Or what happens when you hang around "Interurban" (Chris) too much!

Hey guys:

I'm playing around with an Traction project. I have an American GK E60CF that I got in a trade with Chris. It got me to thinking, (Uh oh!)

I want to kitbash an old Tyco (Mantua MU-2) powered GP20 into an Electric traction locomotive! I know, and I'll wait till you get up off the floor, I can wait the entire hockey season if necessary..............................

So here's my question:

Other than the obvious pantograph on the roof, what characteristics would make the Geep look more tractiony. For example:

Would altering the truck sideframes be a good idea

Since the Diesel Prime Mover is removed in this exercise, how would the long and short hoods be altered, assuming they were going to be used.

I'm assuming Air reservoirs would go where the fuel tanks had been underneath? What details would go on the roof?

Thanks for whatever help you guys can provide!

Best,
Gareth

I suppose it depends how much kitbashing you want to do...:

www.northeast.railfan....m1976a.jpg

Plenty of inspiration amongst these collections...:

www.northeast.railfan....ctric.html

Butte Anaconda & Pacific

Butte Anaconda & Pacific Again

Those two are the most Geep like i know of ...202 and 201 (202 only in pictures) and they are probably solemly responsible for BA&P abandoning their electrification only 10 years after buying those two! Purchased 1952, electrification abanodoned 1962!

Crap is a good description of them, prone to various failures i too would have stopped trusting GE/electrics and started running diesels instead.

Greetings from Hans from Sweden

Pretty cool pics Hans put up. That's probably the easiest approach. You could also use the chassis and buy a cheap (used?) passenger car and do an interurb 2guyz.info/Forums/view...=1816.html If it doesn't run real well, I wouldn't want to put in that much effort, unless you want a practice project. It's really a matter of how much time to spend and what kind of result you want.

I would think that the truck sideframes are one (of few) parts that wouldn't have to change.
What would have to go is anything that suggests an engine -- fuel tanks, stacks. Ventilating fans on the roof? Lots of resistors and electrical bits.
You can probably get away with keeping the vents in the side; you might get rid of any suggestion of access doors. (what the heck's inside an electric, anyways?)

Those links/pics will be a great help.

Bit of fun is all. Hate the idea of tossing that MU-2 Mantua powered Tyco out, and so an `Omage to Traction sounded like fun!

Sorta a GM E33!

Besides we may have a Tyco Collector's Forum Kitbashing Contest and this would be one of several I might contribute!

-Thanks again guys!

-Gareth

I guess you could do a slug with a pantograph? Around here they took out the prime mover and poured the engine bay full of concrete for weight. They power the slugs from the alternator of another locomotive, but no reason a pant wouldn't be used. The short hood would stay the same too, ain't that where the loo is? As to fans and stuff, they might pull the motor and blade, but covering the holes would be extra work.

What:s inside an Electric locomotive the long version:

Relays (AC&DC), transformer(AC), rotary converter(AC), AC to DC solid state converter "Tyristor" later(1995-ish) "IGBT"-type converters (AC), 1-phase AC to 3-phase AC converter rotary and solid state (AC), Frequency control for said 3-phase traction motors(AC), resistor banks of diffrent kinds (braking and diffrent speed steppings ones in diffrent banks(DC+AC only for braking), braking ones only if the catenary system didn't allow for regenerative braking

Air pumps which isn't specific to these loco:s but have thier use for manuevering the pneumatic Relays used in some locomotives and EMU:s both AC and DC models.

I've noted which technologys is for what electrical system AC vs DC (AC = 6500kV to 25kV, DC from 50V to 3600V)

As you might understand a DC locomotive is much simpler then its AC brethren however modern locomotives which use IGBT technology doesn't really care what is fed into its catenary pickup device and run equally efficent on both AC and DC, 1500V DC system limits the power output somewhat however.

Greetings Hans from Sweden

romcat wrote:

what characteristics would make the Geep look more tractiony? Gareth

What if you added a third truck in place of the fuel tank?