DH 360 Detailing

[nygma]

This project is almost a year old now. It was done before I joined this forum.

I had a Marklin Maxi shunter engine for a while. I got if from ebay for a good price, and I always liked the look of the engine. Maxi line in Marklin indicates that this is a basic engine. The whole body is two moulds, no extra detail, not even windows. Engine is placed vertically and drives a singe axle through a worm screw. Other axels are turned via the side rods. Marklin also sells a DH 500 engine which has the same chassis in red, drive is also similar but with no side rods. I don't this is a model of an actual prototype. DH 500 is a Henschel engine.

Locomotive as sold by Marklin:

Bits I wanted to add are:
- Additional footplate on the front and rear
- Handrails
- Windows
- Additional guards
- Paintjob and eventually weathering
- Headlights

I based my project on the following model: http://www.spur1.de/umbauten/lokomotiven/dhg500/DHG500-im-VW-Werk/VW-Werkslok DHG500.htm
There is a company who makes detailing for this engine: http://www.spur1.de/umbauten/lokomotiven/dhg500/henschel-dhg-umbauen.htm . I already have the windows and try to get some horns and wipers.

After Googling the engine I have found that it was sold to many companies and it exists in many liveries, handrail design. Hence I decided that I will not follow any particular design, but take stuff from here and there.
These are the footplates, guards and handrails done already:

Break pipes:

More handrails:

Handrail is 1.5 mm copper wire, guards are piece of U channel, angle and piece of plasticard. Break hose it again bit of U channel, pipe, copper wire for the lever and wire with insulation as a hose.
Engine had no headlights. The holes are exactly 5 mm so the standard 5 mm LED fits right in. Still have to drill holes for the red marker lights and connect them to the basic digital decoder that comes with the engine.

 

[nygma]

Test fitting of handrails:

Headlights using 5mm bright white LED in the front and back:

Since I am using relatively high voltage, it is easier to wire the headlights in series and only use one resistor.

The cab also got 3 SMD LEDs, two white and one yellow in the middle to soften the light. Again wired in series. The wire goes throught he exhaust stack.

This model has a Marklin Delta decoder. This controls the motor and has only 1 auxillary output for headlights. The decoder is fitted enclosed with the drive just above the axles under the chassis. I got the common, front and read terminals extended.

Cab got a light paintjob:

Some of the brass cast details arrived from Germany:

The chassis has imitation for the red tail lights. I had to drill through the chassis, but the wholes are two small even for a 3mm LED. I bundled together some fibre optic cables to for the red lights. The cables go to a wood block from one side and the 3mm red LED on the other.

Final assembly follows shortly.

 

[nygma]

External details fitted:

Some of the silver details on the chassis are completed: star in the front and back, headlight rims also painted silver. Handrail imitations painted yellow.

Top masked:

I used Plasti-kote medium grey to paint the frame with the new footplates. Lighter than the original grey, but I like it.

Wiring inside:

Separate circuits for the front/back headlights/tail lights and cab lights.

Small control circuit:

Basically this contains the reduction resistors for each circuit, plus two diodes to feed the cab lights.

Final pictures follow.

 

[nygma]

Final model without any weathering:

The guards are sitting too low, I need to file it off slightly:

Shevrons are made using yellow modeling tapes.

Night shots with the lights on:

I am just learning how to weather, but I am planning to weather it at some point. After all this is a cheap maxi engine, I am not planning to add sound to it just yet. On the other hand it would be handy to have remote de-coupling machanism fitted which would require another decoder with additional functions.

 

[MR SPOCK]

[align=center]Nice work there mate, the handrail soldering looks brill,neat idea with the fibre optics, smashing
[/align]

 

[Gizzy]

Looks all the better with the addition of the hand rails....

 

[royale]

Very nicely done and an excellent improvement.

 

[jameshilton]

Superb! A real transformation from toy to model.