I wish I did. I'm sure that the majority of the side would be a decal to get the eagle to look good. I have a feeling getting a good decal will be harder than the basic paint job itself. Do you have a good straight on the side shot? Custom building the open tourist cars is another issue all together.
Did you have any trouble with the screws being to long for the Unimates and penetrating the frame? I will DCC the FP7's and worry about shorting out the frame.
Hey Pete, What I like to do is use the boxes from the Atlas couplers. I cut out the post inside,then I cut the extensions off the front of the box.Then I use my soldering iron to melt the lid back onto the box. Then I open up the first hole of the Unimate coupler and cut off the second hole. I then use the IM screw. It works for me. Hope this helps.
Just received my WP FP7s and my GG1. Just as I thought, the A unit shell is sitting higher than the B Unit shell. Much larger space between the shell and the trucks on the A Units. I will pull off the shell tomorrow and investigate. The GG1 had a sprung wiper like most people have received. A very simple fix and everything was just fine. All units run smooth and quiet and I am very pleased with them. I will report back on the A Shell unit later.
Hey Bob, What I found was the coupler mounting pad rides on the edge of the rear part of the shell.This is why some of the guys have been popping off the coupler mounting pad(myself included).I just removed some material with my Dremel. That lowered the body down nicely.The B unit also had this problem on one end. I hope to post some in progress photos this evening. I am just about finished detailing my ABBA set. Adios,
Wolf, I got the shells level and they are looking good. After filing down the coupler tabs on the A unit, I noticed that one end of my B unit was too high. So I filed down the coupler tab on it to match the rear of the A unit in height. Then I noticed that the front of the A unit was still too high. I had to file off some metal on the top of the frame where it was making contact with the top of the shell. Viola, perfect fit. Now to change out the couplers and to order a Mars light with the rear backup light from Richmond Controls. Will add detail further down the road because I am finishing up the detailing on my F3 at present. Have to order an airbrush today.
Hey Bob, Yup, the B units were off a bit as well. I didn't have an issue with the front of the A unit as I put a pilot plow on them.(Thanks Joe). I did shave off the locating slots inside the shells(The ones going up and down,not the small ones to hold the shell on). That also seemed to help.Also check for the hand rails sticking into the shell. I had to file them flush with the inside of the shell. Adios,
I did the exact same thing with my IMR F3's (except, I believe that they are MT couplers - not Atlas) but still had to shorten the screw a bit to avoid interference with the metal frame halves. It's possible that IMR has since figured out that they need a shorter screw.
You are correct, the couplers that come with these units are the MT 1015's. I like to keep them for converting my other new locomotives. I then take the Atlas accumate boxes and modify them.(since I do not like Accumates). The IM screw has been perfect. No interference with the frame halves. I haven't measured the thickness of the two different boxes(MT and Atlas).Maybe the Atlas is thicker. Adios,
I just finished converting the couplers on my FP7s. I used the existing coupler box, had to cut off the long part of the coupler box top & bottom. Drilled out 51060 Red Caboose Couplers and had to file off all the corners on the coupler because I used the existing shaft in the coupler box so they would pivot freely. Works like a charm and I put my F3s on the track with the FP7s and they all run identical speeds. Then I ran the FP7A, F7B, and the F3B together and that really looked cool and I am very pleased with this set up. Just spoke with Chuck at Feather River and my FP7s Black Widows just arrived at his shop. So, I had to order more 51060 couplers and another BLMA F Unit Detail Set.
I would really like to see a picture , these are my first IM F units and never did that conversion , would like to understand better the process , many thanks ! Me too , I am very impressed how the units are smooth runner .
Ok, I will do a set off my IM F3s as it looks like the same coupler box. Will post later tonight or tomorrow morning.
OK here is my attempt at photographing them with my wife's 10 year old digital camera. I apologize for them not being sharp but I could not get close enough IM F3/FP7 Coupler - RailImages.com
Thank you both for taking the time to show us your work , I will try to find the Red Caboose coupler today at my LHS , thanks a lot .
This is effectively what Sizemore did in his narrative about lowering F7 body shells. The only difference is that Sizemore used Unimate coupler boxes instead of Micro Trains 1015s or Accumates. I used this method, too, and it worked great. I milled out the inside of the shell instead of milling the frame. Also, the cab interior detail has to be modified on the F7A units I worked on.
