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N Scale SW1500 conversion possible?

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  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 156 posts
N Scale SW1500 conversion possible?
Posted by owen w in california on Thursday, January 15, 2015 3:14 PM
I was wondering if anyone has tried to or knows  if the old LifeLike SW 1500 shell will fit over the new MT SW 1500 chassis?  I have a couple of custom painted (NYOW) LL - SW’s that run ok (they’ve been modified for pick up and have decoders), but would sure love to upgrade the chassis and motors.  Thanks!  Joel
  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Christiana, TN
  • 2,134 posts
Posted by CSX Robert on Thursday, January 15, 2015 3:25 PM

It's my understanding that beside some minor modifications to make converting to DCC easier, the mechanisims are virtually identical.  If so, the Life-Like shells should fit on the Micro-Trains chassis, but, if you have already converted them to DCC I don't think you would gain anything with the new chassis.

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 156 posts
Posted by owen w in california on Thursday, January 15, 2015 3:56 PM

Thanks, Robert. I'll take a close look at the MT version. I have the very, very old LL versions of this, so I'm having a hard time believing the current MT version is not an improvement. Smile Joel

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Eastern Shore Virginia
  • 3,290 posts
Posted by gandydancer19 on Friday, January 16, 2015 5:55 PM

I have an older Life Like N scale sw9/1200 that has the wipwers attached to the shell.  Mine runs very well.  They can be converted to DCC.  Just do a search on the internet and you should get a couple of good hits.

Here is the one that I am going to use: http://n-scale-dcc.blogspot.com/2011/10/tcs-z2-in-life-like-sw91200.html

Elmer.

The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.

(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.

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