Updating the Atlas F9's

A number of suggestions for these units:

The original wheelsets are plated. NWSL makes a drop-in geared replacement set.

By all means get detail parts from P&D. They have an extensive inventory.

You can use Red Caboose parts from their GP units for detailing the roof fans.

A 8000 series Pittman motor is a nice upgrade for later on.

John Armstrong did a story in Model Railroader back in 1976: 'Sure Feet for the Atlas O Scale F9', which explains an important upgrade to the powered truck bolsters, enabling the units to pull a lot more weight without doing 'wheelies'. It's a fairly simple project whose benefit outweighs the labor involved.

Don't forget O scale America- Des Plains Hobbies as welll as PSC brass parts for details. FYI, the P&D F-unit cab interior kit is WELL worth the Price! Good Luck and Pst some Pictures!

BTW, if you'd like a copy of the Armstrong article, leave your email here and I'll send it.

Chris, 

Thank you...I did a search for the article...no such luck.  

email - Javahead@hotmail.com

I'll call NWSL this AM and see if I can get some assistance on the wheelsets & Pittman motor.

PRR,

Totally forgot about Des Plaines..thanks for the reminder.  I'll try and get some pictures going once I have all my ducks in a row

-Mark

Another source of some detailing parts is Keil-Line.   They passenger pilots and various detailing parts.   One of things I used was side window (porthole) frames.   I closed off the existing portholes at the front end and put new ones in to match the layout of an F7.    I patched the old holes with putty and then glued a very thin sheet of styrene between the rivet strips on that panel.   

It is also worth scraping off the handrails and installing wire ones.

As for DCC, the existing mechanims while light weight will work with HO rated Decoders.    I used a Digitrax DH123 in mine.    It is rated at 2 amps stall.   The units stall much lower than that.  

I'd be interested in a copy of that article on the F9 also.  Thank you, tomdooling@charter.net

I railroaded with John Armstrong for 22 years and he had many 70's era Atlas models on his railroad.  He ran an A-B-A Erie F7 set he fabricated from Atlas F9. After shurefooting they ran and pulled very well up his steep grade.  I don't believe he replaced the motors or wheelsets.  With Atlas F9's we would run a file on the back side of  the wheel sets as they were too thick to pass through some turnout guard rails without a bump.  Not as elegant a solution as replacing them with NWSL but it worked - and cost nothing.

Ed Rappe

PS - John also ran 3 MU's Atlas Plymouths to operate an iron ore exchange with the main.  The hidden trackage used a vertical switch to reach staging tracks. 

I'd be interested in a copy of that article on the F9 also. I have a few of these engines to work on....

Thanks Dennis

Drouse@optonline.net

After all the detail parts, new wheels, etc, you might come out ahead financially if you just bought one of the Sunset E-7's that are on sale.  And they come with DCC/Sound installed!

Just a thought.

Ed

Chris

If still "available", I too would like a copy of the Armstrong article. Thank you.

mugnai@casco.net

Mark in Oregon

Now to respond to the original post: I have several of these old units.I think they are terrific models; good casting and a great starter for detailing. I repowered one with a Pittman 800 series motor, and I did another with a big CLW open-frame job. There's so much room inside an F unit; lots of space for "playing around" with the drive train and adding weight,etc. I did have to replace the original gears, as they were split on most of the axles.

Doing detailing on the car body itself is also very "do able". I used mostly P&D parts.If I can figure out how to post a photo, I show you my Maine Central unit. Yes,I know they only had F-3's,but I figured,what the heck...?

Mark in Oregon

Gentlemen, emails sent as requested. Good luck.

I had 4 of these on my layout for years.   I did not replace the wheels, but I used the old Roco switches which are pretty loose standards. 

Also I did not replace the motors.   I did eventually install DCC and found that the current draw was low enough that I could use an inexpensive HO decoder with the original motor.   The pittman 8000s require big O scale decoders.    I used a digitrax DH123 in mine and they worked fine.   That decoder only had motor and light functions.     I did not try the John Armstrong work but that should improve them.   I never got to it but I ran my pairs for over 20 years and they did fine.

