Metal SW-7

[Anonymous]

Please help rookie. I'm just starting to dabble in the idea of model railroading. A friend decided to help me get started and gave me a box of "stuff". In the box was an HO scale SW-7. The body is pot metal, the undercarriage is nowhere near the prototype, and the drivegear is a plastic wormgear setup in the wheelhousing (just like traction motors :) ). Any one out there have any idea as to the vintage of this model?

[Anonymous]

You might want to try the "Model Railroading" section of this forum instead of the Toy Train section. I can't tell for sure what make your engine is, as yet. Sounds like it's from the early 50's, and best bet could be a metal Varney.In 1953-54 Varney was selling an all-metal "1000HP yard switcher, dual drive" for $19.75, which had an SW body style, but I think the truck sideframes were F3 type.Couplers were probabaly dummy knuckle type, white metal. The engine could also be a "hybrid" from late 50's-early 60's....back then you could get metal bodies from Cary to replace plastic bodies on Athearn, Mantua, Lindsay etc., but offhand I don't remember a Cary SW body.
Thing is, you could also get Hobbytown drives, or drive components to replace or modify the drives of those mentioned.So it's also possible to have a Cary body on a Hobbytown drive in addition to modified, or fully "OEM" units????