few years ago but I don't remember it being particularly difficult and I don't remember milling anything but I could be wrong. I used an ATL B40-8 cab. I'll try and post pictures later this evening.

[jmlaboda]

Could the chassis from, say, a C40-8 be usable for such a conversion?

Michael Eby has a couple of drawings available for viewing on line...

http://trainiax.net/drawings/55-paint/ns/55-ns-8795-ge-dash9-40c.GIF
http://trainiax.net/drawings/36-ge/d9/36-ge-dash9-40c.GIF

[Catt]

"Could the chassis from, say, a C40-8 be usable for such a conversion?"

The Dash-9s are longer than the Dash-8s.If I were doing the conversion I would use the Dash-8 cab and enough of the Dash-8 sill to complete the conversion. Lining up the shells side by side will show you where to make the cuts.From what I can tell by looking at the shells in front of me either the B or C ATLAS parts will work and I am guessing the 40-B parts may be easier to get.Either way you will have to fuss with the handrails.

Parts source -> http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-DASH-8-40B-MAIN-BODY-SHELL-PARTS-ATLAS-N-Scale-/371091040441?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item5666bfe8b9

[JanesCustomTrain]

Ed is right, and I think the extra height is right under the cab.

The extra height of the Kato drive starts after the cab. The front part of the Kato drive is lower to give room for the cab interior and the light pipe for the nose and ditch lights.

Jane

[OHCR 4218]

I have been thinking of doing this for a while too, one of the vendors in Bedford had one a few years ago made from an atlas cab, whoever did it neglected to change the battery boxes so it still had the widecabs battery box setup.

[High Hood]

I found this video of how to build one in HO, I'd presume it would be similar in N Scale. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwKWyxfni0U

If I went that route I'm not sure if the battery boxes would be totally correct so I need to check that out.  Also, I' would have to remove the Dash 9's sand fill and mount porch mounted ditch lights.

[Catt]

"If I went that route I'm not sure if the battery boxes would be totally correct so I need to check that out.  Also, I' would have to remove the Dash 9's sand fill and mount porch mounted ditch lights."

The battery boxes will definitely be wrong,but all the HO conversions I've seen so far use the Dash 8 parts.For the ditch lights since this is a "cut and paste" conversion just adapt the Dash 9 front porch to the Dash 8 parts.

If your on Facebook check out this page there are several Spartan cab conversions there and these guys are quite helpful. https://www.facebook.com/groups/451335794905646/?fref=ts

[nsbob]

You probably already know from the above picture that if you use the Kato shell, you will need the five step version.  Kato has those shells on sale for $5.00 each.  The part number for the five step version is 921310.

[High Hood]

The battery boxes will definitely be wrong,but all the HO conversions I've seen so far use the Dash 8 parts.For the ditch lights since this is a "cut and paste" conversion just adapt the Dash 9 front porch to the Dash 8 parts.

Yep looks like the battery boxes will have to be off.  The B40 cab and Dash 8 battery boxes seem to be the closest.  I'm wondering how could the Dash 9's front porch be adapted and still be able to have operable ditch lights?

Now what would really be interesting is the NS Dash 8.5 rebuilds.  One features a NS Crescent (SD60E) cab, one has a slightly modded version of one, and the other has a NS style GEVO cab.

[bnsfdash8]

I built one about 2 years ago using parts the battery boxes, nose, and cab from an Atlas B40-8 and a Kato C44-9W.