Building a Locomotive on Flat car Load


D&J RailRoad

Professor of HO
I have plenty of "stuff" layin around to be creative with.
I've had this heavy duty flat car now for awhile and been wanting to put some kind of load on it. I was digging around in the junk loco box and found this geep. No decoder in it, not sure why it's in the junk box.
Well, it prolly needs to be carried to a depot repair facility.
Stripped the motor out of it. Removed the trucks and dud some fitment checks to the flat car. It's a go.
Did some checking on the internet for some ideas on how they are loaded and secured.
Started the buildup on the deck to support the frame. Looks like some 8x8 beams.

20220926_125635.jpg
 
For my part, I have never seen one of these loads other than a narrow gauge steamer atop a regular flatcar. Even then, the only other one I can think of traveled over Wolf Creek pass (US Hwy 160, CO), on a drop flatbed truck/semi towed over the highway, and not the connecting railway. And as I recall too, photos of that one single move showed a bit of a problem negotiating the slide snowshed near the summit of the pass.

The only other unit move I can conjure up would be the short move of the short SD40T-2 into the Colorado Railroad Museum...but that did not involve a flatcar, and was only a few hundred yards. So you are breaking new ground here, as far as I know.

Cribbing on YOUR load would be mandatory, as with the setup for any wrecker crane setup, so you've got that.

As to why it's in your box (it's a GP35, I think?), I would hazard a guess it's because it's an Athearn "blue box" unit, and you demoted it because those blue box locos had an over-width hood. 72" vs. the real prototype's 70." It's just a guess though. If you demoted it to your box for that reason, I suspect you just forgot it (but you were right).
 
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I didn't know there was a chain ratio per weight of the loco. Just the more chains the better.
I don't know why I sidelined the loco to the dust bin of the hobby, but there are a few more in there that will prolly find their way into a decor sort of life.
Not too many examples out there on the internet to use. The few that are there all seem to follow the same practice though, dunnage support and lots of chains on a heavy duty flat.
 
I didn't know there was a chain ratio per weight of the loco. Just the more chains the better.
I don't know why I sidelined the loco to the dust bin of the hobby, but there are a few more in there that will prolly find their way into a decor sort of life.
Not too many examples out there on the internet to use. The few that are there all seem to follow the same practice though, dunnage support and lots of chains on a heavy duty flat.
Rule is normally 2 X chains front and back, 2 chains per axle/truck, 2 chains each side.
Geep is 56' long and without trucks approximately 110 US tons, as your using this on a flat bed without trucks, you would need 20 chains, as you would use 8 each side, plus the 4 front and back, strangely with the trucks still on, only 16 chains would be needed.
 
I didn't know there was a chain ratio per weight of the loco. Just the more chains the better.
I don't know why I sidelined the loco to the dust bin of the hobby, but there are a few more in there that will prolly find their way into a decor sort of life.
Not too many examples out there on the internet to use. The few that are there all seem to follow the same practice though, dunnage support and lots of chains on a heavy duty flat.
 
Very nice, but tracked vehicles use tie downs differently as they have more adhesion to the surface per square inch, and less likely to "rock and roll" also military vehicles have specifically designed tie down points for various means of transportation Rail, Air, Road.

As someone who has experience of doing this type of work, I know Locomotives don't have enough tie down points, (at least not in the UK) they either move under their own power, towed behind another loco, or taken by road with the trucks still attached, and rails fitted to the flatbed, (very few rail yards have cranes that can lift 100+ton).

You might find this of some interest.

As I said in a previous post, if your going to shift a loco on a flatbed without trucks you would need 2 X chains either end, 2 X on where the trucks were either side, plus minimum of 2 chains welded to the chassis each side, making 16 chains, but it's your railroad. :) If you leave the trucks on, by road you would need minimum of 8, on a train, safely,12.
 
