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The following is an original description of building this unique SD60M model, written
originally by Mr Gerry Bowden of Grants Pass, Oregon.
a. was simple to operate and maintain. b. would be able to negotiate 5% grades. c. would haul at least 15 passengers. Numerous locomotive designs in steam and diesel were considered, including the D&RGW, K-28 & K-36 narrow gauge locomotives. In the end it was felt that, for ease of operation, a diesel would be chosen and that it would have to be a design not available on the current market. Because Cannonball Enterprises Ltd. has an EMD, HTC 3-Axle Truck, we felt that as large a gas engine as possible should be included. We finally arrived at the UP SD-60M wide cab diesel.
With the combination of 16HP at the wheels, 20HP at the pump, and 18HP at the engine we should have a good relationship and not overload the pump. The next item would be the purchase of an "O" gauge model of the UP SD-60M. Upon doing so we calculated the engine length to be 9'-6" over the pilots, using the common 1.6"/ft. scale. The physical outside dimension of the Vanguard engine, however necessitated an increase of 1" on the width and 1 1/2" on the height for it to clear the body frame work. The belly fuel tank would not carry gasoline but instead would be utilized as the hydraulic oil reservoir tank, which turned out to hold approximately 15 gallons. The combined weight of the tank and the oil was approximately 250 lbs. This would not only add weight but would assist in the stabilizing of the diesel. Because the EMD truck would have operating brakes it was necessary to install a Cannonball 12-volt air compressor. All the other standard items were:
a. Electric fuel pump. (rather than the vacuum type supplied with the B&S
engine.) The hydraulic pump used is the Eaton Model #11, which I have found over the years to be an excellent unit. The mounting of the pump to the Vanguard engine uses the same basic principle as Railroad Supply Corporation with slight modifications to suit the larger B&S engine. I had valuable assistance in the hydraulic design from Mr. Kirk Jensen of TEX-A-DRAULICS in Houston Texas, which supplied the pump and motors. The hoses were Aero Quip type FC-300-6, rated at 3,000 psi on the high pressure side and 300 psi from the charge pump on low pressure side. Using Aero Quip type reusable fittings I was able to custom fit all the hydraulic hoses. Incorporated in the hydraulic system was a 3,000 psi bypass valve so that the engine could be moved without the engine running. This valve was installed between the hydraulic inlet and outlet of the pump.
The frame was constructed out of tubing, as stated. Three types were used, 1"x3"x .080 wall, 1"x11/2"x .080 wall and 1 1/4"x1 1/4"x .180 wall. The bolster plates were made from 1/2"x 6" plates. The pilot plates were made from 3/16" CRS plate. The whole assembly was wired welded. I had a 6 foot welding table fabricated for some of my larger commercial engines and this worked perfectly for this engine. I had to avoid putting too much heat in one spot, which can twist and bend a frame very quickly. This was the basic frame, other items such as lugs and brackets were added later as I decided where the other components were going to go. The trucks were attached to the frame via a 3" diameter x 3/8" boss and a 1/2" diameter kingpin. The Vanguard engine was mounted to the upper face of the bolster plate.
a. Eight mounting angles could be welded to the tank and used for bolting to the frame. b. To allow the high pressure hydraulic hoses to pass through from each set of motors and pumps without interference with the other equipment above. c. To allow the high pressure by-pass valve to be mounted inline with the hoses. This valve had an extension rod protruding through the frame with an indicator showing open and closed position, plus a special key to operate it.
Unique on this engine were the operating gauges (where to put them?) Being hard of hearing, the owner needed them in order to check the operation of the engine. All told there were 6 gauges to be placed in a proper location. They could not go in the control box as this would be too big to handle. Then a "Flash!!!" why not install them at the rear of the tunnel behind two doors? So now an electrical switch on the control box operates an electro-pneumatic valve which controls two double acting air cylinders. The rear portion of the tunnel opens and there are the gauges. Throwing the switch the other way closes them. This way you set your engine tach and check that the other gauges are correct, close the door and off you go. The gauges are engine tachometer, fuel level, hydraulic temperature, amp meter, engine hour meter, and air pressure. With practice you can guess pretty accurately the RPM of the engine without looking at the tach.
