# Mantua/TYCO Bicentennial Alco C630 re-power...



## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Unburied from another post I did...

I received a surprise boxcar load of HO from a fellow modeler, filled with all kinds of HO goodies and projects just screaming to be done. My first one out of the gate is taking this near mint TYCO C630 shell and mounting it on an Athearn mechanism that came off of a damaged SD45. I had to extend the wheelbase about a half inch, and did this by cutting the frame in half and JB Welding it back together with a block of styrene, made by stacking 12 layers together. It now waits for the JB Weld to set so that I can shape and form the extension to match the fuel tank. The best clamps I have found for this are wire zip ties and a tie gun to tighten them up.


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

Another fine project by shaygetz


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. TYCO's C630 was the only one in plastic for many years, I've seen several conversion articles over the years because old school modelers loved them. I still don't know of any others except in brass. I love the brutish look, I just don't care for the cheesy drive units they used, something they never really overcame in any of their diesel models and in fact, only got worse as the years went by. To have one that will be able to pull 35+ cars will be awesome...

While those are EMD style trucks, it would not have been unusual for a road to specify Alco to reuse them on a trade in or have them added in a rebuild. The JB Weld is almost set, so I'll be doing some carving while watching "The She-Wolf of London".

Yes...I love old movies....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

No She-Wolf in London tonight (figure skating hwell: ) but progress was made nonetheless...




























No fancy machines were involved...I used an Xacto miter box and a regular hacksaw for the cut, everything else is just careful filing and sanding. Keeping everything square and straight was relatively painless. The remaining mechanism looks to have enough give in it to stretch out the new distance with a little creative fiddling.


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

As always amazing work there! It's gonna look gorgeous when it's done!


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

shaygetz said:


> TYCO's C630 was the only one in plastic for many years, I've seen several conversion articles over the years because old school modelers loved them. I still don't know of any others except in brass


Bowser now makes one, in their "Traditional" and "Executive Line"; looks like around $135.00......

http://www.bowser-trains.com/history/c630hhloco.html


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

Wow can't wait to see it run on the tracks


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## morrjr (Dec 20, 2012)

Old_Hobo said:


> Bowser now makes one, in their "Traditional" and "Executive Line"; looks like around $135.00......
> 
> http://www.bowser-trains.com/history/c630hhloco.html


I've got the C&O version in the Bowser Executive Line. It runs and sounds great. It is definitely a brute.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Thanks for the pic of that C&O unit, I like my trucks all the more. Now I hafta figure out a way to make those narrow air tanks... :thumbsup:

I wanted to use the original Athearn coupler pads as all of my Bicentennial rolling stock uses horn/hooks. Using the original pads takes away the fuss of getting any new couplers mounted at the correct height. By filing the one end like you see at the top, it now fits thru the pilot so that the whole length of the frame can slip into the shell. It also required the removal of the headlight mount...no big deal as I prefer LEDs anyway...










The amount removed lines up with the indents on either side of the pilot.... 










I then had to join the two halves electrically. This I did by drilling small holes that I could then drive small brass screws I had on hand. No tapping was done, I just made the holes big enough that the screws could thread themselves in with no great amount of work...1/16" in this case...










The brass gave me an easy to solder point of connection in the frame casting, connecting both halves with a bit of copper wire. As with all my Athearns, I hard wire everything, hence the bottom motor clip in the picture...


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

I'm ready to see more of this fine workmanship!!!


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

Shy has a nice collection of workman ship and he has gotten it all for pennies.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Thanks for the kind words. Years ago I was a typical modeler...N scale at the time...pouring my coin out as fast as they could produce models. After awhile, I realized that very little of it was my work, that most of what I had was someone else's work, properly placed on a layout fill with other well placed products. I had lost my way from the charm of the hobby as I grew up with it, where you did what you could with what you had---my first modeling tools were a razor blade and a scale ruler cut from a magazine.

I donated it all to a local club and walked away for over 5 years. Shortly after I got married, wealthy as two kids can be fresh out of seminary, my beloved and I found a junkbox full of HO that she allowed me to buy with our meager funds. That box lasted me 5 years and saw me crank out some serious model work...all from bits and pieces found in that box. Here's a couple, still holding up after 20 years...




























I've never looked back, and have vowed never to spend more than necessary for a few supplies like paint and such. Every time I've stepped out from under that vow, I have felt the Rod of the Good Shepherd, with seemingly good deals going horrifically sour, making me sorely wish I never saw the stuff. God has blessed me with many a project since, generous box lots from near and far come to my house, both humbling me and making me a little more evangelical than most in my postings in return---not for the "stuff"---but for the privilege of doing what I truly enjoy. My money is free now to go into a prison and all the way to an orphanage in Kathmandu if you can believe it, and I can look at my little man cave my beloved designed into our house guilt free, knowing I've denied no one a thing, inside of my family or out, to acquire it.

Didn't mean to run so long...


