Accucraft GP40 Loco Arrival

A very exciting day for the railway with arrival of an Accucraft GP40 locomotive which had been on order since January 2025.

Towards the end of 2024, I had been thinking about building or buying a larger locomotive, which would be able to handle the grades of up to 3% on the railway.  After exploring some ideas of building a loco using commercially available drive bogies, I decided that the Accucraft GP40 locomotive would be a good option, as I preferred a nicely-detailed loco based on an actual prototype rather than a freelanced design.

The initial inspiration came from a YouTube video of a US miniature railway with a loco in the Florida East Coast Railway livery, as the red-orange, yellow and black reminded me of the 1970's experimental International Orange livery applied to a couple of then WAGR (Western Australian Government Railways) standard gauge locos, including L Class L257.  

Although there are significant differences between the US GP40 loco and the L class, the overall shape is similar including the low "nose" on the short hood.  In the mid 1970's, when this livery was current, I was inspired to hand paint a Bachmann GP40 loco to act as a "good-enough" L class for my HO scale model railway.

L257 "International Orange" Livery - WAGR 1974 Publicity Photo from Rail Heritage WA

When I first enquired with Accucraft, they advised that the loco was made in Japan, but shipped to China for custom painting, and that I would have to arrange shipping from China to Australia.  Fortunately, an online search revealed a company - Shipping Solutions - which was able to handle all aspects of the importation, by sea container, including customs and GST payment.  Once I had confirmed that the import process was manageable, I paid an initial deposit to Accucraft to secure the order.  

A friend was able to source an original WAGR drawing showing the details of the paint scheme, and I prepared a drawing showing the livery overlaid onto an outline drawing of the GP40 locomotive.  I bought 1 litre tins of painted tinted to the appropriate Australian Standard colours for International Orange and Golden Yellow, which I used to prepare colour samples which I posted to the factory address in China.

Accucraft initially estimated that the finished loco would be ready to ship from China in May, but that proved optimistic, partly due to the US tariff situation which meant that other locos being prepared for US customers took precedence to beat the tariff deadline.

One issue that I became aware of some time after placing the order was the difference in wheel standards for 7¼" gauge in the US compared to Australia.  The common US profile is defined by the International Brotherhood of Live Steamers (IBLS).  The corresponding organisation in Australia is the Australian Association of Live Steamers (AALS).  The area of concern was the wheel check gauge, which affects how the wheels interact with the frog and check rails when negotiating points (turnouts).  Despite the common 7¼" track gauge, the IBLS wheel check gauge was 3.5 mm wider.  

Accucraft offered a choice of the IBLS wheel profile or an alternative RMI-25 profile which has a slightly deeper flange which more taper on the front of the flange.  I elected for the RMI-25 flange profile, hoping that the more tapered flange would help when running through points.  Although I was confident the US wheel profile would run ok on normal (plain) track, I was expecting that negotiating the curved, diverging leg though points could be a problem, which turned out to be the case.  

Around the end of June 2025, Accucraft advised that the loco was ready to be shipped from China and the previously arranged shipping plan swung into action, after I had paid a 50% deposit for the shipping component.  The crated loco was loaded into a shipping container with other small LCL (Less than Container Load) freight, and on a ship bound for Fremantle.  

A few days after arrival, the container was transferred to a freight depot in Welshpool, WA, where it was to be unloaded ready for pickup and final delivery.  This proved to be a complication as the freight depot had a slot booking system for freight to be picked up, and the company based near Albany which I had engaged for the final delivery, didn't understand that they needed to make the booking prior to pickup.  Their next schedule run to Perth wasn't for another 2 weeks, so I sought a quote from Freight Lines Group (FLG) for the transport to Denmark.  Although this hiccup resulted in a delay of 3 days, FLG did a good job and made the final delivery right to our door using a small truck with tail lift.  As this was the last delivery for the shift, the delivery driver even offered to wait while we unpacked the crate and helped lift the loco onto the track.  What service!  