The electrical horns were mounted on a frame work, which straddled and elevated them above the engine frame. The Cannonball air compressor system was mounted on its own base plate and again elevated above the frame. The reason for raising these items was to give as much room as possible for the hydraulic hoses. The exhaust system was constructed out of 3/4" ips black iron pipe with a 2 bolt flange connecting this to the cylinder heads. The pipes were constructed out of 45 degree elbows, nipples and straight sections. They were joined together with a special "Y" block of steel to form a single outlet. This then went into a muffler purchased from B&S. Because the muffler had a round outlet a rectangular box section was made and protruded through the shell to look like the prototype. The whole exhaust system was then shielded on the bottom and sides by a two piece aluminum box section which is removable.
a. Lights,(headlights, marker lights, ditch lights, flashers.) The key operated starter switch was mounted on the rear side and fuse holders are on the left side. This switch has three positions: off, accessories, and engine start. On accessories all electric components are actuated; lights, fans, blowers, air compressor, and fuel pump etc. But on engine start these are cut out so that full battery power is applied to the engine starter and returned when the key is released. Each switch was identified by dry transfer letters on the lid, and covered by a 1/8" plastic sheet for protection. The control box was attached to the dummy wood load with a special bracket which inclined the box toward the engineer. The engine throttle and the hydraulic directional controls were a little bit of a problem in that the throttle linkage was on the left side and the hydraulic linkage was on the right side, but the connection on the control box required that they both had to be on the right side. This was accomplished by a series of cables and linkage terminating at two levers protruding through the rear pilot. Bowden cables (no relation) were used from these levers to the control box levers. The inner core of the cable was .073 diameter stainless steel wire. For safety a solid 1/2"x1 1/4" wide solid steel draw bar was used between the engine and riding car instead of a coupler.
The final project was the cab. Again this was made of 1/8" alum. as the base. However, the roof and nose had very pronounced radiuses. A neat trick I found was to clamp a piece of plywood approximately 5' wide bye the required length in the milling machine vice and "C" clamp the piece of alum. to it. If, for example, you want a fairly sharp radius bend you mill a slot 1/8" diameter and approximately 2/3 of the way through the sheet then bend it on the edge of the bench. It you want a fairly large radius you mill a slot 1/4" wide and only 1/2 way through the sheet. It works and you get a straight bend in heavy material. This saves running to your local sheet metal company. Also you can re-adjust the angle by hand if it does not match up exactly. The crew door in the nose was made to open as this gave access to the electrical disconnect for all the lighting in the cab section. All the windows in the cab were left open to allow for air flow over the Vanguard engine heads. Both the tunnel and cab were then very lightly sand blasted and painted to match the color scheme of the "O" gauge model.
After taking the SD-60M and Dash8-40CW chassis up to the main depot, we decided to form up a train to see what would happen on the return trip up the 5% grades. It is advisable when forming a train up, and in particular when you are going down grade, to form the heavy cars up front and the light cars to the rear. We had a mid train derailment that would have made SP proud of us. However, after getting everything back in order we continued around and back up the grade as if it wasn't there. For the train load we had 60 freight cars and 4 passengers cars. In the fall of 1995 the new diesel returned to Oregon to run at the Southern Oregon Live Steamers track and at Train Mountain in Chiloquin Oregon. While at Train Mountain, Quentin Breen was interested in seeing what the diesel would pull on his track, so he suggested we add 17 propane cars to the four passenger cars already on the train. Each propane car weighs approximately 400 lb. So with the weight of the passenger car and the six people riding in the cars and the additional weight of the loaded propane cars, the SD-60M diesel was probably pulling close to 5 tons. This was accomplished on a grade of 2% for over a mile of track, and the diesel never miss a beat. The SD-60M proved to be a solid running diesel and a well-built hauler. In the fall of 1997 the SD-60M was moved to Zube Park, home of the Houston Area Live Steamers located in Hockley, Texas, after the Browning Plantation was sold. In the beginning of 1999 the diesel was repainted in the BNSF Premium Heritage II scheme, and renumbered 9944.
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