05/17/2007
| ------------------------------------------------------ EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ROUTING TRACTION MOTOR CABLES ------------------------------------------------------ |
It is what I know and the photos I have taken as proof as well as photos from friends.
I am sure everyone reading this knows what traction motor cable are. They are heavy cables in a diesel locomotive that carry the
electricity generated by the locomotive to the locomotives traction motors. Basically the main power plant of a locomotive is just a
giant electric generator. I remember reading a story where in 1998 Canadian National loaned an M420W to a town in Quebec
because it had lost power during a bad winter ice storm. The locomotive helped restore some of the electrical power to the town.
The majority of what I am going to show and talk about here pertains to EMD 2nd generation locomotives. I will however try to
give a brief overview of GE and ALCO although the traction motor cables are much more prominent on EMD locomotives. I will
only be referring to 2nd generation models. I do not study third or fourth generation locomotives and do not know much about
them. My interests stop at the SD40-2.
Traction motor cables are a must if you are going to do any type of frame detailing. Because of the open nature of 2nd gen EMD
frames and side sills, TM's are a very prominent feature. Mostly on SD's though. They are there on GP's, but not as visible. There
is no need to install them on 1st generation or even early 2nd generation such as the GP30 and GP35 with the wide side sills.
First off, I will give you the diameter of the cable. All the cables I measured from both GP and SD models had a diameter of
1.375". In HO scale that is approximately rounded up 0.016". Originally I had started using the Details West TM's, but found them
to difficult to install. They did not provide the detail I was looking for. I then thought to use annealed brass wire. Still, the wire was
a bit unforgiving and I did not like it. Although Annealing the brass wire made it soft, it still had a bit of memory to it that caused
pains when trying to glue it in place. I finally came across a product I had already had in my possession for a long time that
would be perfect for TM cables, SOLDER! Why did I think of using solder? Well, our brothers in arms in the military modeling
world have been using it for years to simulate electrical cables and conduits in aircraft for many years. I had a roll of 0.015"
diameter solder from RadioShack. it was perfect! It was easy to work with, I could drape it and run it in a realistic manner. My next
obstacle were the TM brackets. Making all those brackets from styrene was just to much trouble. I decided to design them up for
a photo etching project. Chris at Railflyer Model Prototypes asked if he could have them as a product. He promised I could get
them in about two to three weeks. Any longer and I would have had them done myself. Chris delivered and they look and work
GREAT!!!! Going through all my photos, I picked out all the different types of brackets used and put as many as I could on one
sheet.
I am sure everyone reading this knows what traction motor cable are. They are heavy cables in a diesel locomotive that carry the
electricity generated by the locomotive to the locomotives traction motors. Basically the main power plant of a locomotive is just a
giant electric generator. I remember reading a story where in 1998 Canadian National loaned an M420W to a town in Quebec
because it had lost power during a bad winter ice storm. The locomotive helped restore some of the electrical power to the town.
The majority of what I am going to show and talk about here pertains to EMD 2nd generation locomotives. I will however try to
give a brief overview of GE and ALCO although the traction motor cables are much more prominent on EMD locomotives. I will
only be referring to 2nd generation models. I do not study third or fourth generation locomotives and do not know much about
them. My interests stop at the SD40-2.
Traction motor cables are a must if you are going to do any type of frame detailing. Because of the open nature of 2nd gen EMD
frames and side sills, TM's are a very prominent feature. Mostly on SD's though. They are there on GP's, but not as visible. There
is no need to install them on 1st generation or even early 2nd generation such as the GP30 and GP35 with the wide side sills.
First off, I will give you the diameter of the cable. All the cables I measured from both GP and SD models had a diameter of
1.375". In HO scale that is approximately rounded up 0.016". Originally I had started using the Details West TM's, but found them
to difficult to install. They did not provide the detail I was looking for. I then thought to use annealed brass wire. Still, the wire was
a bit unforgiving and I did not like it. Although Annealing the brass wire made it soft, it still had a bit of memory to it that caused
pains when trying to glue it in place. I finally came across a product I had already had in my possession for a long time that
would be perfect for TM cables, SOLDER! Why did I think of using solder? Well, our brothers in arms in the military modeling
world have been using it for years to simulate electrical cables and conduits in aircraft for many years. I had a roll of 0.015"
diameter solder from RadioShack. it was perfect! It was easy to work with, I could drape it and run it in a realistic manner. My next
obstacle were the TM brackets. Making all those brackets from styrene was just to much trouble. I decided to design them up for
a photo etching project. Chris at Railflyer Model Prototypes asked if he could have them as a product. He promised I could get
them in about two to three weeks. Any longer and I would have had them done myself. Chris delivered and they look and work
GREAT!!!! Going through all my photos, I picked out all the different types of brackets used and put as many as I could on one
sheet.
Photo courtesy Mike Roberts
Railway Service Contractors, Inc.
KCS SD40-2 (front left)
Railway Service Contractors, Inc.
KCS SD40-2 (front left)
Well maybe. OK, so not everything..............................................................
Here you can see the brackets in use with solder.
This was an SD38-2 project I was working on. Note
how nice the solder flows with the bends and how
the brackets really bring out the uniform routing.
This was an SD38-2 project I was working on. Note
how nice the solder flows with the bends and how
the brackets really bring out the uniform routing.
Just a note about the brackets. The etching is done from both sides. The result is a small ridge around the inside of the hole. I
use a #78 (0.016") drill bit and ream them out. After that the solder slides perfectly through the holes. My methodology is to place
all the brackets and then thread the solder through them. I use needle nose tweezers. I do not glue the solder to the brackets.
Only to its start point and end point on the frame.
Before I start, I first need the usual disclaimer. You should always first consult prototype photos if you can find them. What I am
trying to give you is a generic understanding of how the TM's are routed. You can use what you find here to help you simulate what
is seen. If your photos do not agree with what I am showing and writing about, then by all means go by your photos. My goal is to
give you a reference to start with.
use a #78 (0.016") drill bit and ream them out. After that the solder slides perfectly through the holes. My methodology is to place
all the brackets and then thread the solder through them. I use needle nose tweezers. I do not glue the solder to the brackets.
Only to its start point and end point on the frame.
Before I start, I first need the usual disclaimer. You should always first consult prototype photos if you can find them. What I am
trying to give you is a generic understanding of how the TM's are routed. You can use what you find here to help you simulate what
is seen. If your photos do not agree with what I am showing and writing about, then by all means go by your photos. My goal is to
give you a reference to start with.
| GP38/GP38-2/GP40/GP40-2 SD38/SD39/SD40/SD40A/SD45/SDP45 SD38-2/SD40-2/SD45-2 SWITCHERS HOME |