The loco strapped to the base of the shipping crate.

After removing the ratchet straps and most of the packaging.

After some heavy lifting to place it on the rails.

First test run, although without the electronics installed, it was being pushed by the Planet 2 loco.

Brake Modifications to the New Open Wagons

Both of the new open wagons include electrically-operated parking brakes on one bogie.  Parking brakes are essential as most of the track is on a grade due to the topography of the site.

A simple wiring modification now means that the parking brakes can be controlled from the loco control panel as well as the from the switch mounted inside the end of each wagon.  This is much more convenient when driving and avoids having to reach forward to the switch box attached to the wagon.

To avoid any problems if both switches are operated simultaneously in opposition, the wiring includes resettable fuses (Polyswitches) which limit the battery current to a safe level.

Both wagons have now been modified, so either can be used next to the loco.  The wagons are positioned to face in opposite directions to allow for running in either direction.  The loco control panel can easily be moved between the wagons as required.

Linear actuator to operate parking brakes.  (Photo by Mini Train Systems)

Loco control panel as supplied with brake switch blanked off, at lower left.  The brake switch in the wagon is at top left.  The red switch on the right is a battery isolator switch for the locomotive.

First step - installing a 4-way connector on the brake switch box ready for external control.

Final step - installing a DPDT momentary toggle switch on the loco control panel, with a 4-wire cable to plug into the wagon's brake switch box.

Delivery of New Open Wagons

 An exciting day with the delivery of two open wagons which were part of the original order placed with Mini Train Systems from early 2023.  

Although considerably overdue, it was great to finally receive the wagons.

The wagons have flexible seating arrangements, and have been supplied with one longitudinal seat and a total of four transverse seats which can be fitted in various positions.  

Each wagon has an electrically actuated parking brake on one bogie, operated from a switch inside the wagon, with power supplied from a small sealed lead acid battery.  The battery is recharged when the wagon is connected to the locomotive, and can also be recharged separately if needed.  The need to recharge should be infrequent as power is only required to apply or release the brakes, otherwise they remain in the last commanded setting.

The intention is to use one wagon as the usual "driving wagon" rather than have a dedicated "driving truck".  This was the original reason for fitting a parking brake to one wagon, then it was decided to make both wagons the same, i.e. both with parking brakes, so they could be used interchangeably.  This will make it simpler, e.g. if operating in the reverse direction on the railway.

Preparing to crane the crate from the truck

The wagons were well packed inside.

After removing the top and one side of the crate, we were able to slide each wagon sideways onto the track.

Ready for the first test run..

Completing the Passing Loop

In the same delivery with the two open wagons, was also a 10 m radius point needed to complete the passing loop at the rear of the garden near the dam.  The point was transported, by train of course, and unloaded close to the installation site.

Later the same day, with the area conveniently shaded, the temporary curved track sections were unbolted, some of the ballast removed and the new point test fitted in place.  The temporary track sections had been in place for about 6 months, meaning that the passing loop had been in use as the through track for a considerable time - see Tracklaying in the Passing Loop.

The accuracy of the prefabricated track sections was such that the fixing bolts all fitted with no adjustments needed.  With some temporary packing with pieces of wood, it was possible to run trains over the point at low speed.

The tracks on both the main line and passing loop both need additional ballast to raise them to match the height of the point, which is dictated by a large tree root which we don't want to disturb.

There is still quite a bit of work to be done, including digging out the ballast to slide in long timber sleepers on which the linear actuator will be mounted to control the points, as well as connecting the 12 V power from the nearby solar panel and battery and installing the receiver for wireless remote control of the point.

The new point roughly in place.  The long timber sleepers ready for the linear actuator mounting are to the right of the track.

The partly exposed conduit is for a 12 V power cable from the solar panel and battery installation which is located in a more sunny spot mid way along the passing loop, from where power is fed to the points at both ends.

