i have a set of F59's (TRE), and was just wondering if this shell would fit over any kato mechanism? what i want to do is put these shells on a kato body. just do not like the way the athearn runs.
It looks like the Kato F40PH would be the closest match. The trucks are the same and so is the space between them on both locomotives. Chris
The Athearn truck has a tendency to fall apart with handling. Hunker down low and look carefully at the height above the rail head compared to the lower outer frame of the truck. It should be exactly level. If it isn't, take the loco apart and reassemble the truck.
so, would it be possible to take the shell from one of my F59's and put it on the kato F40PH? it is not so much the trucks i do not like, it is how it runs. it just does not seem all that smooth.
I concur...these are probably the worst locomotive mech's to be released in the past 20 years. But since I am actually modelling the TRE I have to make them work. I have posted before about what can be done to improve them but no takers. I'm trying to find one bottom dollar on eBay to see what I can do to make them better although I really don't have enough experience with that type of stuff. (that way if I screw them up it's not a major deal) The main purpose for the "donor" is to mill the frame and/or whatever else is needed for DCC, but I hope that I can figure out if anything can be replaced like gears and so forth to improve things. (I wonder if Ron Bearden can be bribed?) I do have a pair of F40PH's that I'm considering using for my Kaslo F59PH's if they will fit, so I may try to see how the PHI's fit too.
Doug, let me know what you find out. i am really anxious to see if those shells from the athreans will fit on the katos. if so i will be doing some hunting for some kato.
I'm not 100% sure, but the LifeLike GP60 mechanism might be the right length. It's not a Kato, but it still has a reputation for being a nice runner. Also, I've heard rumors that Athearn will be re-releasing these with a redesigned mechanism. I'm looking for a new mechanism for mine, too. It's probably my worst runner. At least the decoder install is easy
i sure hope that is true. you are right about this being the worst runner i have. i have still been trying to get some measurements for the Kato F40. hopefully, i can find that soon, and then see if these shells will fit or not. thanks for the information.
I don't know what all the measurements are, but I have all of the engines/frames listed here. If nobody else has done this shell swap, I can do a test fit myself.
Well...I only have one F59PHI at the moment and it is at another location. I have a pair of F40PH's, and I have a pair of Kaslo F59PH shells, all sitting in front of me. I can tell you that (unbelievably enough) the Kaslo shell doesn't fit either the F59PHI mech from Athearn (I had already tried this) nor the F40PH mech from Kato because the shell is too narrow. From what I recall, the Kaslo shell was much closer to fitting the Athearn mech. Looking at the Kato F40PH mech I'm not sure I could do enough filing without hitting daylight on the business side of the shell. What that tells me is the Athearn shell will PROBABLY fit the Kato mech OK. The porches may have to be modified some though. I will have access to my F59PHI in the next week or so and will be able to give you more info if someone else has not already. I would like to find out the differences between the wheelbase, truck measurements, overall length, etc. between the F40PH, F59PH, F59PHI, GP38-2, and GP60 to help sort all this out.
OK, I'm gonna use this reply to gather statistics: TRE F-59 PH -Horsepower: 3100 -Height: 15’ 8” -Width: 10’ 6’’ -Length: 58’ 2’’ TRE F-59 PHI -Horsepower: 3000 -Height: 15’ 11.5’’ -Width: 10’ 6.5’’ -Length: 58’ 2’’ *Several sites report this as 58' 7". Same frame but an extra 5" because of the nose on the "I". -Overall length between coupler faces of 58' 2" -Length of 35' between the bolsters -Truck wheelbase is 9 feet. OTHERS (not sure I buy all these figures just yet, but anyway) Model/Coupler Faces/End Plates/Bolster CL GP18/20/28/30/35 56' 2" / 52' / 32' GP38/38-2/40/40-2/50 59' 2" / 55' / 34' GP60 (6) 59' 9" / 55' 7" / 35' 1" F40PH 56' 2" / ? / 33' F59PH 58' 2" / ? / 35' F59PHI 58' 7" / ? / 35'
