Powered units for dummies

Jark I sent a link to this to a friend that did it a little differently and hope he will chime in with how he did it. 

Nice job. 

Hello JARK K REMOL...

Thumps up all the way !!!!!!!!!!!!! That was a GOOD project you did !!!!!!!!.  I too no longer have the budget for fancy trains as those are over for me.  I can only afford freight cars now.  What is your next project ?

Tiffany

Tiffany --

I really need to get back to my track-work. 5 years into this layout, and I have one basic loop of track. I keep getting distracted by engine or rolling stock projects.

I'd like to power the 2nd A unit of my PRR Alcos from 1988, but the power trucks have DC motors and a different type of reverse unit. So I can't just swap Postwar or MPC parts.

I also have a Williams A-B-B-A Sharknose set that I got insanely cheep, but with only the one powered A unit. Power kits from Williams run about the same price as a whole new engine, and through other dealers run about $160. I'm considering buying a Williams GP engine just to steal the power trucks for the Sharknose set. But even that will run about $90.

Jark K. Remol posted:

Tiffany --

I really need to get back to my track-work. 5 years into this layout, and I have one basic loop of track. I keep getting distracted by engine or rolling stock projects.

I'd like to power the 2nd A unit of my PRR Alcos from 1988, but the power trucks have DC motors and a different type of reverse unit. So I can't just swap Postwar or MPC parts.

I also have a Williams A-B-B-A Sharknose set that I got insanely cheep, but with only the one powered A unit. Power kits from Williams run about the same price as a whole new engine, and through other dealers run about $160. I'm considering buying a Williams GP engine just to steal the power trucks for the Sharknose set. But even that will run about $90.

Hello JARK K REMOL...........

I guess you got to do what you gotta do.  90 dollars for the Williams GP-9 engine is a good buy, I say go for it !!!

Tiffany

Nice work on the project. I to am from IL. north central . Been there and done this with thanks to 8N.

 What I did was get two 200 series engine on the cheap. You will need the frames and motors. I have a PW 218 A with E-unit with a 8020 shell, powering a 8021 B unit with two 200 series motors. I measured the B unit and cut the back half's off both A-units to fit the B unit. Welded then together and this held both  motors and also fit the B unit shell as a stock unit would. I tied all of them to the 218 frame with the 8020 shell's E unit with a connector wire I got on line. I would post pictures but I will need to retake them because they got trashed when my PC died I did post pictures on the forum over on the toy train site and you could go there and look or give me a PM and some time and I can re-shot the pictures and show you how I did it. . So anyway I have a A-B set with three pulmor motors, A hog of a pulling dog. All running off the A unit E-unit.

Not sure how to PM here???

 I got links to the project. here is some of the information I posted on the toy train site.

Well I got some time to work on the Twin Motor ALCO 200 Series B-Unit today that I am building like the one 8N has made and inspired me to do.
I got the two frames I cut and sent to Hudson John to weld back together along with the lower half of one of the motor that he pulled the wheels on and replaced the pinion gears on  today so I could get back to work. John did a great job and I thank him for all he has done…. After I assembled the bottom to the top of the motor I found that even though he installed new pinion gears into the lower half of the motor there was still a lot of run off of the gears in the forward running position. So I guess the pinion shafts wear as well as the brass pinions. I would of thought the brass would of gone before the pinion studs but both wear. My cure for that will be to install that motor with the wear in position inside the B-Unit so that in normal operation it will be running in reverse placing the gear wear where there is the least wear on the shaft, holding the gear in a good running position. Should out live me that way. Next will be to install the motors to the frame, wire the A-Unit to the B-Unit then cut clearance for the tether wired to clear the shells once they are installed.  I will see how this A-B set works out before I decide to also lash up another A-Unit to make it a powered A-B-A set.
The shells will be a Santa FE 218 A-Unit with that Unit's E-Unit feeding to the 8021 B-Unit. If I like it I will add another A-Unit numbered 8020. I will wire the tether wires so the units will have to be in the correct running positions for the placement that I want for the motors.
 See pictures I will update as I go along.

 Here is the three motor Santa Fe ALCO A-B set pulling cars at mock up.     What a beast!!

 Here is the three motor Santa Fe ALCO A-B set pulling 23 cars. Note the log cars have real log loads. These cars are not light cars and it was not for string lining in the 34” ½ curve I could pull even more.  Engine sound is in the box car.

Thanks for sharing your way Kevin and Jark both were very interesting takes on doing it. 

Any Time Bill, it is all about the fun!!!

Did some correction to the post.

Thanks for the info, KRM.

I have a couple of spare frames, just don't have the welding part available. May have to ask around.

I'd love to be able to double motor the A units. I have a couple of power trucks with Magnatraction. Oh, the fun I could have with those!

Jark K. Remol posted:

Thanks for the info, KRM.

I have a couple of spare frames, just don't have the welding part available. May have to ask around.

I'd love to be able to double motor the A units. I have a couple of power trucks with Magnatraction. Oh, the fun I could have with those!

