What type of strip(?) styrene would I need to use for the weights on this locomotive. I’m not familiar with styrene, so what would I use to glue it to a locomotive shell(KATO).
The raised walkway you are talking about are not weights. The space is used for air ducts (traction motor cooling), cable ways and piping space. Check the EVERGREEN site for sizes of styrene. Strips come is sizes like 1/8 X 3/8, 1/8 X 1/2 Etc. Sheets come up to .080 thick and can be cut to any width. Any styrene cement should work on a paint free surface. Measure the width and height you need and go from there.
Idon’t think the space is used for air ducts or anything. CSX Sd70MAC’s are the only ones that have the raised walkway and weights on the other side as well. I have heard that they are weights.
Locomotives in general do not have “weights”, they’re heavy enough just as they are. In older locos where those areas are higher they can also contain the batteries (for starting) and other mechanical devices. In modern diesels they mostly contain piping and conduits for air, oil & electrical. Not all locos have them in the same configuration and they are loco-type specific, which makes me wonder why you are adding these to a Kato body as these are pretty accurate and wouldn’t need this type of modification.
Before I get to answering the question, I must ask: why would they put weights on the walkways of a locomotive? (I’m a steam guy - don’t know much about the modern diesels…)
I can’t tell you directly what thickness of styrene (which is the most common type of plastic for modeling - use any liquid solvent-type cement, or use CA) you’d need for this project, but I can show you how to measure it from the picture:
Using the model shell, measure (in scale feet/inches), as accurately as you can, the height of a handrail post at any point along the walkway.
Get (if you don’t already have something like it) a little program called “Calipers”, which is freeware, and available from most of the major freeware sites (try http://www.nonags.com/nonags/index.html). This is a very handy little program which will measure, in pixels, anything on your screen.
Using the calipers, measure the height of the “weight” (?) in the picture on the screen next to any of the handrail posts which would be the same height as the one on the model which you measured in the first step. Note the number of pixels measured. (The larger the picture is, the more accurate will be your measurement.)
Next, measure the handrail post in picture (next to where you measured the weight) in pixels. Note the measurement.
Now, you’re ready to calulate the dimension. Remember in high school (or maybe elementary school, nowadays [:)]) the rule of proportions? a:x = b:c ? Where a is the height of the model handrail in scale inches, b is the height in pixels of the picture handrail, and c is the height (thickness) of the “weight” in the picture, in pixels. Solving the equation, bx=ac, then x=ac/b. “x” is the thickness of the “weight”, in real inches.
If thery are not weights what are the? Why would they put something between the handrail stanchions? I looked at some of the pictures and some of the YN2 don’t have the “weights?” and others do. All the YN3 '70MAC’s that I have looked at have the “weights?”\
I can’t speak for EMD but here at GE weights are added under the deck to balance the platform. They used to use lead, but now they either pour concrete into the lower platform areas or weld weights under the deck. Never saw them added above the deck. Some customers specify the weight they want the loco to be. Perhaps this is a Mod. just for those units. Don’t know for sure.
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! I’ve only observed some EMD SD40-2s and looking under those raised areas, I saw, as I described earlier, just pipes and conduits.
I’m still wondering though, why one would be modifying an already accurate Kato.
The raised walkways are indeed airducts. The blower duct from the body to the walkway is the triangular shaped piece where the railing “steps” up near the cab. Those pics are interesting though as it looks like there is indeed some extra parts added between the railings. doing the math based on those parts being about 30’ long x 2" thick x by 6" tall the weight comes to around 1250 lbs. Considering that engine weighs aroung 350,000 - 400,000 lbs I can’t see adding an additional 1200 lbs of weight to be very effective.
CSX has some “heavy” CW44AH models with special ballasting for 200,000 tractive effort. They are in the 495-599 and 5100 series. Don’t know where the extra weight was added. Also the software was changed to allow the higher tractive effort.
Smoke, nedthomas is right; what you are looking at on the left side of your lokes is not add-on weight but the raised walkway accomodating the blower duct for the traction motors - that bulge on the hood just behind the cab is also part of this blower system. According to the way I read the upward jog in the handrail this ductwork is about seven inches thick.
Examining the right side photograph it appears as if the add-on weight is approximately the same thickness as the frame and that, I believe, is four inches. Four inches in HO Scale calculates to about .045 inches; using .045 inch Evergreen® styrene should do it.
modelmaker51, there is a fallacy to your statement that locomotives are
there are circumstances where a road desires a particular model but needs to trim the weight down so as not to exceed weight restrictions on bridges, etc. I recall references to roads ballasting their lokes with weight to increase the tractive effort; as such Smoke may have spotted something on these CSX units which I have overlooked before but which I will give attention to on future encounters with locomotives both prototype and model. This looks like it could be an interesting customization of my Seaboard and Western Virginia Railway diesels.
It’s hard telling just how much tractive effort these steel panels might be adding to the these locomotives but, undoubtedly, CSX considers the effort as worthwhile.