First Steam Loco on Springdale Miniature Railway

Another Denmark resident, Rob Otway, brought over his 0-4-0 steam loco for a run.  The loco, 7 1/4" gauge of course, is a scaled up version of a "Juliet" loco originally designed for 3 1/2" gauge.  Rob and two other members of the Northern Districts Model Engineering Society built three similar locos at the same time, with completion around 2016.

As the Springdale Miniature Railway doesn't have any specific unloading facilities, Rob brought an existing ramp to allow the loco to be gently rolled down from his trailer onto the track.

After an initial run light engine in the clockwise direction, Rob decided the railway's grades would be better running anti-clockwise, so we we turned the loco by running onto an old sheet metal sign laid on one of the level crossings and swivelling it around by hand.  The three available wagons owned by Springdale Miniature Railway provided a decent load especially on the grades of up to 3%.

The video tells the story...

To provide a method of safeworking with two operating locomotives, a token or staff system was implemented so that only one loco was permitted onto the main line at any time. 

Due to fire restrictions in the Denmark shire over the summer, a repeat of the steam run won't be possible for many months.  Even in October, the trains carried pressure sprayers filled with water to take care of any minor outbreaks, which luckily didn't eventuate.

Driving Truck to Open Wagon

The first wagon on the railway, the "interim" driving truck, worked fairly well but didn't look realistic. 

The "interim driving truck" in its original form.

Another problem was that the wood used to make the underframe had a slight twist which meant the whole underframe also had a twist, so that diagonally opposite corners were about 5 mm lower than the other corners.  When constructed, 3 mm packing was inserted at the bogie bearing points to compensate for the twist in the underframe so the wagon would track correctly and not derail.

One option was to build another steel underframe similar to the brake van and re-use the bogies, etc. to make a new open wagon.

In view of the still impending arrival of two open wagons from Mini Train Systems, it was decided to live with the existing underframe and make a new body loosely based on the WAGR GE open wagons.  Conveniently, there are a couple of GE's "preserved" (i.e. rotting away) near the old Denmark station site.

A visit to the local Mitre10 to investigate suitable plywood, resulted in the purchase of 290 x 19 mm pine boards which were a good size for the sides and ends, and easier to handle and cut compared to plywood.  The boards were flat and straight with no twist.

A V-shaped bit in the route quickly made grooves for simulated boards on the sides and ends.

The new wagon body quickly took shape with aluminium angles inside and outside to join the corners, sized to match the angle irons on the original GE wagons.  Packing under opposite corners ensured the body sat level, largely masking the inherent twist in the underframe.

The basic plywood seat can slide back and forth a bit to allow the wagon to be used in either direction.

A timely purchase of a new 3D printer allowed printing of larger parts including cosmetic ribs for the ends of the wagon, based on the dimensions of the prototype's pressed metal ribs.

The handrails and vacuum brake hoses are also 3D-printed.  Further work is still required to design and print ribs and simulated door details for the wagon sides.

 

Building a Brake Van

The design for a brake van was loosely based on the proportions of the WAGR ZF 4-wheel brake van but adapted to suit the available DNC bogies.  The length of 1150 mm was dictated by the length of the storage track in the garage and the impending arrival of two bogie open wagons from Mini Train Systems.

The welded underframe is made up from 30x30 and 40x40 square steel sections.  The use of 30x30 for the side members matched the proportions of the ZF's 4-wheel underframe, but it complicated the design by requiring tapered ends on the 40x40 cross members.  All good practice at fabrication.

The bodywork at this stage is basically a mock-up made from leftover MDF board.  The eventual plan is to build a more detailed body resembling the WAGR brake van.

Testing the seating position

Handbrake lever connected via cable and pulleys to one bogie

It was decided to press the brake van into service with the temporary bodywork, so it received a couple of coats of Manor Red paint, as well as some metal and 3D-printed details to give some character, as well as working lights at both ends powered from a small LiPo battery.

The brake van has proved to be a useful addition to the railway.  It is quite comfortable to ride in and easy to get in and out of.  In the future, it might be possible to devise a sliding door to disguise the large opening in the side.