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

Very we'll said


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

You are truly blessed with the gifts of a good eye, steady hand, and mechanical abilities.


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## blues90 (Apr 7, 2008)

shaygetz said:


> Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. TYCO's C630 was the only one in plastic for many years, I've seen several conversion articles over the years because old school modelers loved them. I still don't know of any others except in brass. I love the brutish look, I just don't care for the cheesy drive units they used, something they never really overcame in any of their diesel models and in fact, only got worse as the years went by. To have one that will be able to pull 35+ cars will be awesome...
> 
> While those are EMD style trucks, it would not have been unusual for a road to specify Alco to reuse them on a trade in or have them added in a rebuild. The JB Weld is almost set, so I'll be doing some carving while watching "The She-Wolf of London".
> 
> Yes...I love old movies....


 You are a lot like me . I had one of those tyco units I never did get around to using it. 

I recall a railroad mag years ago making one of those using part of a model power C628 low nose shell and the tyco shell riding on the model power trucks and [plastic frame . It was for C&NW . I had three model power C628's so I cut the high long hood off one and used it to replace the low shorthood on the other ending up witha C628 high hood . I cut off the large cast on railings and plugged the holes and used athearn stantions and brass wire for hand rails and mounted it on a modified athearn trainmaster frame and used the trainmaster trucks . Found out later since I was doing a C&NW unit that C&NW did in fact use trainmaster trucks on one of their units. It was lots of work yet the fun is being able to build what you want with what you have and some creative thinking. I still have one model power C628 powered loco in the box without the motor had it running once with an athearn motor and drive shafts. 

I like your work . I wanted a alco c420 low hood and only one company made one in plastic and it was model power . Later the shell was used and modified by MRC but I never liked the drive. I got a model power dummy shell and made my own frame out of brass , used the walkway from a atlas C424 which was correct and made the fuel tanks . part of the idea came from an old artical in a railroad mag where he used the model power powered units to make front and rear powered trucks requiring two units to make one . I used a old model die casting set of power trucks from an RS3 they used to make . I made many loco's out of parts like you . My think once was getting a Baldwin VO1000 , no one made one except in brass and I wanted the correct hood width , after making a few using athearn baldwin units from a railraod mag artical I realized the hood was to wide so I took two athearn baldwin shells cut them in half length wise and then added the section I needed for the proper hood length used one cab and put the 4 sections together and used the frame from a NW2 that was made with a kato drive, right now I can't recall the name but it was not atlas . I still have it still un-painted . If you like I will take a photo and post it.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

By all means, post a pic...I'd love to see your work...


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

I'll just say this..... You're like the Bob Ross of the Model railroad world. Your work is so great, and you make it look so easy. 

Keep it coming!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

I do appreciate the kind words...no progress tonight, I just did 600 miles and I'm tarred...


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Extended the drive to fit by simply cutting the shaft and stretching it with a bit of styrene rod...



















I then hard wired it together like I always do with my Athearns...










Once I saw that the drive can handle the stretch...





...it was road test time...



Yes there are shear strength concerns with the layered styrene...it did split 3x, but that was more poor gluing than anything else. It has held up quite well since...just a bit of finish work to do and she will be just fine for the 20 car Bicentennial train assignment.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

:smilie_daumenpos:


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

Very nice work there bob


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## blues90 (Apr 7, 2008)

shaygetz said:


> Extended the drive to fit by simply cutting the shaft and stretching it with a bit of styrene rod...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Very nice work :

The only thing I would have done different and not to be critical , I would have drilled into the fuel tanks and added say 1/8" brass rod into each side then the plastic would not be the depended on for strength. Yet if it holds then it holds . Besides it would be difficult to drill straight without a drill press and a good vise to keep things aligned. 

Can't wait to see the finished model.


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

And he breaths new life into it!!!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

My completed Super C630 re-power, just awaiting couplers...I used Humbrol's #56 Old Silver to match the color of the original TYCO trucks. I thought of touching up the minor dings in the paint it has suffered over the years, then covering it with a coat of clear flat, but then thought better. It earned every one of those dings, and the right to keep them...










I appreciate the tips on reinforcing the frame...and may have to do that some day. My purpose was to do this the way I would have done it as a teen back in the day, had I the will and know how to try it back then. Styrene is quite strong when glued properly, since it's not actually glued, but welded together. My problem with the splitting I did have was that I spilled the solvent on the waiting stack and wrongly assumed the capillary action penetrated more than it actually did. With each split, I took the time to do it properly, and have had no problems since.


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## morrjr (Dec 20, 2012)

Very nice work. I remember selling lots of the originals when I was the manager of the toy department of a suburban Marshall Field and Company store in Illinois in the early to mid seventies. We could hardly keep them on the shelf.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Shay, seems you have amassed a very nice bicentennial collection, had no idea when I sent you Dad's, just the need for that one car, how bout a post highlighting the entire collection. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

I would love to see shays whole set


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

It'll take a bit...I shall do my best:smilie_daumenpos:


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