Have any of the manufactures ever produced a road slug (locomotive without the cab)? I model UP.
I beleive a road slug is a locomotive with no diesel engine, it may or may not have a cab. They draw current from other locos. They add traction, thus pulling power, but not horsepower to a consist.
http://locomotive.wikia.com/wiki/Slug#Road_Slugs
Note the lack of radiator venting on lead unit below. Dan
Gidday, Yes…
I think I’d being doing a kitbash though. [:D]
Cheers, the Bear.
Bear,The model you linked to is not a slug…Its a fully powered Geep B unit…
EMD made several of these units for PRR and UP maybe others.
Larry,
You have to give The Bear,some credit,after all it does state,that it is a ‘‘slug’’…hehe.
Cheers,
Frank
The only road slug the UP had was an ex-MKT unit used between a pair of GP40’s. They also have RCL slugs that are a B23-7 hulk that contains RC equipment, but they do not contribute tractive effort, they just allow any unit to be used as and RC unit.
The UP did have a lot of ex-MP SD40-2’s that converted to “B” units, but they had engines in them and weren’t slugs.
Well,Bear’s a good guy so,let’s give him a big E for effort.
Slugs are home built by the railroads who run them, and if you want one, you will have to home build it too.
There is a difference between a “slug” and a “B-unit”. A B-unit is a cabless engine, complete with a prime mover and other equipment, but without a control cab.
A Slug on the other hand is much lower and it has no engine. It gets its electric power from another locomotive in the consist. A slug, therefore ads zero horsepower to the locomotive consist. What it does do is add tractive effort to the horsepower that the locomotive is putting out. It is not all that useful on the road where higher speeds are required, but is frequently found in yards where more tractive effort is required to start and stop trains, but the top end of a locomotives HP rating is never approached.
ROAR
Larry I believe that the model that Bear is referring too is a slug. Note the absence of cooling fans and the vents on the side of the hood. I may be wrong and it wouldn’t be the first time!
Jim
Does the good Lion know that CSX has road slugs that retain the looks of GP30 and GP35s except for missing the prime mover, fans and doors? The cab still has its controls and can control the “mother” unit.
If I remember correctly there was an article on how to make your own slug in the May 2012 issue of Model Railroader. I also believe there was another “how to” way back in the early 90’s or late 80’s…sorry about not being specific with a date…my memory is like money, it comes a goes pretty fast [(-D]. I think Athearn made some “dummy” slugs or calfs back in their old boxed kit days marked in a few different railroad liveries. eBay might yield some results for those. Good luck with your project.
Happy Modeling!
Don.
No,Jim,You and Bear correct…Its a slug…
Says so right on the box.
That’s what I get fer looking at photos when I haven’t had my morning cup of java.
No. LION does not know. If LION know everything him would be zookeeper, and if him be zookeeper he would turn all of the big felids loose.
LION did say “Railroads make own slugs” ergo slugs could look like anything the railroad wants them to look like. Cabbages and Kings! Oh My!
LION says slug NOT increase HP of consist. You find a place where you need more traction and do not need all of the horsepower that you have, there you look to find a slug, as snug as a slug in a rug.
ROAR
IN the early 1980s, B&M built a road slug from an old GP9 that was headed to the scrap yard. Slug 100 was usually seen between GP-40-2 B&M 300 and 301
I modeled the slug using a dummy Athearn blue box GP9. I removed the cab and dynamic brakes and filled the area with styrene. I sanded the sides to remove all details and covered that with thin styrene and body putty. I lowered it by 3 or 4 feet and added number board and headlight detail parts with MV Products lights. If you can find an Athearn dummy in their RTR line, it would be a similar starting point or look for one on the used tables at train shows.
I stand corrected, that UP ex GP9 must have been a real early one because it was gone by the early 1980’s.
The UP had one road slug off the MKT (S300) and 11 ex SP slugs (S301-S303, S310-S320) in 2000.
By 2012 all had been renumbered into the 927-940 series and were down to 8 units. and as of now only two of them show active, being used as yard slugs on hump engines.
I checked on Utah Rails.net about those UP slugs made from GP9B units. There were 6 of them, 5 of which lasted into the late 1980s, going by retirement dates. The info on the site says they were built and used in yard service.
Jeff
June 2009 Craftsman showed the construction of these 3!![;)]
Karl … Outstanding modeling of the slugs.
Here is a photo of CSX slug (former GP 30) and GP 40. I took it in the late 1990’s in Hopkinsville, KY. ( It’s before digital camera for me, and not good quality. )
CSX had numerous road slugs mated with GP40’s.
edit: George … I intended to also comment on your outstanding B&M 100 slug. Looks great.
[:$]…I guess my memory really is that bad [oops]!! Lol. Thanks for correcting my previous post.
Happy Modeling!
Don.
General Electric in the late 60s built the MATES.......Motors for Added Tractive Effort for use with the U30Bs built for Seaboard Air Line .
August 1988 issue of Model Railroader had the how to article on how to build these in HO scale.