Powered Stewart Models 25 ton rail crane

[Jim Starbuck]

Beautiful job so far!

Thank you Gary!

[randgust]

Thanks Randy,
The white putty is Tamiya. That’s a liberal coat of Tamiya surface primer airbrushed on then I sanded the orange peel out with 600 grit sandpaper.

Yeah, I was going to suggest that as Tamiya seems to stick really well to cast metal, but I think you figured that out without me.

Great on the rivets and the decals as well.   I've gone to the grief of making decals for my Burro and also the Bucyrus-Erie B crane cast metal kit.   The 'American' printed boom sign that comes with the Stewart kit was actually darn close to the boom sign on the local one here that was the plant switcher.  And I built mine back in the 70's, as a matter of fact I think I can date it to April 1976 when I put it together, custom decal lettering for one-offs was only a dream then.    My article in the NMRA Bulliten was 'For a different switcher, try a crane' and I had multiple shots of the local American 25-tonner that was my inspiration.

As a car in a work train, the thing is so topheavy and lopsided that I had to make up side bearing supports for the trucks, it kept wanting to fall over on curves.

I cabrode that thing around the plant and have an interior shot of the cab from the operators viewpoint.   PM or email me if you want that shot.   Normally I'd figure it wouldn't matter, but with that open cab and the quality of the work you're doing, may as well do it 100%

[Jim Starbuck]

PM sent Randy.
This one seems stable around curves but I gutted a lot of weight out of it to make interior room. Having the rear truck mounted rigid has to help too.
I sanded off the Japanese sideframe detail and will overlay the truck sideframes from the Stewart kit when it come time to work on the chassis.
I’m interested in the cab interior color too. I was planning on painting it an industrial light grey/ green.

[randgust]

Check your mail, my 1978 photos sent.   Short story is that the local one was repainted construction orange, basically an orange dip including the entire inside of the cab.    Biggest observation on the inside of the cab shots is that the control levers off the 'dashboard' look about a foot or more tall, with a big ball on top of each one.

I 'think' I remember this one being cut up for scrap on site after the company closed the plant.

[Jim Starbuck]

Thanks Randy,
I got the article and the photos. Great stuff!

[Jim Starbuck]

There’s been a bit more progress.

I built three bucket work lights to mount on the carbody. One will be on the roof facing rearward, one on the front of the cab and one mounted high on the left side.
The lights are scale 12” diameter from styrene glued to a strip of .003 brass to make the mount. They’re lit using 0201 warm white LEDs. I was able to drill .25 mm holes through the body to route the magnet wire inside.
The 0201 LEDs fit nicely in the marker light tubes too. They’ll get red Gallery glass lenses so we’ll have working rear markers.

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I also got the carbody in paint. It’s Valejo flat yellow with some sky grey mixed in to dirty it up a bit.

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[craigolio1]

Where did you get warm white 0201 LEDs?!

Awesome project!

Craig

[Jim Starbuck]

Where did you get warm white 0201 LEDs?!

Awesome project!

Craig

Thanks Craig!
Prewired with magnet wire warm white 0201 from an EBay seller in California.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Pre-wired-SMD-0201-LED-Warm-White-Pre-soldered-Copper-Wire-LED-/255084670796?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

I’m quite pleased with them. They are decidedly fragile being so small but they work great.
I broke a wire off of two of them but soldered them both back on.

[peteski]

While eBay might show California as the seller's location, the description states "The item(s) will be shipped byAirmailfrom Hong Kong or China. The item(s) will be sent within 2 working days after payment received.".  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I might give these a try. Warm white 0201 LEDs sound like a winner.

[Lemosteam]

You might consider pooling clear red Tamiya acrylic paint into the lights, building it up with multiple layers.

[Jim Starbuck]

Good idea John.
Thank you!

[Jim Starbuck]

While eBay might show California as the seller's location, the description states "The item(s) will be shipped byAirmailfrom Hong Kong or China. The item(s) will be sent within 2 working days after payment received.".  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I might give these a try. Warm white 0201 LEDs sound like a winner.

Peteski,

I guess I didn’t see the shipping origin but I had them in my hand in Iowa 4 days from when I ordered them so I wasn’t thinking they came from overseas.
Not that it’s a huge deal but the package also includes a 1K (I think) radial resistor for each one if you choose to use that style.
I’m extremely happy with them as the magnet wire they use tins easily. Much better than the wire I use from Ngineering which is good but the other is better.

[peteski]

Peteski,

I guess I didn’t see the shipping origin but I had them in my hand in Iowa 4 days from when I ordered them so I wasn’t thinking they came from overseas.
Not that it’s a huge deal but the package also includes a 1K (I think) radial resistor for each one if you choose to use that style.
I’m extremely happy with them as the magnet wire they use tins easily. Much better than the wire I use from Ngineering which is good but the other is better.

Good to know -- just ordered 20. Thanks Jim!

[mmagliaro]

Prewired 0201's ???   Yowzers... Yep, down for 10 on the spot.
I saw samples of such a thing at a train show the last time there were train shows (which was about 2 years ago now   )

Cracks me up that a wire broke off and you soldered it back on!   Not that it's impossible, but 0402's are hard enough.
0201's... better be quick with a very clean, very pointy iron!

[Jim Starbuck]

Cracks me up that a wire broke off and you soldered it back on!   Not that it's impossible, but 0402's are hard enough.
0201's... better be quick with a very clean, very pointy iron!

Actually my soldering iron is just a 15 watt Weller from Ace hardware. The tip is the 1/8” diameter that I filed to a pyramid point.
I don’t use the pointed part of the tip but rather one of the flat sides with a quick scraping motion. If you’ve ever watched how a brick mason “butters” a brick with a trowel. That’s the best description I can give of my technique.