OK, a 2+ hour Darth Santa Fe video.... Guess I have no plans this evening.

That is an interesting kit. I saw a GE/Alco boxcab at a museum and the kit defiantly resembles it. Those are defiantly louder than the real loco too.

I enjoyed that; great way to spend a wet afternoon. The thing's certainly noisy enough but the real ones were probably the same. It's not a beauty but I've always thought they had a certain "ugly duckling" kind of charm about them. Looking forward to seeing it run a few laps and I hope you'll show any future modifications.

Hi Darth I watched this video when you first uploaded it and I quite liked the model. Recently I picked up a brand new Roundhouse kit of the yellow Ingersoll Rand version at a Paris collector's store and tonight I put your video on in the background, as well as glancing at the instructions from time to time and finished in about the same time as you did. It was great having you sorting out all the little glitches just ahead of time all along the way. It certainly is noisy and slow, but it will find its place in the freight yard all the same . Thanks again. Cheers Guy (in France)

Skip the couplers! I wanna see it run…sometime this evening! 😂 😅😂❤

I like how you teach how to put things together I'm learning a lot thank you

I had 6 of those. I do recall if you got the none track cleaner model it came with a different gear box and had three gears. The flywheel is useless. What I did to a few was replace the flywheel with an athearn brass and used u joints instead of the flex tube. It still made a lot of noise. I changed the motor to a open frame of better quality , used Athearn f unit cross bar drive in place of the ones this came with.Added a small coil spring between the large gear and the drive to keep a bit of pressure on them. Finally to fix the noise , I left the athearn brass flywheel as weight , installed a brass gear on the motor in place of the off center plastic one it was a larger diameter and helped being centered. and the final add on was a small flywheel on the motor shaft just past the new brass gear and it was quiet and smooth. I needed to set the motor height as one would expect. I didn't us the v cast to hold the motor. The rest I left alone other than new home made smoke stacks. I watched a few of your videos , I know all about the old athearn rubber band drive had a F7 and GP7. Later had tyco f7 one had two motors. Had a bunch of roundhouse steam kits. I sort of stopped for decades then started again in the 80's . Really liked Athearn blue box and stewart hobby , kato, really liked Atlas with kato drives and roco drives in the S2 and FP7 I had the later FP7 with the small open frame like the atlas S2 used it was better and has two flywheels . I sold all my trains through the years . I kept one Athearn train master had 7. I had PK2 were all right didn't like the melted on details. Had spectrum GP30n and baby train master, I felt they were very good just used metal handrails. Paint was to thick. I missed the Atlas S2 so I bought a made in Austria better than MIC. Also missed the FP7's ha two Soo line , I also go a shell and made a brass frame and used Kato trucks and a can motor and brass flywheels and new number boards, from one of the detail west . Never painted it. Lots of work but then I was really into ding what I needed to make a better model. I kit bashed countless locos. What was only in brass no plastic I built. To old now and not well so I did get the train master rewired and moved the light, all left is align and CA the handrails and paint them. The S2 is fine just kadee and the FP7 will be here in 4 days all I will do is go over it well. Don't have a lay out just a test track and an old MTC power supply it works even though not as good as the early electronic ones I had 2 and sold them with the last 30 locos I had. This will do however.

Another excellent video. For the ladders knotch the frame to allow extra space. You can also file the tab on the ladder down thinner along with filing the inner body behind the doors.

I rebuilt one of these into a modern locomotive using the chassis of a Bachmann 70 tonner and numerous detail parts. And its DCC!

This video in my opinion qualifies as a sort of asmr video.....the sound from when you filed the fly wheel mounts got me a bit sleepy,lol.I too have a few of these kits. i did however replace the cast fly wheels with turned brass ones that a pal made for me.

Great build!

Thanks for that one; I was thinking of making a boxcab electric out of one. But, listening to yours and watching it run I have decided to go another way to get my boxcab electric.

Hello Darth, I like the Old Round House models. Would be good see them again. Kenneth

I remember building the Climax when I was in middle school, I think it had the same chassis/mechanism. Wish I still had it. Still have a few of the random HO scale stuff I had as a kid, but not that one.

The atlas Kato I liked were the early GP7 heavy metal frame just like the RS1. The RS3 and RS11 and C424. The metal walk way of the GP7 and RS1 were like the S2 except the S2 uses Roco made in Austria trucks. Still very smooth and heavy. At one point I decided to buy Roco electric locos that ran on track DC or by the overhead wires. They were well made and great running units and I liked the way they looked , so odd compared to US and Canada units. I had a lot of Riverossi steam liked the 080 and 040 re powered both 040 can motor and 080 NWSL . Had a brass 2-6-6-2 I really liked can't recall the brand now. Had Tyco/ mantua 2-6-6-2 I redid ran great. Also many of their 060 an 040 . Many Penn line back in the day. Varney old lady. Penn line had a stream lined steam 4-4-4-4 that was a kit in a hobby shop I used to go to in IL My father used to go there and the owner just gave it to me and I finished it into a good runner , my father didn't like old ball locos. He started with O gauge then into HO , first set was mantua F7 NH and B&O with stream liners. actual aluminum . He finally built a large lay out, had lots of rolling stock of all makes made back then in the 50's and 60's.

