Converting Roundhouse Box Cab to DCC?

BigDaddy · August 23, 2017, 5:07pm

Some but not all parts. If you look at my photo you will see someone (probably with the same last name and in their 30’s) lost a wheel and sideframes. They are NLA for the 1st gen. Some guy on Ebay is selling a powered truck for the price of a pair of 1st gen 44 tonners sold for last week (asleep at the switch).

richg1998 · August 23, 2017, 8:56pm

The truck wheelbase on the 70 tonner as pictured looks to be almost dead on. Hard to get accurate spotting on the tape measure but it looks like axle to axle it’s 1" or 7 1/4 scale feet, the truck frame looks to be about 1 1/4" or 9 scale feet, and truck to truck looks to be about 2.75" or about 20 scale feet. So they would be the trucks to use, with a shortened driveline. Which really shouldb’t be too hard, there are I assume drive shafts connecting the motor to the truck, they are easily shortened. Or just replaced with NWSL parts. My brass RS-2 has some NWSL universal parts in it, the drive shaft is custom cut (by you, not NWSL), the universal ball slides over the end of a square tube and you cut it off at whatever length is needed. The two motor version of the 70 Tonner is probably easier, no driveline mods (unless is stands too tall), just need to fashion a frame for the loco and mount the two trucks closer together.

I really like these little boxcabs, so when I get around to mine I will probbaly just bite the bullet and pay the price to get a Bull-Ant drive made. Not sure about fabricating my own frames and drives from brass - might give it a try.

–Randy

I just dug out the dial caliper.

Truck to truck is 19 feet.

Axle to axle on a truck is 6.6 feet.

It was a new DCC onboard. Stripped it out and installed LokSound Micro v3.5 with 25 x 35 mm oval and baffle. Removed upper weight and made my own weights. Kept both lights and mounted on styrene with decoder.

Rich