Powering Red Caboose GP-9's

I think you would need both trucks with double Magic Carpet drives installed to get reasonable pulling power for a road engine as these drives are really better suited for trolley and traction motive power.

I would suggest that your best bet for good solid powering of these engines would be the drives from P&D Hobbies which then includes the side frames, etc. 

My solution for powering Red Caboose GP9s is to use the reversing unit and trucks from a K-Line MP 15 switcher.  You can find at train shows and on eBay for $50-80.  the motors are in the trucks, and they have traction tires and pull well.  I use a piece of brass for the frame.  Also takes care of the sideframes.  If you want better sideframes, I would buy a set from Atlas O.  Go to the Atlas O website and look under spare parts for locomotives.

Bruce Clouette

Mark,

Since you mention that you are building PRR GP9s just curious if you plan to include trainphone antenna?

Cal-Scale makes an antenna kit for PRR GP7/9s but I can't seem to find anyone who makes the PRR receiver that goes along with the antenna.  The GP7/9s had a unique bracket to hold the receiver.

I guess one could kitbash a receiver/bracket from the PRR Cabin Car receiver that Cal-Scale does make but it seems strange to me that Cal-Scale would bother to make an antenna kit and not the receiver as well.  It's like making telephone poles with no crossarms.  The two go to together.

Anyhow, anxious to see how your project turns out.

As for me, I am waiting/hoping MTH will re-run the PRR GP9s so I can add to the one I have now and make a trio like you plan to.

Hi

rebuild it as Martin said using P&D kit plus the brass frame to add more weight.

The P&D towers can be upgrade using different gear ratios  plus adding a flywheel you will perform much better at low speeds.

NWSL had a nice wheel set for the P&D transmissions.

The Magic carpet are not powerful motors, even two of them will be not enough.

Frame:

http://www.desplaineshobbies.c...737/GP9-Brass-Frame/

My 2 cent

Andre.

Here are (3) links to the Atlas GP-9 parts break-downs. Click on the underlined phrase to link.      Takes some time  AG.     Mike

Body

Chasis

Trucks

Mike no link attached.

AG.

All three "links" worked for me.

Thank you, Mike  now I can see them!

AG.

You're welcome. 

Good Afternoon To All,

Thank you for all the replies. At this point I'm pretty sure I'm going with the P & D drive units as they are fairly complete (as much as I can tell) by the description on their web site. PRR #1 as far as the trainphone antenna, that's a must and the receiver I'm sure I can bash with not too much of a problem. It may not be 100%, but I'm not too much of a rivet counter anyway. My plans are to gather all the items I need to complete the 3 units and start the project in the fall of this year, document my process and hopefully submit to OGR for an article in a future publication.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

Mark

Mark,

if they still offering the plastic truck take them because is easier to install the roller pick up on them than on the brass one.

Andre.

Mark

What are your performance expectations from this locomotive and do you have any prior experience with P&D or Weaver drives?  Depending on the answers to those questions you might be satisfied or very disappointed with a P&D drive.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Well you could fabricate a METAL FRAME under the DETAILED PLASTIC FRAME and use either a Williams GP drive or a LIONEL gp drive. I am making a Dummy B unit from a Red caboose GP and since I had two lionel GP Dummy trucks, I went with customizing my own Brass metal floor.

I have an Atlas GP9 (same as Red Caboose?) that I bought unpowered.  At the same time I won a RailKing F3 off EBay and took the trucks and motors off it to power the GP9, fit like a glove!!!

The Atlas unpowered GP9 didn't come with the necessary transfer gears so I ended up buying them later and put the original Atlas trucks back on the GP9 (but kept the MTH motors and motor mounts in place).  It is one of my best running engines.

I would try to find a cheap RailKing engine with the type trucks you need and simply install them on the Red Caboose engine.  I won the F3 for around $100 at the time.