I’m looking for drawings, photos, and basic information on dynamometer cars. I’m thinking about kitbashing one…So, I wanted to compare some examples. Anything would be helpful, thanks in advanced.
Generally there isn’t a lot of differrnce externally from a passenger car. EMD has/had one for testing engines. It was blue and white like Oakway leasing engines. PIctures have appeared in Trains in ads in the early 70’s when testing SD-45’s and trackside photos. The difference is on the inside with all the equpment to measure the parameters. A couple windows cut in the side of a baggage car and labeld dynamomter should go a long way to reproducing one
The Walthers car is a good representative in HO. If you can get a good look at one, it should guide you on what you would need to do to create one of your own. I know somewhere I have a picture of an NKP 2-8-4 on a freight with a dynamometer in tow, I think in the book “The Nickel Plate Story” by John Rehor. Anyway, in the photo I’m thinking of, the dynamometer looks just like the Walthers model. Good luck.
TrainFreak409,
You might find something useful in the 22 article citations a keyword search at the Index of Magazines turned up:
http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=dynamometer&MAG=ANY
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
The article on Krauss-Maffei (German) diesel hydrualic locomotives in the Fall 2005 S.P. Trainline magazines shows several pictures of dynometer/test cars. The picture on page 12 even shows two business cars spliced between the test car and freight cars. What a sight!.. And from the photos, I’ll assume it was Southern Pacific’s practice to put the dynometer’s cupola in the forward direction.
The NKP dynamometer car (which is the prototype for the Walthers version) is in a museum in Bellevue, OH. The Milwaukee dynamometer car is at IRM, and the IC Dyno is in St Louis. I believe that the C&O dyno is in Roanoake, VA. If you’re ever around any of those museume, it might be worth popping in! (is there one at the RR Museum of PA?)