All work I did was in detailing.    First if you want to stay on the cheap side, then don't consider new shells, drives, etc.    If you want to spend more, scrap these  units and start new with P&D Kits.   they still have some F7s and F3s in stock.   And you can get all kinds of detailing parts from them too.    You can also get B units if iyou go the new route.   Either way is fine.   But I think if you get to putting too much money into the old Atlas you are better off starting new.   I have done both ways.

When I did mine, I carefully cut off of the cast in handrails, and made new ones with wire.    I removed the steam generator stuff on the back.    And I moved the portholes over to where they sould be on an F7.   Then I added passenger pilots and antennas to make them look like Pennsy units.   

I have some Keil-Line parts in my parts box I would  part with.   I am pretty sure I have a couple of there passenger pilots, some of the porthole window frames, PRR antenna brackets, and maybe some stirrups.   Contact me via my email in my profile if you are interested.

Got it Chris.Thank you very much.

Mark in Oregon

Hi Gents, currently heading down the same road, have a couple of Ebay F9s and one still to come with same thing in mind. I've ordered some NWSL replacement wheels as I run handlaid and Peco points for New Zealand Railway 'finescale' trains and the original Atlas wheel profile is too clunky for the tighter tolerances (which have been ease to cope with newer O scale locomotives and rolling stock.

Is there anyway I could get a copy of the Armstrong article too please?

Thanks and it would be good to see some photos of any work undertaken on the locos to date.

branchline@clear.net.nz

Kind Regards

Brent  (new Zealand)

Brent, email w/ article attached sent.

I would also appreciate a copy of the Armstrong article.  Thanks so much.  john727@earthlink.net

Thanks Chris,

John's conversion looks straight forward and his logic re mounting the couplers on the chassis/body makes good sense re the weight, CoG and tractive effort/tipping effects.

I have two to try and convert, detail and paint for a show by Jul. I have a third unit and need one more to use two A untis to make a single F9B.

Thanks again,

Kind Regards

Brent who still wants to see some photos of any work undertaken to date.

ahhhh, Skyjunk....know it well, love the place.  never know what treasures you can find.

Here are John Armstrong's Erie F7's still running strongly today on Art Selby's railroad with 40+ years of road service on them.  The motors are original.  John cut and spliced two A unit bodies to make the B, and replaced the F9 48" dynamic brake fan with a 36" one taken from one of the sacrificed A bodies.  The units ran with outside 3rd rail shoes when in service on the Canandaigua Southern.  Art (a long time friend of John's) installed a new set of NWSL geared wheel sets when he two railed them (the factory originals would navigate John's Code 172 turnout flange ways, but didn't like Art's code 148).

Ed Rappe

Here's my method for repairing the side frames and pickups, I used brass angle to make a knew mounting for the side frames and phosphorus bronze for pickups. I have also used brass tubing to repair split gears, an interference fit on the shoulders solves the problem as mentioned buy scratch builder 1-48. There's really nothing on these old Atlas units that can't be fixed with a minimum of cost.

I have three of these F-9's in operation. One of them dates back to 1970. All I have done is replace the axle gears with gears from NWSL and then only if they were cracked! They all still run well!

Poor photo - but these are my Atlas F9s pushing an old Atlas cabin on my "Philadelphia & Erie"......................

When I first saw this pic I thought it was an old colour prototype shot, it's very atmospheric.

We have our annual AMRA bash this weekend here in New Zealand at which I have the yard modules from my modular 'O' scale layout there. I was hoping to take a couple of the F9s along but they took over a month to get here from the US so I didn't get the time to analyse the loco and work out what was needed to run them on the Peco track used on the layout. We hopefully have another show in July at which the whole layout will be up at so armed with the info everyone has added here I'll aim to get at least one modified, detailes and running by then.

One thing not shown or discussed is how you've mounted the couplers and whether any additional detail was added to the rear end of the locos. Also are there any pics off DCC installations?

Regards

Brent