"Rumor Mill" is gettin' fired up again!

Kurt Moose Feb 17, 2011

  1. Garth-H

    Garth-H TrainBoard Supporter

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    the idea originates with David K Smith as a means of creating an MP15 switcher. He shortened both ends for his project, but for the F7b and F7a you only need to shorten one end.The chassis is still DCC friendly and is held together at the splice with 00-80 screws so it is quite robust. I created a plate that fits inside the F unit shell and made a cut out that is a friction fit on the modified GP chassis so they don't fall apart when picked up, but you have to put a notch in the plate to avoid popping the motor contact spring or replace it with a small jumper , so you don't disturb it when removing the shell. The toughest part of this conversion is removing one of the worm gears from the motor shaft and since the current batch of geeps have metal motor shafts instead of ceramic found in the original runs it is now easier to do this. The process removes a piece of the chassis while leaving all the support structure for motor and motor shaft bearings. There might be other picures aeound on trainboard but i do not have them bookmarked.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/jdk1928#p/u/49/0LcEV4N7-BA here is a video off the MP15 chassis made by David.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 18, 2011
  2. Z_thek

    Z_thek TrainBoard Member

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    Wow. Sounds like to make room for a DCC decoder inside of an original F7 is a lot less work and obviously serious money saving. Actually I can get a motorized, DCC equipped F7 A-B unit with some serious pulling power for the cost of a single conversion.
     
  3. Garth-H

    Garth-H TrainBoard Supporter

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    There is room for added weight as well between the shell and the motorchassis.
     
  4. K.P.E.V.

    K.P.E.V. TrainBoard Member

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    So with the shorter chassis, ( help me out I ,am not that bright) are you still going to keep the flywheel, or will it be lost?
    This looks like somthing sombody could get a cottage industry going chopping these things.
     
  5. MrCONRAIL&BNSF

    MrCONRAIL&BNSF TrainBoard Member

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    yayyyyyyy so happppppy:thumbs_up:
     
  6. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    One flywheel needs to be sacrefised.
     
  7. Glenn Woodle

    Glenn Woodle TrainBoard Member

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    It must be a good bet to find F7's in RBBB, Amtrak, PRR, Alaska, RI,SP,GN,UP, IC may not in that order. It may be another quick win for MTL to do more passenger car sets for the sold out Amtrak, UP, GN etc with new numbers. Hope we can also see some passenger cars that already have some F7's like NYC, D&RGW, WP, etc. It would be a nice challenge to see if MTL could simulate the Budd stainless steel with paint? Would it be possible to have a kit to convert the old Marklin US passenger car sets with MTL couplers?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 19, 2011
  8. Garth-H

    Garth-H TrainBoard Supporter

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    There are two flywheels one either side of he motor so I eliminated the smaller diameter one and I could find no difference in performance after it was removed.
     
  9. K.P.E.V.

    K.P.E.V. TrainBoard Member

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    PLEASE do NOT make an Illinois Central F Unit. Just because Life Like produced one, does not mean the Illinois central had one. I have money tied up in the IC cars, I could make the City of New Orleans and the City of Miami, but they were pulled by E units. Same with the UP.
    The Maerklin ones are good for the Zephyr, I have a bunch of those, and they WERE pulled by very pretty WP F units. ( again the silver CB&Q would be E units)
    That is the problem. Matching the cars to the engines. I would rather wait untill the correct engine comes out for the correct passenger cars, than to buy anything just because it has matching decals and paint.
    And please for the love of humanity, no Happy Birthday/Easter Bunny ones..at least till the CB&Q are made.
     
  10. Cleantex

    Cleantex TrainBoard Member

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    For FP9 you can take the Märklin, it has the size :terror:
     
  11. ddechamp71

    ddechamp71 TrainBoard Member

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    Yes but you won't escape from serious retrofit, in order to displace the side crew doors forward and to displace the hoods' side portholes one pair aft and the other pair forward like the prototype, in order to add a curved pilot/snowplow, and a few other features I guess....

    Dom
     
  12. Cleantex

    Cleantex TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Dom,
    Do you know where it is possible to find a snow-plow for the F7/FP9 ? Anthony has some for the SD40. I think, even with modifications it will not fit.
     
  13. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    What would really be cool, is if MTL would make 2 Tone Lowey Green NP ABA sets, and paint their passenger cars to match.

    The NP scheme is one of the most attractive schemes ever applied to a passenger train, yet rarest to see on a layout.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    Armand,

    nothing available, the SD40-2 snow plow is totally the wrong style. Only option is custom built like this one, sorry a bit dark:
    [​IMG]
     
  15. BNSF Dash 9

    BNSF Dash 9 TrainBoard Member

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    Wow... now that is a good looking covered wagon you got there! :thumbs_up:

    I hope my Black Widow sets look that nice when I am finished with them.
     
  16. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    That's the BEST F7 I have ever seen in Z! [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  17. Z_thek

    Z_thek TrainBoard Member

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    Yes, that F7 rockZ.
     
  18. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks guys, another 2 pictures of this loco, was a customer project, so it's no longer in my possession
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Chris333

    Chris333 TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very nice work!
     
  20. Curn

    Curn TrainBoard Member

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    Wow, thats a good F7. Robs going to want you to make him another, and a whole set of cars.
     

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