Jark,

My twin motors are in the B-unit The A-unit is still single motor and holds the E-unit. So as of now I have 6 axles with Magnatraction in a  A and B unit. I could add another A unit in the rear working off same E-unit and have 8 axles of Magnatraction in a A-B-A set. The E-unit is maxed out with 4 motors. I would also consider a MPC Traction tire A-unit so I would have 6 axles with Magnatraction and 2 with traction tires.  Should pull stumps.

Very nice Jark. That is what a hobby is all about. Enjoy what you have available to you.

Rod Miller

Hello KRM.........

I am REALLY impressed with your work and JARK's work too.  I wondered if it possible to make a Lionel 600 series NW-2 with double motors, metal gears, 4 axle mag-n-traction ? I would love to have one using a # 634 switcher as a starting point. The # 634 is my first switcher I had in 1965.

Tiffany

Jark,

Nice work on the B unit project. I know from experience that sometimes you need more powered units on a train, even in O gauge.

Lee Fritz

For those are considering a second powered unit with a Williams engine, I have done the upgrade kit on an F-7 A unit using Bachmann's upgrade kit. Two problems that I encountered are; first was to drill the hole a bit larger for the pilot or step frame to mate up to the newer engine frame, second the new motorized unit ran faster then the old one did, so I swapped out an older frame & motorized unit to make the two powered units almost equal in speed.

Lee Fritz

Tiffany --

I have a couple of 600 series frames and a couple of Magnatraction power trucks. Thanks to KRM's fine suggestions, I may try double motoring a switcher. That would be sweet!

Tiffany posted:

Hello KRM.........

I am REALLY impressed with your work and JARK's work too.  I wondered if it possible to make a Lionel 600 series NW-2 with double motors, metal gears, 4 axle mag-n-traction ? I would love to have one using a # 634 switcher as a starting point. The # 634 is my first switcher I had in 1965.

Tiffany

Good question Tiffany,

That would be fun, One issue would be what to do for picking up power if you were using postwar engines and parts. You could maybe use a MPC engine with the power pick ups on the motor truck with a postwar motor on the other end but there may be no place for a e-unit. If it worked you would end up with 2 axle mag-n-traction and 2 axle traction tire. Could be easier to built the twin motor unit and lash it to another NW-2 in front and use it's e-unit like I did on the AB set up.

KRM -

I've got a functioning 600 series switcher. I may make the double motor one harnessed to the single motor one that has the E-unit. So 3 Magnatraction motora over a two switchers MU.

Let me know how that works out Jark,

 Here is what and where I got the 22 AWG wire connectors.

I used connectors from Mouser. Their part # is 485-1663  3-pin JST SM Plug. 22AWG And in black to boot. worked great.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductD...IpS7yDqfOr4SoTRYE%3d

https://www.adafruit.com/products/1663

KRM --

The switcher project will need to wait for the future. But at least I know what to do with my spare parts! Thanks for the part suggestions.

For now, I need to get the other A unit reversible. I may just harness that to the B unit, since that A unit would need to trail behind the rest. It's the only one with couplers at both ends.

Then I really need to get back to trackwork. No point having nifty trains if they have nowhere to run!

Awesome projects and results.  I can read about this kind of "modeling" all day long.  Ingenuity, resourcefulness, and determination.  Great pictures and narrative.  Thanks guys

Guys who cut things up and put them back together like they want 'em - my kind of RR'ers.

I would like to offer a peek at one of my favorite projects; it's a shade off the Lionel beam, but little Alco FA's are hard to resist.

I don't care for dummies a lot, so I moved one of the power trucks to the dummy in this Williams Erie AA set. I installed ERR Cruise Commander and Alco sounds in one unit, so both are powered, I put a "tether" (no plug) and a drawbar between the units - it is essentially 1 locomotive, but, as they are sub-scale size it's no harder than handling an articulated steamer. 

My "story" is that Alco made some meter-gauge downsized cab units for export, some were never paid for so Alco standard-gauged them and sold them to US short lines and switching roads, as they were mechanically Alco S-2 switchers under the streamlined bodies. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I love the Erie paint scheme, but I have covered the "ERIE"; the lettering is a work in progress.

The semi-permanent tether and drawbar; 6 wires - 2 for Electrocoupler control, 2 for headlight control and 2 for power to the motor in 2032B from 2032A. 

BTW, while this was a bit above "the cheap seats" mentioned above, it also wasn't deadly-expensive, either. The locos I got on sale a while back, for example. They run slow and smooth - or fast and zippy, if that's your thing - and sound like Alcos.

No, dummy units are not boxcars. They're for those of us who don't wish to sprend hundreds of dollars on nothing but circuit boards and LEDs. And we all know how expensive this hobby is these days....

Steven Michael --

Right there with you! For 40 years I've lugged dummies around quite contentedly. But now that I have 6 passenger cars, plus (originally) a dummy B and A units, it was time to take matters into my own hands. Viva La Low-Tech Commandos!

It's fun to see this project. Thanks for posting about it, and for all the photos. It's also a reminder of all the folks who are active in the hobby, but aren't out spending money acquiring those $500-$2000 engines that are discussed here regularly.

Breezinup --

That's what I did with the 2nd A unit. I did have to swap the front truck since the powered substitute didn't have a coupler. And the shell, now on an MPC power unit, is from my Postwar Alco Santa Fe 212 dummy.