Does anyone know if old Atlas/Kato SD7 and GP35 motor, drive, etc. will fit into the new DCC-ready frames? I just thought of this, and it might save me some work... Thanks, Jim
Looking for the quick and easy way to DCC, eh? The GP35 is a no-go. The motor mount and driveline is different. You would be up for replacement of at least these items - $30+ including frame halves assuming the trucks are compatible. May as well wait for 'blow-out' DCC-ready GP30/35's sometime in the future. As for the SD7/9, the older shell doesn't fit over the new chassis as the tabs where the body clips to the walkway/sill are slightly different, with the old tab method fouling the chassis - look at the Atlas/Kato units and you see the lip on the tab to the inside which fits into the slot on the walkway casting. The new version has the lip to the outside side of the tab and no slot. You can remove the slots provided you wish to glue the body components together. Also, the nubs on the chassis are in a different position new v. old, though this appears not to bow the body at all. The trucks appear the same (at least the truck sideframes are the same part no.) but I haven't pulled one apart to check the commonality of all components. I was fiddling with an older SD7 this evening and there's a fair amount of space under the hood for a wired decoder (I test fitted a NCE N12SR and TCS M3) with minimal milling. Aztec would be the best bet here if you are not inclined. Hope this helps.
Well, I had hoped for a quick and easy way to bang out those projects. So I naturally expected precisely the answer I received! Thanks Gary. Jim
