Lionel Rio Grande F3 A-A Mt Clemens

To figure out how to adjust your e-unit replacement, you may have to remove it to identify the manufacturer and then look for a user manual.  With respect to the power truck swap, I'm not sure from the pictures that it will meet your goals.  It does not appear that the steps currently on the rear truck will line up well with the cab steps.  However, it does seem to line up with the door impression just above that rear truck.

Chuck

The 1970s  MPC Rio Grande was yellow and had a mechanical e-unit and single motor. The rear steps are in the right place for a early Lionel F3. I'm not sure when the one you have was built.

You bought some adulterated engines. Those shells are from Lionel F-3 set no. 14559, which were also part of the no. 21955 Rio Grande passenger set. These engines were originally equipped with TMCC and RailSounds, fixed voltage directional lighting, etc. (I have set of these, incidentally.) The dummy A unit is also TMCC equipped with directional lighting and electrocoupler. Your engines have none of those electronics, so it appears someone swapped out the original chassis' for some old MPC conventional chassis'.

In other words, the engines you have the shells from the 14559 set, but are mounted on cheaper conventional chassis' of unknown origin. One mystery is that apparently the previous owner took the painted pilots from the 14559 engines (which were riveted to their chassis'), and somehow removed those and reattached them to the replacement chassis'. 

In any case, you have some Frankenstein engines. The box which belonged to different engines was also a hint of something odd going on. It's hard say exactly what old chassis were used, or how the previous owner managed to mate them to the shells in such an odd way. 

Thanks for the feedback Guys.

Chuck,  I think you are correct, the rear step would not line up if I made the swap.   For now I think I will leave as is.  They do run pretty well.  Sorry there is no horn. Oh well. 

Steve

breezinup posted:

You bought some adulterated engines. Those shells are from Lionel F-3 set no. 14559, which was offered separately, which were also part of the no. 21955 Rio Grande passenger set. These engines were originally equipped with TMCC and RailSounds, fixed voltage directional lighting, etc. (I have set of these, incidentally.) The dummy A unit is also TMCC equipped with directional lighting and electrocoupler. Your engines have none of those electronics, so it appears someone swapped out the original chassis' for some old MPC conventional chassis'.

In other words, the engines you have the shells from the 14559 set, but are mounted on cheaper conventional chassis' of unknown origin. One mystery is that apparently the previous owner took the painted pilots from the 14559 engines (which were riveted to their chassis'), and somehow removed those and reattached them to the replacement chassis'. 

In any case, you have some Frankenstein engines. The box which belonged to different engines was also a hint of something odd going on. It's hard say what old chassis were used, or how the previous owner managed to mate them to the shells in such an odd way. 

Yup. Someone really altered those engines. Plus the front power truck is a Magnetraction truck, the rear just traction tires. Looks like someone cobbled them together with leftover parts from a project.  

The rear truck has traction tires.  No magnetraction on the front truck.

Steve

  The direction issue and lock out switch can be done relatively easily, but the board numbers would help as it might make it even slightly easier. It could be capable of sounds and it just not using them; unfinished, or skipped for lack of interest in any sounds. Which direction first is just a matter of swapping motor wires correctly. The Scotch tape hints that the builder was likely not too much into electrical in general. Scotch tape works ok at this voltage, but does lack some durability in comparison.  I bet the dummy's lamp is just disconnected vs being on in fwd operation; more prototypical.

  I always test operation before the wallet sees light

  They look pretty sharp regardless

The looks of the chassis' lend me to believe they were derived from the 1991 Santa Fe F3's (item no.6-11711) which had silver frames and trucks, mechanical E-unit (and lever hole), and RailSounds 1.0. It looks like the latter two parts were removed by the owner.

Mikado 4501 posted:

The looks of the chassis' lend me to believe they were derived from the 1991 Santa Fe F3's (item no.6-11711) which had silver frames and trucks, mechanical E-unit (and lever hole), and RailSounds 1.0. It looks like the latter two parts were removed by the owner.

Dummy A unit frame is MPC for sure. Power unit frame is either LTI or LLC from 95 or 96 and up. It has no E unit slot (the last F3s with a mechanical E unit were the Santa Fe freight units, 6-18117, from 1993) so the frame, at the earliest, dates from 1996.

Those cabs are very pretty and  a lot nicer than the MPC Rio Grandes which are a washed-out yellow and have little to no detail. You did well with these!

c.sam posted:

Those cabs are very pretty and  a lot nicer than the MPC Rio Grandes which are a washed-out yellow and have little to no detail. You did well with these!

Actually, the MPC freight versions are still quite nice. They're a little lighter shade of yellow than the PWC version, and while I like the PWC shade better, the MPC version still looks pretty good. They don't have the mesh screens, portholes, separate cab ladders or front grab irons, which are nice, but they aren't huge differences. (And it's easy to add the portholes.) Otherwise the shells are largely the same.

Two pluses for you, Steve.  They run and look good.

Chuck