Atlas O China Drive wheelset question

Call Atlas?

You might also try contacting P&D Hobby Shop.  They advertise replacement drive parts (some made by NWSL) for select engines and might know the answers to your questions.

A look at the various gp parts diagrams on the Atlas website suggests that all the China drive Blomberg trucks employ the same wheel sets.  It wasn't conclusive as to whether the AAR B or 3-axle EMD trucks used the same or different wheel sets.  However, in a past conversation with NWSL, it was stated that the drop in set for the Atlas gp9 was the same set as would be used for the rs1.  So one might infer from that information that the Atlas wheel sets would also be interchangeable.

If all else fails, I have a junk box gp60 here that has 2-rail wheel sets.  They are used to some extent, as the treads show wear, but appear to be in perfectly good shape.  That could take care of one of your f units.  Shoot me an email if you are interested.  

Don't forget that you will also need to consider pick ups and isolation when you swap to 2-rail wheels.

Good luck!
Jim

P&D Hobbies (Pat Mucci) sells beautiful brass Blomberg trucks, and can also repower your unit/units. P&D was the original sourc e of the Atlas F's

Simon

Thanks for all the great replies.  Here is the official update;

Simon- P&D makes great brass Blombergs but they are for horizontally mounted motors which would require extensive work to the existing Atlas configuration. I believe Atlas used the P&D F unit shells but not the original drive train layout. 

Jim- I am going to email you, thanks for the advice.  I am going to try the RS-1 wheels for one of my F's, we'll see what shakes out.

PRR 1950- P&D has the replacement wheel sets for Atlas F's and GP's in P48 and for the Atlas SD-35 in standard O .  With NWSL going through a transition, they are not currently taking orders but hopefully the new owners will pick up where things left off.

BobbyD- I have been trying to get an answer out of Atlas but am having some difficulty doing so. I usually try to go straight to the horse before I put it out on the forum but you know how some of these companies can be.

So nice to have all these replies, this forum has been a HUGE help in all my O scale endeavors!  Keep up the great work.

Mike

@big train can you please post a link to where you found the parts diagrams?  Thanks!!

Ted,

On the Atlas site, there is a tab at the top labeled "Information".  If you pull down that menu, you will find "Parts Diagrams" part way down the list.  Once at the part diagram page, you'll need to scroll down to find the O scale information.  Its ordered as Master locos, Master rolling stock, Trainman locos, and then Trainman rolling stock.

Atlas parts

By the way, the Information tab is also where you would find the archive of past releases, plus other product documentation such as manuals.

big train posted:

Ted,

On the Atlas site, there is a tab at the top labeled "Information".  If you pull down that menu, you will find "Parts Diagrams" part way down the list.  Once at the part diagram page, you'll need to scroll down to find the O scale information.  Its ordered as Master locos, Master rolling stock, Trainman locos, and then Trainman rolling stock.

Atlas parts

By the way, the Information tab is also where you would find the archive of past releases, plus other product documentation such as manuals.

Been there myself, sadly no "F" units.

Yup, there are lots of missing diagrams.  No F units, no switchers.   Sometimes the solution is to shift through the parts listings for a given locomotive, like the sw8/9/1200.  But then often the parts descriptions arent terribly specific.  It's hard to know what "upper gear part - long", or similar, actually pertains to.

Exactamundo which is why I took my issue to you guys figuring somebody out there had some experience with the F units.  These companies build pretty good products but eventually everything breaks and a few of us still like to tinker with fixing our own gear. 

Be aware that where they mount into the truck body, sometimes the axle bearings/bushings are shimmed with hand cut clear shims. There does not seem to be any consistency with the few that I have worked on, but I have found clear shims in Atlas and K-Line diesels with China drives.

Yep I was looking for stuff on the F-units and 0-6-0.  Bummer! 

Off-topic... Atlas came under criticism from the 2-rail community for using small vertical motors "China Drive."  They addressed that criticism (somewhat) by changing their gear ratios to achieve slower, smoother operation.  Does anyone know exactly when that switch took place?  That's what I was trying to find out from the parts diagrams.