Kitbashing an FP-9A

So what issues are you talking about in MR and/ RMC?

you could modify the drivelines as per a MR article by John Armstrong that gave the Atlas/Roco engines more stability and usable torque whilst pulling a train.

Plan your cuts carefully.  The Atlas side rivit lines do not line up correctly so you will have to alter the cuts as shown in the RMC article.  I started to do this a while back and then I shelved the project.  It can be done though.  The stock wheels do not run on the turnouts at our club layout, the NWSL ones work fine.

Good luck!

Yep, the wheels are the first things I change, then when you have time this not my photo, found it on the net  years ago, well done who ever did it.

And get hold of a copy of MR June 1976 (am I that old!) for J A's article. Roo.

attached is the Armstrong article:

Chris, well done mate. I had it in front of me but didn't know how to scan it, not to good on a computer. 

Wish I could get my questions answered this quick! Roo. 

I've been wanting to do a similar conversion of one to an FP7.

Will Ebbert posted:

I've been wanting to do a similar conversion of one to an FP7.

I believe the predecessor of OGR- O scale Railroading [OSR] did a Lionel Funit kitbash article. Somewhere in the #60's issues.

The original Atlas F9 is double powered and both could be used if the drive shaft on one end were extended.    Admittedly it is a light weight mechanism.    

The mechanism that P&D Hobbies sells for use in converted the Red Caboose Kit is another option which when the plastic trucks are oredered, come with 8 wheel pick up.    The really nice brass trucks require you to build your own pickkups for 8 wheel.

Will Ebbert posted:

I've been wanting to do a similar conversion of one to an FP7.

A member has done one and discussed it here--don't remember his username here. 

See what turns up searching FP-7 or the like.

prrjim posted:

The original Atlas F9 is double powered and both could be used if the drive shaft on one end were extended.    Admittedly it is a light weight mechanism.    

The mechanism that P&D Hobbies sells for use in converted the Red Caboose Kit is another option which when the plastic trucks are oredered, come with 8 wheel pick up.    The really nice brass trucks require you to build your own pickkups for 8 wheel.

The original has two powered trucks and one motor. What I'm considering is two motors, one driving each truck.

"What I'm considering is two motors, one driving each truck."

Maybe you could do something like this but extend the P&D chassis? 

Tom D. posted:

Plan your cuts carefully.  The Atlas side rivit lines do not line up correctly so you will have to alter the cuts as shown in the RMC article.  I started to do this a while back and then I shelved the project.  It can be done though.  The stock wheels do not run on the turnouts at our club layout, the NWSL ones work fine.

 

Good luck!

What made you abandon the conversion?

I wanted to do an FP7 not an FP9 and it was going to really take a lot of work to do that with the Atlas F9 shells.  I wound up buying a couple incomplete P&D F7 shells instead.  I’ve made a few cuts but put that aside too.  I hope to start it back up soon.  It is  much easier to do it with the P&D shells.