Should this diesel have 1 or 2 slider shoes for electrical pickup from the track? The one I have has 1 shoe. Also, did AF ever do away with these shoes on later versions? It seems the "Lionel" AF diesels also have these. These sometimes hang up or derail the engine over AF turnouts. Thanks for any input.
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Normally all AF GP7's have 1 pickup shoe per truck on opposite sides of the 2 trucks. The only GP7's without pickup shoes are the T&P "dummy" units.
The 370 with the bars for link couplers did not have the sliders. The sliders were part of the knuckle coupler change with the 371. The likely reason the sliding pickups were added then is the 371 and all other GP7's that followed also had a rubber traction tire, necessitating an additional power pickup. If you see a 370 with a sliding pickup the side frames are not original.
Yes, I must have the 371 model since it has knuckle couplers and a traction tire (not sure if 1 or 2 - I am at work, will look when I get home.) Where can I order a new shoe and also a new traction tire? Is a tire hard to replace?
The 371 should have one Pull-mor traction tire on each side of the powered truck. Each side frame assembly has one sliding pickup. I suggest starting with Portline's website for diagrams and parts. I have not replaced a traction tire on a GP7 but I suspect it is straightforward. If the engine has been run frequently in the past the chassis may need to be rebushed to operate properly. You can tell by poor running and side play in the power truck axles. There are forum advertisers who provide that service. If the engine runs acceptably after a cleaning then just enjoy it and forget about the re bushing.
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