A Freelanced 44-ton Switcher
Years ago, when I was in high school, I had an idea to build a OO scale GE 44-ton switcher. I figured out that the power truck from an Athearn switcher had very close to the correct wheelbase overall and could be modified as a drive. I actually started a little planning then, but it quickly got too difficult and I moved on.
Fast forward to recent years, and I’ve still had that idea in my mind. I saw in an old issue of The OO Road how Bill Johann had done a similar conversion (described only briefly in words, no photo — would have been similar to his GE 80-ton model seen here, but on a switcher chassis). Then I was spurred on even more by a recent book purchase on Rock Island Diesel locomotives, as they had a group of Davenport 44-ton switchers. What caught my attention further was the trucks have sideframes similar to those of the uncommon Scale-Craft gas-electric trucks, and I had plenty extra to use a set of the plain back version on an engine like the Davenport, seen below with also my initial work toward a similar cab using AHM S-2 parts.
I have tons of projects I could work on, but for whatever reasons this one spoke to me as one to work on. I think I can make a convincing, if freelanced, 44-tonner using various HO parts as a basis. The hoods will be based on AHM SW-1 hoods, for example, and the frame is from the donor Athearn Baldwin S-12. A more complete visualization is offered by the following photo.
A Davenport is again seen in the background, and the start of my model is sitting on a OO scale sized version of the scale drawing found in the September, 1978 issue of RMC. I had Xeroxed it in high school, and found my copy that I had been moving around over all the years. I think I can come up with a model that is proportioned like the GE and Davenport prototypes, and it will operate well, a very important consideration.
Which brings me to the last photo. I’ve written elsewhere (here for example) about how to convert the Athearn “blue box” drives to operation in OO gauge. I had to redo my initial work on the model, and this photo is from when I was doing that. Initially, I made the spacers too small in size but also too thick. The new spacers are seen ready to cut out. I also had to replace all the main gears on my donor engine, a part I have purchased easily on eBay.
You can also see how I have cut down the original sideframes to use them as mounting pads for the new sideframes, which I will super glue on soon.
The drive is a big part of what makes a model look “correct,” and this one for sure that part will be solid. This is going to be an interesting build, and I’m optimistic it will be a convincing OO model of a freelanced 44-ton switcher for my Fall River shortline.
[I’ll add in closing though that if you wanted to build a real GE 44-ton switcher in OO, the smart move would be to work out a 3D printed body that fits on a modified Athearn HO switcher drive. Maybe a project for some future day.]