I recently purchased a collection and I found a Minitrix H12-44 switcher in it. Someone painted it in BN colors. Are there good runners and is there anything that can be done easily to make them a really good runner? I kind of like the little engine and would like to get it repainted. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks.
Coalporter, that is a great job. Here's my Minitrix H12-44, custom painted by Randy Gustafson: http://home.comcast.net/~j.sing/Santa_Fe_FM_H12-44_Zebra_Stripe.htm On the web page above are some comments about how well it runs. One other Minitrix H12-44 photo, this on Jim Younkin's Mud Bay and Southern: Jim has remotored his with Lifelike SW9 motors and they run so much better, smoother, slower. (you can see a little more about this layout at: http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona_2/Jim_Younkins_Mud_Bay_and_Southern.html Enjoy!
Thanks John, beat me to it. Nothing more to add! Except it probably needs a good cleaning and lubricating and it will be just fine.
Talk about the beginnings of great threads. This has got to be one of my favourite models. When my dad first got interested in model railways it was the switchers that most interested him, and as most modellers in the seventies eventually did, he purchased a Minitrix H12-44. It was painted red and lettered for his own Sorry Valley Railway and one of my most favourite model railway memories is of watching operating sessions on the SVR. A slow runner (remember this was the pre-ROCO, pre-Kato days!) it was always easy to find making up trains in the Forest Hill yard. The prototypes were also the first heavy road units that were used here in PEI. CN bought a bunch and they hauled most of the mainline trains and I have photo's of them hauling long freights and passenger trains too. My own model is now packed away, but I have a hankering to get it out and redo it to better reflect my abilities. Anyway, great thread, I'm really glad I logged in. Chris
The H10-44 was the predecessor to the H12-44. The first units were built on the same cast frame as the VO1000 so were longer. Later 10-44 units were built on fabricated frames to the same dismensions. The H10-44 is the unit with the overhanging cab rear that resembles a steam engine cab. The H12-44 is an updated version (I'm not sure without looking it up when the cab overhang was dropped) and the last "Phase" was built on a shorter frame, so the Minitrix model is actually fairly accurate. I've got an Atlas VO1000 that will get some kitbashed Minitrix hood and cab components to make an early H10-44. Charlie Vlk
Here is an older Trix unit that still runs pretty decent for it's age. I still have to letter it: Russ
One of the great things about these is there's a lot of them out on Ebay (usually) and the price is right because out of the box, they're a pretty ugly puppy with the thick handrails and the 'milk glass' cab windows. And often a paint job to make you sob, the ATSF blue is particularly horrible. They chase away buyers, and they shouldn't. The basic body casting isn't bad, and the mechanism is very durable. Because of all the metal gears and parts, the more you run it the quieter and smoother it gets; but it's still heavy, 8 wheel drive and 8-wheel pickup, and easily maintained. You can take one apart with a decent pair of tweezers - everything just pins and clips. If you want to paint and kitbash, these are a great project. The paint on the shell is pretty thin, and Trix paint is hard to strip. One way to get started quick is just tear it down and paint right over the existing paint.
I really ought to track down and invest in a junker to restore my FM switcher. Back in the late 70s, I took out the milk glass, sawed off the metal weight just above the side window line so you could see in the cab, cut engineer figures through the chest and glued the top third of the figure so it showed in the cab, zebra-striped the thing for Santa Fe, took off the outside handrails and put an inboard wire handrail following Santa Fe practice. Also added an exhaust stack per prototype photo and changed position of headlights. All that good stuff. But the loco is out of service because the thing on the bottom- I guess it is supposed to represent a fuel tank- it is supposed to have four clip tabs to hold it on. One tab broke. Without it, the electrical contacts do not hold together inside the loco. Been meaning to buy a junker loco someday just for the part. Wonder if I could buy the part? (from 30 some-odd years ago???)
They were top quality when first introduced. And if maintained well, are still very good runners. Boxcab E50
Just registered for a rail images account so I hope to post a photo my PRR H12 soon. Looking at the little guy I think I'll do something with it. Anyone do a DCC conversion on one?
Hi, moose, The Mud Bay and Southern (by Jim Younkins) Minitrix H12-44 shown above is decoderized. Jim does all his own work (and beautifully). That Mud Bay and Southern H12-44 now sports a LifeLike SW9 motor. Jim figured out how to fit it in himself - I've no details on how he did it - I would like to have that done myself.
As Charlie said, the Minitrix model is pretty accurate for the last phase H12-44's. These were built from October 1956 to the end of production. From the roster that N&W linked, here are the major owners of the shortened (Minitrix modelled) version: ATSF 559-564, B&O 9722-9726, NKP 139-155 and SP 1577-1596. Makes you wish Minitrix had chosen an earlier phase, doesn't it?
I wonder if Atlas is considering doing an H10-44 with a chassis similar to the VO-1000. I'm not a big fan of the Atlas VO' performance, but, I have five of them just because VO's look good. Love to have VO-660's too. I'd buy H10-44's even with a VO 'like' mechanism. The two Minitrix H12-44 I have are still pretty good (SP and ATSF). The modifications mentioned above are good suggestions ~ thanks.
I was about to start a new topic asking just this. I'm impressed with the running qualities of these 30 year old Minitrix beauties and I'd very much like to buy one, but I'm about to make the jump to DCC. Cheers David
Well, David, you can. As a matter of fact, just yesterday I finished installing a decoder in my FM switcher. I got one that had never been out of the box and it runs quite well. I added a Lenz LE0511W decoder (with a little bit of cutting and hoping :angel: ) and it is a great little performer. While I had it apart, I added MT couplers and turned the wheel flanges down, too. It wasn't too bad, really, as I only had to take a minimal amount of material off of the frame, and only had to drill/tap one hole. I took a bunch of pics, if anyone is interested I will try to post a how-to. Ray
