I have a GN Trainline ALCO FA, is it possible to turn her into a very accurate model?
The nose/windshield contours look off to me. Of course it could be done, but....
Anything is possible. Is it worth it, that is another question.
An "expensive model collector"
Short answer: No.By that, I mean you'd have to completely rebuild the nose section back to the cab doors, replace the radiator shutters, replace the radiator fan, etc. You'd be far better off starting with an old P2K FA-1, which is a much better model. You can get a P2K one on eBay for about the same price as a brand new Trainline FA-1.Now, if you just want to dress it up the Trainline model, sure, you can do that. Put on separate grabs, add windshield wipers, add MU hoses, cut lever, etc. and you can make it look much better. Some people enjoy that part of the hobby. But even after all that work, it's still not going to be a very accurate model.
Paul3 Short answer: No.By that, I mean you'd have to completely rebuild the nose section back to the cab doors, replace the radiator shutters, replace the radiator fan, etc. You'd be far better off starting with an old P2K FA-1, which is a much better model. You can get a P2K one on eBay for about the same price as a brand new Trainline FA-1.Now, if you just want to dress it up the Trainline model, sure, you can do that. Put on separate grabs, add windshield wipers, add MU hoses, cut lever, etc. and you can make it look much better. Some people enjoy that part of the hobby. But even after all that work, it's still not going to be a very accurate model.
Agreed, the Proto model is a much better model, still holds up after all these years, showing just how cutting edge that stuff was back then.
Proto FA's, a lot of them live at my house, more than a dozen.......
Sheldon
Great Northern Fan 54I will dress it up, I am steering away from the Proto FAs because they have cracked gears, and I like my models ready to run right out of the box.
Don't let the cracked gears scare you. They scared me at first too till I replaced the gears in my GP7. Heres the steps, Turn model over, remove gear covers on bottom of trucks using a small flat blade to pry it up, take old axles out, put new axles in, put cover back on. Boom! 5$ later and 5 min of your time and you have a fantastic model with exceptional detail.
I would highly suggest to not get turned off by the cracked gears. Also, models with known cracked gears sell for a lot cheaper then one without.
I understand the running out of the box, but personaly I would go with the proto. The time you spend getting a trainline up to P2K standards will greatly overshadow the gear replacement
just my 2 cents. Go with whatever you feel is best for you.
I have about 50 of those cracked gear Proto locos, and they all work great after the simple repair.
Ringo58 So there's a better way? I just completely replaced the trucks on one of my BL2s. Great Northern Fan 54 I will dress it up, I am steering away from the Proto FAs because they have cracked gears, and I like my models ready to run right out of the box. Don't let the cracked gears scare you. They scared me at first too till I replaced the gears in my GP7. Heres the steps, Turn model over, remove gear covers on bottom of trucks using a small flat blade to pry it up, take old axles out, put new axles in, put cover back on. Boom! 5$ later and 5 min of your time and you have a fantastic model with exceptional detail. I would highly suggest to not get turned off by the cracked gears. Also, models with known cracked gears sell for a lot cheaper then one without. I understand the running out of the box, but personaly I would go with the proto. The time you spend getting a trainline up to P2K standards will greatly overshadow the gear replacement just my 2 cents. Go with whatever you feel is best for you.
So there's a better way?
Great Northern Fan 54 I will dress it up, I am steering away from the Proto FAs because they have cracked gears, and I like my models ready to run right out of the box.
Yes you can get just the gears or just the wheel sets and they are easy to change.
Yes. The bottom truck/gear cover snaps right off ( be careful and pry it in multiple spots. I snapped one in half on my first attempt) then the axles lift right out and the new ones go right back in. Once youre good at it, a cracked gear replacement should only take about 5 min
.
I have 2 sets of P2K FAs, neither one has (so far) developed any signs of cracked gears. They are the later run, after they took out the spinning radiator fan. I do have one odler one (or at least the drive) which came as the drive in an MDC RS3 kit. Yes, they used P2K drives as well as Athearn. The screw holes for the fan assembly are in the weight and the rear flywheel has the pulley groove in it.
The only P2K locos I have that have cracked gears are the GP7s, and those got swapped out as I put them in service. I still have a small stash of Athearn gears in case I get more.
To avoid a loco because it needs $2 in parts and 10 minutes to fix - well, I guess that's why P2K locos are so cheap on eBay. Just said the same thing in another thread - I'd rahter pay $40 plus $2 in parts and 10 minutes of my time for a loco than pau $100+ - and those Atlas GP7s that sell for > $100 on eBay are cruder in detail, and as they are 20+ years old - also not ready to go right out of the box - they at least need the old grease cleaned out and to be relubed. Since you have to take the lower truck over off anyway, what is it really to pop the wheels off the potentially cracked axle gear and put them on the Athearn gears? Consider it two less gears per truck to wipe old grease off of. Wait, I shouldn't be saying any of this, now P2K locos are going to go up in price
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.