Jeroen - yours is one most clever and also beautiful solution ... [:p][^]

Unfortunately not at the moment. Even if I have received my Uhlenbrock decoders at last, I had no time to begin the conversion of my BUDD RDC and my 0-8-0. For my FA-2/FB-2 tandem, I think that I will simply add an unpowered F7B in third position. This-one will be made of Märklin frame and trucks with a Highliner shell. The F7B will be fitted with the slider and decoder. So I will avoid the traction problem that you have got.

Can this be applicable to you ?

On the other hand, I have checked on my Brawa GP30 (which is actually a modified Proto 2000 model); only one truck is powered just like your locomotive but two traction tires have been added, one on each side and one on each axle. Maybe this will this solve your problem. Let us know.

Pierre.

Hi All,

I finally found the time to finish my SD7. No video yet: I wanted to make one tonight, but while happily putting the hood in place I was careless and let the loco slip out of my hands on the floor: one coupler snapped of, front damaged, snap-on truck fasteners unfastened, ... Took an hour to get to the point I was before. It now runs OK (Pierre, starting out from your idea I sanded down the "bottom of the truck bottom"; it was not even necessary to remove the entire bottom layer for it to clear even the pukos of the long turnouts). Pulling power is still meagre in comparison with the M. locos: a ten-car train has some difficulty in R3 curves. Anyway, I think it will be handling locals mostly (reefer, boxcar, 1 heavyweight, an occasional tank car or gondola, and a caboose), so that is no problem.


In the meantime, here are some treasures I found on Ebay:


The complete train from 29570, new, in the starter set box (94 euros; 110 including shipping!)


The automobiles are second-hand, 16 euros including shipping; the rolling stock behind them is by Bachmann; these cars are about 11/12 euros apiece new.

I am planning a video of the SD7 and the F7 for tomorrow.

Jeroen

I second Pierre.

Great cars and rolling stock you have Jeroen!

Nice video , I could download it to my office computer, which has a fast connection but unfortunately no sound.

Hans Martin

Nice video but no sound at all.

Excellent deal, Jeroen - congratulations [:p][:p][:p] !!!

Have fun ,
John

Hi all,

After successfully adding the Trix BB to my rolling stock I thought I'd check the Trix NYC PA-1 I had left after robbing a Trix UP PA-1 of its body, truck parts and headlight assembly.

The slider was no problem at all: just replaced one of the DC pick-ups by a slider (actually, only one will do: the slider should go under the non-powered truck, otherwise it "runs aground" on the high pukos of the long switches). Then connect the remaining DC pickup to mass.

Next was the decoder: I used a multiprotocol lokpilot 2, which simply plugs into the NEM socket on the loc.

The loc now ran, but there was a problem with the lights: I had mounted the NYC headlight assembly from the Märklin loc, but somehow the wiring did not match and I could not get the headlight to work, although the numberboard lights, connected to the same output, did work.

I decided to do away with the original headlight and mount a warm-white led instead of the original yellow one. Just drilled a hole through the PCB, grinded the top of the 5mm LED (only size I had) to a cylinder of appropriate diameter and press-fitted that in the hole (photos clickable for high-res versions):

The current-limiting series resistor is not visible as it is at the decoder side of the wires. I blackened the bottom of the LED with Humbrol black to prevent light escaping to the back.

With a current of almost 13 mA the headlight is quite powerful, and I like the colour: it is not as blueish white as the headlight I put in the F7, and not the very yellow yellow of the original one:


Jeroen

Nice conversion of your Trix (?) PA-1, congratulations.

The white LED is a real improvement as compared to the yellow one [:p].

I did also make a few experiments with white LEDs on my Amtrak F7. However, I did not get a completely satisfactory result yet as the light appeared too blue (allthough using warm white LEDs), but the light colour from your LED is perfect.

Hans Martin

Nice fleet, Jeroen ... BTW, all of your headlight colors are great [:p]

Your three loks in the picture are looking pretty awesome Jeroen .
Top thread.[:p]

Good work, Jeroen

Jeroen,
My GHan has Lamps but I am going to replace them with LEDs.
THe F7 Has Lamps and am undecided either to leave as Lamps or LEDs.
N

Coolness, Jeroen - now we've got a time machine [:p][:p][:p] !!!
And thanks for those great old ads. Do really love them ...

Any news about your UP fleet, Jeroen [:p]

Jeroen - your Big Boy tale of woe brought to mind an old poem about Paddy, an Irish bricklayer. It's not MMR but it may give you something to smile about. Here it is

Dear Sir I write this note to you to tell you of my plight
For at the time of writing I am not a pretty sight
My body is all black and blue, my face a deathly grey
And I write this note to say why Paddy's not at work today.

