ATT C415

[fishbelly]

For a number of years now at  my local hobby store there has been a pair of ATT undecorated C415's. I am so tempted to get them and see if I can do something with them. They are not going to be stellar models, but maybe I can reconstruct them and build something respectable with them. They are in mint brand new condition still.

Funny thing. On the side of the box is printed the price when they were new. It was $10.98 and the store is now asking $45.00 each. 

[edwardsutorik]

Yeah. I know I'm laughing. Although, really, if you think about it, the price is kinda sorta the same. There's inflation. And then there's real-inflation.

Yes, you can play with them. We probably all have projects/ideas like that. One of mine, which I'm sure I've mentioned before, is my Athearn cow and calf Southern switcher.

Bluntly, if you want a good cost effective model, get the Key or Overland models. They're DONE. I sense that you don't--that it's for fun. Also, I suspect they're getting a bit price-ish. So you better be committed.

Goferit!!!

But before you do, go to Brasstrains, and check out the OMI C-415's. Will you be happy with what you build?


By the way, there has been talk for years about Bowser doing a C-415. TALK. But. It's a thought.

Ed

[fishbelly]

The last time I talked to Bowser at one of the train shows. They put the C415 thought away. At least until after I am dead and gone.

Brass models do look nice, but as you mentioned it would be just for fun. A little model work and enjoy what it is.

[edwardsutorik]

Oct 3, 2020 19:54:06 GMT -8 fishbelly said:

Brass models do look nice, but as you mentioned it would be just for fun. A little model work and enjoy what it is.

What he said.


Ed

[edwardsutorik]

I swear, if Bowser brings this project up from the dead, AND they do a good job of it, I WILL buy an SP version:





Yowsah. So HOT!



Ed

[fishbelly]

And paint it Penn Central. 

[edwardsutorik]

Oct 3, 2020 20:04:13 GMT -8 fishbelly said:

And paint it Penn Central. 

I could run it with my C-430's!

Oh, my. I'm feeling faint.


Ed

[randy]

Having never seen a 415 in person, am I correctly assuming the engine is on one with with the generator and/or the air compressor on the opposite end connected by a shaft?

[sp8299]

Oct 4, 2020 14:53:02 GMT -8 randy said:

Having never seen a 415 in person, am I correctly assuming the engine is on one with with the generator and/or the air compressor on the opposite end connected by a shaft?

That's my understanding from talking to folks that ran them; machinery was basically split in half, with everything connected under the cab, including the radiator plumbing.  Which made them universally HATED, at least on the SP.  A retired SP brakeman I knew went into a rant on them one night at our model RR club; noisy, hot (working in the LA Basin with that radiator plumbing under the cab floor didn't help), choking exhaust thanks to the stacks being at cab level, cramped cab (a massive control stand ate up most of the real estate), a pain to climb on and off of, the list went on and on.  The usual Alco maladies their units were suffering from that late in their history, along with them being red-headed stepchildren on the SP, likely didn't help much either.  He preferred working with SW1500s instead...so much he commissioned me to make a custom model of his favorite one.

[sp8299]

Oct 3, 2020 20:03:58 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

I swear, if Bowser brings this project up from the dead, AND they do a good job of it, I WILL buy an SP version:





Yowsah. So HOT!



Ed

They're so homely I kinda like the beasts...all the stuff SP optioned for makes them cooler still.  They're out of my era...they were long since gone at the start of my modeling window...but I'd be tempted to get one "just because".

[The Ferro Kid]

"Rapido C415" has a nice ring to it. Too bad there's no Canadian or New England connection for it, though. If only New Haven had bought 8 or 10 ...

[tom]

Here is one way to do it:

model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/36663

With a lot of work a good running respectfully looking C415 is the result.

[fishbelly]

WOW, this guy and I think exactly alike. He did just what I was planning on doing for the drive and fuel tank and just about everything else.

I really like his idea of using the C424 sill. That is cool. Not exactly the right step wells, but still very cool and represents the C415 really well. Also, the sill has very clean lines. 

After looking at the prototype more, the C424/ 425 step wells are VERY close to the C415. I was wrong in the above statement. That is a great bonus.

I am definitely going to do this and will go pick up the two models maybe tomorrow.

I have some different ideas for the frame and trucks, but it will still be about the same. I like the C415 and I will build two of them.

Thank you Tom for posting the link to the article.

[sd50f]

Funny thing. On the side of the box is printed the price when they were new. It was $10.98 and the store is now asking $45.00 each.

Considering that the current low price on eBay is $67.99, that's not a terrible price. I'd still hope someone would bring out a modernized version of it, even though I have no need of it myself.

Timothy Dineen

[atsfgp7u]

Life Like produced a C415 as well - I assume the same tooling. I tried to upload a photo of my upgraded version but the system says the Forum has run out of space. Ed, how were you able to post your pic, please?
cheers
Dave

[lvrr325]

The early ones have a vertical armature motor in one truck, a drive shared with early RS11 and RS2 models imported by Life-Like and AHM. All of these were made in Yugoslavia by the company which became Mehano eventually.

There does exist a revised IHC era import made by Mehano which uses the same 8 wheel drive components as first introduced in the GP18 first imported by AHM, with an even more upgraded motor, possibly flywheels and maybe some internal electronics. They sold them lettered for every railroad under the sun, I recall seeing grey and yellow Lehigh Valley ones, for instance.

These aren't super common so it's been a while since I handled one but I believe the changes were all to the drive and frame and the shell remained unchanged. Somewhere I did (do?) have an IHC version I got cheap intending to put back together (or use for parts) and I don't think I ever did.

Personally I would flip MIB ones on eBay and watch for a lot with a clunker with intact shell to use for a project.

[fishbelly]

In the article Tom posted the author says the C415 truck spacing is 28'. He also says pilot to pilot is 49'. The author noted he got his information from a March 1985 Model Railroad Craftsman issue.

Now I am not saying this page is correct, but I found this. www.thedieselshop.us/DataC415.HTML

The measurements are different. On this web page, truck spacing is 37'-4" and pilot to pilot is 44'-1".

On this page they list two confusing dimensions.

Center Bolster 31'-0"
Distance Between Truck Centers 37'-4"

So now I am confused on who is correct. Interesting is that this web site lists the March 1985 MRC as a reference as well.

[edwardsutorik]

Oct 4, 2020 20:44:00 GMT -8 atsfgp7u said:

I tried to upload a photo of my upgraded version but the system says the Forum has run out of space. Ed, how were you able to post your pic, please?
cheers
Dave

Dave,

You were trying to "put" your photo into the Forum's photo storage. As you found out, the Forum's photo storage is full.

So you must insert a link to where it IS stored (That does NOT normally mean a link to your own computer.). Lotsa people who want to do what you want put their photos on Flickr. I built my own special website just for that purpose.

Thus, there must be a website where your photo is stored.


Here's what I found when I did a search for "how to store a photo on the internet":

www.wikihow.com/Upload-Images-to-the-Internet



Ed

[edwardsutorik]

Oct 5, 2020 5:29:01 GMT -8 fishbelly said:

In the article Tom posted the author says the C415 truck spacing is 28'. He also says pilot to pilot is 49'. The author noted he got his information from a March 1985 Model Railroad Craftsman issue.

Now I am not saying this page is correct, but I found this. www.thedieselshop.us/DataC415.HTML

The measurements are different. On this web page, truck spacing is 37'-4" and pilot to pilot is 44'-1".

On this page they list two confusing dimensions.

Center Bolster 31'-0"
Distance Between Truck Centers 37'-4"

So now I am confused on who is correct. Interesting is that this web site lists the March 1985 MRC as a reference as well.

from the SP&S diagram for their C-415's:

Distance between truck centers 28' 0"

Distance from truck center to coupler pulling face 12' 10"

Distance between coupler pulling faces 53' 8"


The above are all the horizontal dimensions given.


FWIW, max vertical height is shown as 15' 3"



Ed


PS: I have found numerous errors in dimensional data on the Diesel Shop--be wary of them

[fishbelly]

Got back from the store about an hour ago and now have the two models in hand. I think this is going to be a very fun project. I have a bit of design and modeling work to do on them. In the end I believe it will pay off with a couple of very respectable C415 models.

I am going with the Atlas C424 frame and modify it to 28' bolster centers. I'll use the C424 trucks and modify the sill. I have enough sills to sacrifice four of them for these two models.

The ATT Models measure out to be 28'. I'll stick with the 28' measurement.

[lars]

I guess fishbelly outed himself buy showing off those ATT 415s on his YT channel....

[fishbelly]

Oct 5, 2020 12:59:16 GMT -8 lars said:

I guess fishbelly outed himself buy showing off those ATT 415s on his YT channel....

lars, thank you for watching my channel.

[nsc39d8]

So I pulled my copy of the Wither's book on the 4 axle ALCO Century Series.
The drawing for the C415 shows 28 ft truck centers and 48 ft 6 in. pilot face to pilot face.
16 ft 4in to top of cab and 9 ft 11 1/4 in cab width.

Diesel Era's Century Series books were very interesting reading. Covers everything form the C415 to the C636.
Now you all got me wanting to build a C415 instead of waiting on Bowser!

[fishbelly]

Thanks James for the info. I'll catalog it for my project.

[nsc39d8]

Well it is for sure sure I will be watching this build. Remember if considering doing a HI-AD truck unit, Atlas did the C420 in Long Island with the HI-Ad from Bowser's design on the C430.
I want one of these to switch a coal mine and lumber yard in rotation with a ALCO S4.

[lvrr325]

FWIW, somewhere here in my stuff I have a similar re-use of an Atlas C424 walkway and frame - except I cut the decks off a Lima C420 and put that shell on. It doesn't look too bad, I started a second one but then Atlas actually made one and made them redundant.

[fishbelly]

I did not know the Bowser Hi-Ad sidframes would work on the Atlas gear tower.

Did Atlas change the truck gear towers and how the side frames attach from the Kato version to the China version?

[nsc39d8]

I am not sure how it works. I know I read it that Atlas wanted to do the Long Island C420's with the Hi-Ad truck but did not want the tooling expense as it would be their only model with the Hi-AD.
Somehow they worked a deal with Bowser for the Hi-Ad. I do not know if it involved the complete truck or the Bowser side frame fits the Atlas truck.
The parts drawing for the C420 on the Atlas page does not show the Hi-AD truck.

I would doubt if they fit the old Kato version though. More than likely just the new China versions.

[lars]

Oct 5, 2020 13:04:24 GMT -8 fishbelly said:

Oct 5, 2020 12:59:16 GMT -8 lars said:

I guess fishbelly outed himself buy showing off those ATT 415s on his YT channel....

lars, thank you for watching my channel.

Thanks for sharing your work.

Bummer on the SD45 trucks.  Glad you’re getting it sorted out.

[fishbelly]

Oct 5, 2020 16:27:43 GMT -8 lars said:

Oct 5, 2020 13:04:24 GMT -8 fishbelly said:

lars, thank you for watching my channel.

Thanks for sharing your work.

Bummer on the SD45 trucks.  Glad you’re getting it sorted out.

I called Mark at ST today and got the side frames paid for and they will be on their way to me soon.