Repurposing a PE Berkshire

Re-paint / number it to the 1224, xmas eve date, and double head it with the 1225.

Lionel has the parts. Is it the 6-31960 set? You may want to put the Mabuchi series 2 motor in it.

The ERR boards may be tight. Have to get some knowledge on that one. It's ready for them.

Well, the prototype for the movie, Pere Marquette 1225, freight comes to mind. Then you only need to re-badge the tender. Nickel Plate, Erie and Pere Marquette used the Berk.

One or two of the traditional O scale cars before the scale cars would allow you to use the mixed size.

I think that it has been well documented here that the Series 2 motor will not fit in the early Series 1 equipped locos.

Thanks. He just changed a motor too.

I did a minimalist redo of the Berkshire by changing out the wild west pilot for a less surrealistic look. For the price ($50.00) all in all, as they say about Thomas The Tank, its "a good little engine". It was matched with a Lionel Rock Island tender. The old castaway bargain bin always has some unpolished gems. I am in the midst of installing dual motors in a old but flashy MPC era Rock Island FA and so tinkering with bargains can be a rewarding facet of the hobby. Sometimes it gets fairly challenging but it beats watching the grass grow in retirement. Best of luck on your project.

Great idea!

Ah, interesting. I vaguely thought about pulling out my S2 motor with the stripped worm gear to see if there was a match, but it looked like maybe the control board was different too, so I thought there might be loading issues if I switched. That S1 motor is seriously small...

Thanks! I'm heading to O Scale West next week, and will see what kind of parts I can find there. A new pilot might be just the thing. That's the nice thing about a bargain engine - you don't feel too terrible if you screw it up!

Fred