Whilst working on the fourteenth floor,some bricks I had to clear
To throw them down from such a height was not a good idea
The foreman wasn't very pleased, the bloody awkward sod
He said I had to cart them down the ladders in my hod.

Now clearing all these bricks by hand, it was so very slow
So I hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below
But in my haste to do the job, I was too blind to see
That a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me.

And so when I untied the rope, the barrel fell like lead
And clinging tightly to the rope I started up instead
I shot up like a rocket till to my dismay I found
That half way up I met the bloody barrel coming down.

Well the barrel broke my shoulder, as to the ground it sped
And when I reached the top I banged the pulley with my head
I clung on tightly, numb with shock, from this almighty blow
And the barrel spilled out half the bricks, fourteen floors below.

Now when these bricks had fallen from the barrel to the floor
I then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more
Still clinging tightly to the rope, my body racked with pain
When half way down, I met the bloody barrel once again.

The force of this collision, half way up the office block
Caused multiple abrasions and a nasty state of shock
Still clinging tightly to the rope I fell towards the ground
And I landed on the broken bricks the barrel scattered round.

I lay there groaning on the ground I thought I'd passed the worst
But the barrel hit the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst
A shower of bricks rained down on me, I hadn't got a hope
As I lay there bleeding on the ground, I let go the bloody rope.

The barrel then being heavier then started down once more
And landed right across me as I lay upon the floor
It broke three ribs, and my left arm, and I can only say
That I hope you'll understand why Paddy's not at work today.

@Hal: my plight dwindles in comparison

@John: It seems to be a law of nature that, irrespective of one's dwellings, the number of rooms is always one short

Jeroen

Congratulations, Jeroen - the Gas Turbine definitely is a must ...
Good luck with your conversion [:p]

I constantly do miss your wonderful topic cos it's not in the HO-forum [:I]

Life-Like and Athearn four-axle engines can be converted easily for Märklin.

Take a Brawa pickup shoe #2225 and replace the original RP25 wheels with the wheels of a Brawa V100 (of an AC version, of course). That way means you can keep all four driven axles. I have several GP engines which have been converted that way, and they run fine.

I think the same way of conversion should be possible for Athearn’s F7s too, allthough I haven’t tried it yet. They have a UP F7 for a good price, so why paying high prices for an old used Märklin UP F7 which just isn’t as rare as many think.

Regards,
Florian

Here’s the description how to fit 2-axled Life-Like and Athearn bogies with the Brawa pickup shoe (which are, in fact, the same). Finally, I found the time to take some pictures of one of the converted locos, a Rock Island GP9 from Life Like.

The Brawa pickup show is flatter, its sheet metal is not so thick as that of other manufacturers' pickup shoes.

First thing you need to do is to remove the pickup shoe’s base plate which consists of plastic or pertinax. Work carefully not to damage the brackets.

Then, remove the bottom plate of the gear box. Now, install the pickup shoe on the narrower middle section of that plastic part.

If you have no problems with RP25 on your Märklin tracks, it is of course not really necessary to replace them.

This loco had no problems with the transmission box touching the point contacts on any turnouts.

Please note: the brass gears of my loco are not the original one. The original ones were of plastic and damaged. The new ones were fitted by a member of our model train club, they are from Fleischmann, I will ask him the next time I see him for what models Fleischmann uses them (probably steam locos with driven tenders).














Regards,
Florian

Hi Florian

Thanks for the conversion details. I have been wanting to buy some Athearn SD & GP locomotives but did not knew how to convert to C-track.

I have a few questions, will you please assist me with answers if you are able to?

Looks like you fitted a normal Marklin relex coupler (72060) to the loco, is this correct?
Did you have to modify the coupler pockets on the Athearn loco (for the relex couplers to fit
)?

I assume you fitted you own decoder to the locomotive, i.e. ESU of simmilar, is this correct?

Will you try to get the part numbers for those brass gears from your fellow club member?

Do you know what the part numbers are for those wheel sets form the Brawa V100?

Regards

That's the Mehano coupler 12344:



It's a loop and hook coupler for American coupler pockets. I also used this coupler to convert freight cars. Sometimes, you have to sand off some material, but in most cases, it fitted excellent.

Regards,
Florian

Hello Florian and all other members.

I recently received my first Athearn HO locomotive, an SD70Ace. Quite a nice looking locomotive at a lowish price. My main obstacle is now the changing of the coupler to something that works with Marlin rolling stock.

I did send an e-mail to Mehano regarding coupler # 12344 and received absolutely no response. Is their any members who can assist with alternative ideas?

Regards
Marius

Edited by user 19 December 2010 20:24:24(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified