Has anyone replaced the couplers on a Frateschi locomotive with kadee couples? I have their FA and the coupler pockets don't seem to take the kadees well. I'm thinking about cutting sides of the pocket off and mounting a kadee pocket directly to the bottom of the pocket, but would like to know if anyone has done this before.
fisker4jcFrateschi locomotive
Never heard of that manufacturer but needle files are a must have for a model railroader. A file might be a better tool for what you propose.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Try these?
https://www.kadee.com/hocc_frateschi
I have a couple Frateschi locos that I haven't begun to mess with the stock couplers yet. At first I thought they were standard NEM boxes but, alas, they are a little bigger.
Good Luck, Ed
I have a few passenger cars made by them. I filed off the boxes and installed KDs.
Simon
Thanks everyone, sounds like I'm on the right track (no pun intended)
Brazilian Company
The Brazilian company Indústrias Reunidas Frateschi (known as Frateschi) is a model railroad manufacturer based in Ribeirão Preto, near São Paulo, Brazil. Today Frateschi exports to Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, United States, France, Spain, Switzerland, South Africa, China, Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia.
Years back, when I was hunting for a New Haven EP-4 in HO, the brass units that popped up on ebay were fetching bids that were "above my pay grade".
A modeler suggested that I check out the Frateschi V8-RFFSA electric unit to use as a "stand in". Price was in the $100 range and, from my understanding, they're decent running units. I seriously considered it until I saw that it would require quite a bit of work for it to reasonably resemble the New Haven unit.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
It does make a good stand-in for a 'Little Joe' if you model the Milwaukee or the South Shore. Twenty were built and five went to Brazil.
Little Joe powered work train, Avery, ID Jun 73 by Rick Wright, on Flickr
Here's my lineup sent to me from a friend in Brazil:
IMG_0738 by Edmund, on Flickr
I think Model Power imported some Frateschi models, perhaps the Alco FA but definitely a neat little 2-8-0 that looked of an earlier era than most small steam in HO, perhaps even pre 1900. It was definitely American "outline."
Dave Nelson
Not to hijack the thread -- I'd look into kitbashing a Frateschi V-motor shell onto an appropriate GG1 chassis. That will get you reasonably close to the 'look', and you could easily doctor up one shell and some sideframes and other parts to get the right rivet-counting details and then make resin castings of the result, or pointcloud-scan it for 3D printing.
Hi Overmod,
Thanks for responding to my post. I'm with you in that I wasn't trying to hijack this thread, but it sparked my memory since I am still a New Haven fan.
An EP4 is still on my: "Would like to have one list". Another modeler also suggested that I look for a GG1 chassis or motor/truck components. I'm on the fence as it seems that it would be quite a project. For the price, Bachmann GG1's are excellent runners and if I found a used or damaged unit, for a decent price on the secondary market, I'd be willing to give it a go.
Below are shots of the "Frat" unit and a brass HO EP4.
Body styles are similar but the detailing is quite different. However, I agree that the Frat would make for a decent "Stand-in" unit.
Overmod Not to hijack the thread -- I'd look into kitbashing a Frateschi V-motor shell onto an appropriate GG1 chassis. That will get you reasonably close to the 'look', and you could easily doctor up one shell and some sideframes and other parts to get the right rivet-counting details and then make resin castings of the result, or pointcloud-scan it for 3D printing.