Smudge I was referencing the size of chain. Ken mention not knowing a chain ratio, the link was showing heavy loads and bigger chain. It's hard to find details like the right size of chain. It can be a PITA to do a project like that and have difficult time finding all the right parts to complete it.
 
Smudge I was referencing the size of chain. Ken mention not knowing a chain ratio, the link was showing heavy loads and bigger chain. It's hard to find details like the right size of chain. It can be a PITA to do a project like that and have difficult time finding all the right parts to complete it.
OK, sorry, but as your using a model, your never going to get the exact chain size, but these would look pretty authentic I think.

These are chain ratchet's, but I think they would work for you.


And this looks to be the correct size chain you need.

 
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Smudge I was referencing the size of chain. Ken mention not knowing a chain ratio, the link was showing heavy loads and bigger chain. It's hard to find details like the right size of chain. It can be a PITA to do a project like that and have difficult time finding all the right parts to complete it.

I found this after I posted the above, but is this something like you and Ken were looking for ?

Note the paragraph at the end.

GradeChain SizeWorking Load Limit (WLL)Net weight of cargo to be secured in Lbs. (kg.)
10,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,000
Chain GradeInchesMMLBS.KG.(4,540)(6,800)(9,070)(11,334)(13,608)(15,876)(18,144)(20,412)(22,680)
ALLOY G1009/3274,3001,950223344566
5/1685,7002,650122334445
3/8108,8004,000112222333
1/21315,0006,800111112222
5/81622,60010,300111111112
ALLOY G809/3273,5001,570233455678
5/1684,5002,000223344556
3/8107,1003,200122233344
1/21312,0005,400111222223
5/81618,1008,200111111222
TRANSPORT G701/473,1501,430234456788
5/1684,7002,130223344556
3/8106,6002,990122233444
1/21311,3005,130111222223
5/81615,8007,170111112222
HIGH TEST G431/472,6001,1802345678910
5/1683,9001,770223445667
3/8105,4002,450122334455
1/2139,2004,170112222333


CAUTION: This chart is based on each tie-down secured to a trailer point, traversing across or through the load and then secured to another anchor point on the trailer. If used securing the tie-down to the trailer anchor point and attaching it directly to an article of cargo (i.e., a vehicle), the quantity of tie-downs required shall be two times (2x) the quantity listed in the chart above.
 
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This will be a nice project and a challenge. I would advise you to weather the support wood parts before installing the loco. A towing company or loading facility at a yard probably use old sleepers (ties) or used pieces of wood for these transports. You can add some hooks to the flat to attach the chains. (drill a very small hole and put some brass wire that have been made in a hook shape).
I will try this tomorrow to show you. Never done this but should not be that hard.
 
This will be a nice project and a challenge. I would advise you to weather the support wood parts before installing the loco. A towing company or loading facility at a yard probably use old sleepers (ties) or used pieces of wood for these transports. You can add some hooks to the flat to attach the chains. (drill a very small hole and put some brass wire that have been made in a hook shape).
I will try this tomorrow to show you. Never done this but should not be that hard.
Interesting to see your method, don't forget the foto's of how you do this.
 
Yeah, the beams wood look better if I weathered them.
I have quite a few chains secured on it already but I'm finding the CA glue isn't very strong. I might just pull it apart and try something different and weather the dunage while I can.
 
Yeah, the beams wood look better if I weathered them.
I have quite a few chains secured on it already but I'm finding the CA glue isn't very strong. I might just pull it apart and try something different and weather the dunage while I can.
Yeah, that is a problem, I made a pin that the ratchet fitted onto, then melted the ratchet into place, but that was many years ago when I belonged to a club, I have no idea if it's still in one piece as the car belonged to the club.
The other method I've used is to drill a hole into the bottom of the car and pass the chain through the hole and melt some plastic to secure the chain to the underside of the car.
 
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I've been using the quick set CA glue, but it still takes 20 to half hour to set up enough to support itself. By that I mean for the 1" of chain to stay attached with its own weight. If I touch it to my finger though, it sets up immediately.
 



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