BB A1A C LINER

[dougnelson]

The Atlas/Rivarossi C-Liner shell is not a bad starting point. We just need a mechanical genius to figure out a modern chassis.  For my LIRR A1A C-Liners, I modified the windshield shape and attached the pilot to the body.

[peteski]

The Atlas/Rivarossi C-Liner shell is not a bad starting point. We just need a mechanical genius to figure out a modern chassis.  For my LIRR A1A C-Liners, I modified the windshield shape and attached the pilot to the body.

Couldn't you use Atlas/Kato (or even Atlas China) RS-11 or RS-3  chassis and replace the rear truck with RSD 3-axle truck of the same vintage?

[nkalanaga]

If the FM wheelbase is the same, it should work.  I know the early Atlas/Kato RS and RSD locos used the same chassis, so the trucks are certainly interchangeable.

[nickelplate759]

Couldn't you use Atlas/Kato (or even Atlas China) RS-11 or RS-3  chassis and replace the rear truck with RSD 3-axle truck of the same vintage?

If memory serves me right (cue original Iron Chef music), the original RS-* had a different gear ratio from the RSD-*.   I have both around here somewhere, so I should probably check.

[edit]
I looked at this, and the obvious problem struck me immediately - the C-Liner has an A-1-A rear truck with symmetrical axle spacing.  The RSD-* has a C truck with asymetrical axle spacing, and a shorter overall wheelbase.  So even if it works mechanically (I didn't check) it wouldn't look right.

[brokemoto]

Are you still referring to the B-A1A units, or instead the B-B version?

I refer to five axle B units.  Only the Canada roads had the five axle B units.  The three US roads that ran the five axles had A units, only.

[Point353]

I refer to five axle B units.  Only the Canada roads had the five axle B units.

In that case you might want to review the roster info you posted earlier.

[MEP]

I refer to five axle B units.  Only the Canada roads had the five axle B units.  The three US roads that ran the five axles had A units, only.

Only Canadian National had the B-A1A As and Bs in Canada to the best of my knowledge. Canadian Pacific only ever rostered the B-B As and Bs.

[cjm413]

For whatever it is worth, the wheelbase of the front powered truck on the Atlas/Rivarossi C-Liner appears to be closer to the 7'4" of a Tomytec TM-01/02/03/04 chassis (albeit with undersized 35" wheels) than the 9'4" of the prototype

http://www.trainweb.org/tomix/chassis_dim.htm

[OldEastRR]

The PA trucks do not match the C-Liner trucks. Any conversions people do will tend to be "let's see if this works" jobs not easily duplicated. The problem with just switching a two axle truck with a three axle truck is the 3 axle gear tower is taller than the 2 to give room for the extra set of transmission gears for the third axle.
For my powered unit I took an Atlas/Kato SD-7, cut off one axle on one truck, ground and shaped that chassis end to fit the nose curve of the C-Liner shell, cut the pilot off the C-L swivel truck and glued it to the shell, and added a spacer to the rear wall to get the shell centered right.
I removed the outer frame of the SD9 3-axle truck, carefully cut the C-Liner frame off its truck and attached it to the SD truck. The SD axles line up almost exactly with the FM axle bearings.
The front truck is a messy "grind the off original frames and glue on the cut-off 2-axle FM frames" job but the engine runs very well. This also gives me all-wheel drive and pick-up. I also modified and detailed the original RR shell (which was based on the NYC version) to be the NH version (mostly different roof details).
Still need to add glass, flush windshield (how did you do it, doug?), headlight and lighted numberboards.
Then I had a friend put a decoder and light in it and it pulls my NH passenger trains with a dummy C-liner both painted in that (PITA-job-to-do) striping of the NH pre McGinnis.

[dougnelson]

Still need to add glass, flush windshield (how did you do it, doug?), headlight and lighted numberboards.

I did some eye surgery on my C-Liners that was not very difficult, but made a big difference.  The Altas/RR windshield opening is actually all wrong with no bottom lip, so I glued a thin styrene sheet onto the windshield area and sanded it flush.  I then drilled 4 holes at each corner of the proper windshield profile and then enlarged the opening to the correct size and shape with a sharp #11 blade, and final smoothing with a file.  After painting, including the aluminum edging, I used Microscale Kristal Klear for the actual windshield.

I am not sure what it is about C-Liners, but the Life-Like C-Liner also has windshield shape issues.  That was an easier fix in that the openings only needed some enlarging and reshaping.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The compound curves and angles must make modeling the nose and windshield area impossible from engineering drawings.

What was the point of a B-A1A truck arrangement anyway? It couldn't be axle loading because the B truck would still overload that side of the engine if that were an issue. Unless the weight was really lopsided.

[C855B]

... Unless the weight was really lopsided.

According to https://www.american-rails.com/c-liners.html , that was the issue. The boiler and location of the water tank for it could easily have messed with the loading.

[dougnelson]

Yes, A1A truck was added to accommodate the additional weight of a steam generator.

FM's Consolidation Line or C-Liners was  a totally modular locomotive line that could be configured for many uses - passenger and freight.  It was a great concept, but the ultimate issue was the opposed-piston engine that was a maintenance nightmare.  That and the strong competition from EMD.

[TrainboySD40]

The Atlas/Rivarossi C-Liner shell is not a bad starting point. We just need a mechanical genius to figure out a modern chassis.  For my LIRR A1A C-Liners, I modified the windshield shape and attached the pilot to the body.

That looks quite decent, a job well done. I just wanted to offer some advice on the photoshop job - you have exhaust coming from the radiator fans, when it should only be coming out of the twin stacks ahead of them. Good work!

[Doug G.]

That's the special "Alco Edition" C-Liner with extra smoke in the interior, exhausted by the radiator fans for that authentic Alco look.



Doug