Very helpful video - I have one of these and was unsure of how the end "platforms" attached to the frame. (So I can cover the cleaning pad coils in a steeple-cab nose)

Wonderful video build. Even though the quality and engineering isn't nearly up to todays standards, there's something about building something yourself and see it working. Thanks for sharing.

Surprised at its slippage after its assembly!

Very good helpep me very much thank you.

I've seen one of these, but the other end had a fuzzy "mop" head installed instead of sandpaper.

I’ve got this kit, too! Unassembled…I’m thinking the abrasive pads will leave behind particles on the rails. Might have to rag wipe off debris left behind.

Never saw so many flatheads in my life!😂😅

Looking back on this video i was kinda surprised at how loud the motor is . The one i have ,has the same type motor , but it's not loud. But also it runs much faster than it should.

This kit was first issued as a box cab switcher many years ago,the one I assembled still operates noisely as ever.

I'll bet the loud coffee grinder effect is to provide vibration to the pads to clean the track

Hello, @1:10:00 i repair roundhouses that have that gear, i discovered that no one super glues the little black turning gear on the metal rod that turns the wheels. thats why ive bought many roundhouses on ebay and every single one di not have the little black gear super glued to the metal rod for the wheels.

On the steps, I'd probably try to find something from Tichy Trains that will mount flush right on the outside of the body under the cab doors.

I think, I saw some on eBay already Assembluild for those who don't have the time, know-how or patience.

Always enjoy the repair videos, I found this channel by accident. I'm glad I did! You wouldn't be interested in selling that?

Two hours and some... but, awesome work! I have two of these boxcabs (one with directional lighting)... Does anyone know what to do with a squealing motor? Is it a lubricant issue and where? John BC, Canada p.s. 39:22 oiling that felt washer at the shaft/magnet connection will do wonders.

Where on EARTH did you manage to find the powered version of this puppy? All I was able to find was the unpowered version - which I built and painted in my railroad's colors and decals (Quail Valley Railroad). BTW...fantastic video. The step-by-step construction should be VERY informative to anyone who can find one and build it.

Funny how people complain about noisy engine. Trains are noisy. Anyone that have seen a Speeno grinding rails train, that is roughly the equivalent, late at night at crawling speed will agree. Noisy. Modelers pay a lot for DCC bell, horn, engine, squeeling and more sounds that are all noises. Not the same for sure, but not as quiet as an electric loco. That kit goes back to an era when you had to put some work before running it, quite different with today´s one. Maintenance must not be funny with this kit. There´s a lot of pro and con on how and what to use to clean rails. Maintenance vehicles are slow runner. Never saw them at TGV speed. Climax and that one where highly advertises as high add on candidates. Working headlights and extra lights toward track and surrounding would be cool and prototypical. For those having "grassy track", may be narrowing pads and support would be a good idea. Overall i like that basic kit that calls to be fully gadgets equipped. But maintenance without easy access to trucks removal and mechanical basics is sort of no no, even if it´s an occasional runner. I wonder if painting isn´t easier before final assembly. As long as it´s picking current for all lightnings it could be used as a motorless dummy coupled with other maintenance cars, pulled by a regular loco. Thanks for the show.😊

Could put glass in windows and doors and paint window frames a different color

Looks nice, but it does sound like an expresso grinder.

Would a modern can motor improve things? You should get better low speed performance.

Roundhouse before it was taken over by athearn

I don’t believe you should be using grooved long nose pliers when pressing together plastic parts. I know you have a pair of smooth long nosed pliers because I’ve seen you use them. Just sayin.

I was glad to see you put one your eye wear....until you picked up your dremel WITH A CUTTING DISC not a grinding wheel cutting DISC are thin and meant to only have their edge come in contact...by grinding on their side you weaken them then yes they will SHATTER.... please stop that habit

Okay, weird idea, buy cheap but acceptable engine then grab a bunch of leftover wheels and turn a bunch of things like spice bottles and toothpaste tubes into the cars to pull?

How much bad design in this hobby is paten and copyright avoidance?

Typical guy…skipping instructions…logic n practiced fittings on your own! What’s a man? Anyone whom races ahead of instructions! They can’t fig out what a woman is but men are well known of!!! 😂😅🎉❤