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After driving past BRTX 2009 for the last few weeks damn near every day these things are starting to grow on me. At first I hated them, they looked odd and dissproportionate. But they are an interesting concept and likely would make fine shortline motive power replacing tired old MP15s and other assorted 2 and 3 time GP <insert # here> rebuilds.
So, after browsing the various Genset related threads here and not finding a whole hell of a lot of good and inspiring photos of your models (they must not be that popular yet) I am proposing a show and tell of Freelance Railway Gensets that you have modelled or operate on your layouts. Mainly to see what folks have done with these new locos, and also to help me work through the process of deciding whether I want to upgrade my Freelance to a couple of these. Yeah, there is an alterior motive .. HAH!
So lets see 'em. Post your Gensets - yes non freelance ones are ok too
Outback, added so many things to that, not sure if this list would be complete.
2 Details West horns
Plano lift rings
DW GPS dome
4 Details Associates whip antennas
DA sinclair antenna
2 DW MU cable w/recepticals
4 DW MU hose sets
4 DW spare knuckles
DW air conditioner
My Gensets perform flawlessly, with, and without the capacitors. I removed one unit's capacitors to test it with DCC, the NCE D13SRP worked well in both, but will be replaced with a D14, or a TCS decoder later on this year.
Both run smooth & quiet, no jerking even on dirty track, on DC & DCC.
They weigh enough to easily pull 10 cars on my layout, not that there's much operational capability for that!
I have two gensets. Neither of them are freelanced though. I wonder if they are geared lower? They seem to be slower than the rest of my Atlas diesels. They are heavy and pull really well (unlike the prototype )
I removed the capacitors on mine to make space for the decoders. Also, those green-bodied resistors on the board are chokes, which, along with the capacitors may cause operational problems or sluggish responses (Bachmann is notorious for using them on their circuit boards) I did not remove the chokes since I didn't know whether it would break the motor circuit or not. I found this out after I installed the decoders. They are a pain to open up so I will most likely just leave them as is. I should have wired the motor directly to the decoder.
OK here's an odd question... how long are these things, in inches? Are they comparable to a GP35 or 40 in length? I have fairly tight curves on my layout (appx 19-20 radius) and am wondering if they would give me some grief by being too long to negotiate w/o truck/wheel binding or hopping.
OK here's an odd question... how long are these things, in inches? Are they comparable to a GP35 or 40 in length? I have fairly tight curves on my layout (appx 19-20 radius) and am wondering if they would give me some grief by being too long to negotiate w/o truck/wheel binding or hopping.
Next dumb question; Why do you call them "Gensets"?
Is it just a generic name for diesel-electric power?
Really showing my ignorance now (!) - Aren't all diesels actually gensets? ie, the wheels are actually driven my electric motors who get their power from the diesel engine(s)?
OK here's an odd question... how long are these things, in inches? Are they comparable to a GP35 or 40 in length? I have fairly tight curves on my layout (appx 19-20 radius) and am wondering if they would give me some grief by being too long to negotiate w/o truck/wheel binding or hopping.
They're called gensets because each of the 3 engines inside is a genset in that the diesel engines are generators, whereas a conventional diesel-electric locomotive has a prime mover that turns a crankshaft in the main generator to produce electricity.
The gensets generate electricity which drives the traction motors.
As for the models, there are four surface mount LEDs in the loco, one for each ditch light. The LEDs are wired in series so they can't flash. There are also other components on the small circuit board that the ditch light LEDs are on so I haven't taken the time to trace them to find where to isolate them to make them flash.
...They're called gensets because each of the 3 engines inside is a genset in that the diesel engines are generators, whereas a conventional diesel-electric locomotive has a prime mover that turns a crankshaft in the main generator to produce electricity.
- These locos have 3 distinct diesel/generator units installed - The diesel(s) drive the generator(s) whose power then feeds electric motors on the axles - Correct?
- But, I'm not "happy" with what a conventional diesel-electric does - One diesel engine that's spinning a single generator that powers motors on the wheels?
I guess my Q becomes; do any locos use pure diesel power to drive their wheels?
- These locos have 3 distinct diesel/generator units installed - The diesel(s) drive the generator(s) whose power then feeds electric motors on the axles - Correct?
- But, I'm not "happy" with what a conventional diesel-electric does - One diesel engine that's spinning a single generator that powers motors on the wheels?
I guess my Q becomes; do any locos use pure diesel power to drive their wheels?
I am pretty sure that the Gensets generate power from the 700hp engines which are fed through to the motors. In that effect, the engines ARE the generators.
The conventional diesel-electric prime mover is a large engine that turns a crankshaft in the main generator that turns the mechanical energy generated into electricity which is then fed to the traction motors. This system generates more power.
I think that the older GE "tonner" locomotives, industrial endcab switchers, etc use a transmission that uses the mechanical energy generated from the diesel engine straight to the wheels.
The reason why the diesel-electric loco has an engine and generator on-board is because electric motors are more efficient than an entirely mechanical gear driven system and it gives them more control.
As for the models, there are four surface mount LEDs in the loco, one for each ditch light. The LEDs are wired in series so they can't flash. There are also other components on the small circuit board that the ditch light LEDs are on so I haven't taken the time to trace them to find where to isolate them to make them flash.
