SP AC-9 # 3809 ; Train # I-990

[carlso]

when I started this project, I said I would finish it or die trying. Well it is finished, to a point, but I am waiting for an ESU decoder to be returned to me. Once it is back and installed I can connect the tender and permanently attach boiler shell. I feel humble at being able to post my work among such an excellent group of scratchers and bashers but I am fairly happy with the results. Hope you enjoy and thanks for looking. Thanks to several of you for input and help and parts, I really appreciate it.

BTW - any suggestions and or comments are welcome.

Carl

 My photography sucks but here is an overall view...

[bobdobbs]

Great model!!  If you ever want to sell it, I take it off your hands!!!

[superturbine]

Well, I am glad to break my long silence/ withdraw to give a big congrats to you Carl.  The engine looks Great!!

[Mike Madonna]

Carl,

NICE job... certainly has the right "look".

and to Superturbine, "welcome back"!

[John5614]

sorry that this is my first post and that it probably will sound  mean but i have to say it but to me the running gear is wrong besides the valve gear change the leading, trailing trucks and driving wheels with intermountain cab Forward parts you will be fine. Then you will have a truly great model then btw how did you do the boiler top 

[superturbine]

sorry that this is my first post and that it probably will sound  mean but i have to say it but to me the running gear is wrong besides the valve gear change the leading, trailing trucks and driving wheels with intermountain cab Forward parts you will be fine. Then you will have a truly great model then btw how did you do the boiler top

The valve gear from the IM A/C is not correct for the AC-9. The trailing truck is close enough.  It's a trade of for perfect functionality which is what this conversion is about.  The boiler is a casting I did - Tomball Locomotive Works

Best,
Jason

[Jmwilson]

that's a great looking model

[carlso]

Thanks to all, including you to John 5614, for the comments. Thanks to you Jason for the comments regarding IM A/C and it is good to hear from you.

John, if you have any pictures to show how the pony and trailing trucks are so wrong, I would sure like to see them.

Carl Sowell
El Paso, Texas

[John5614]

 have done some research on sp steam. your leading and trailing trucks are  roller bearing, southern pacific only had two roller bearing equipped steam locomotives gs5 4458 and 4459. also the driving wheels look off to me sp up and atsf had driving wheels looked similar but i could be wrong as for the pictures i could not find any that i could post sorry

[Lemosteam]

Carlso, love it!!

Well, I am glad to break my long silence/ withdraw to give a big congrats to you Carl.  The engine looks Great!!

And what Jason, was that all about?     (I've been incognito as well).

[fifer]

Carl , I think that looks great. Glad you are done and all is well.
Mike

[Norway2112]

have done some research on sp steam. your leading and trailing trucks are  roller bearing, southern pacific only had two roller bearing equipped steam locomotives gs5 4458 and 4459. also the driving wheels look off to me sp up and atsf had driving wheels looked similar but i could be wrong as for the pictures i could not find any that i could post sorry

As superturbine has already said, the primary goal of the AC-9 conversion from the Bachmann EM-1 was to create an engine that is currently only available in brass (pretty rare too) in "plastic" that runs very well and pulls good.  The brass version neither runs that well and is a very poor puller.  That being said, since we're using a mechanism for an entirely different prototype some smaller details have been sacrificed.  When super turbine and I first started dreaming up an AC-9, we looked at the Intermountain cabforward as a base and determined it was much further off than the EM-1, as the cab forwards have the wrong valve gear, the pilot/trailing trucks are wrong and on top of that the Intermounatin engines run very slow and are only moderately good pullers.  The EM1 is very close on wheelbase, has a different but still similar trailing truck as the AC-9 and has the correct crosshead and very similar valve gear.  As for the roller bearing journals on the trailing truck, I had originally suggested using a Kato GS-4 trailing truck, but it is too long and would interfere with the cab ladders.

Overlooking the very minor items such as bearing journals, I think the EM-1 makes a great base for the AC-9 and I commend Carl for his rendition.  To my knowledge that makes Carl the only person other than superturbine (who made the shell) to successfully complete an AC-9 conversion. Great work Carl!  Until then I challenge anyone who thinks they can do better to show us!

[superturbine]

Oooh, well said my S.P. steam friend.

Carl welcome to a very small club of N scale steam builders.

[Teditor]

Carl,

Congratulations on the AC-9, I still have to get mine done, so you certainly got in ahead of me, I hope to join the circle, but I am incredibly slow.

Ted (Teditor) Freeman
Modelling the SP Down Under.

[spookshow]

Well, I am glad to break my long silence/ withdraw to give a big congrats to you Carl.  The engine looks Great!!

Welcome back, dude. Hiatus?? 

Cheers,
-Mark