Does anyone know of a way to lower the older Athearn engines body's? I just bought my first new engine in years and noticed how high in the saddle the older Athearn's are in comparison, makes them look kinda top-heavy. Look really bad coupled together. Not sure if theres a way to do it or if I should just sell all my older stuff and get some new engines.
Older Athearn units.
- Thread starter NIevo
- Start date
Taking the shells off, I think I found out what MIGHT be an easy fix.
You can see that these lugs, molded into the shell, slide into slots in the frame.
maybe, trimming these lugs a little will make the shell sit lower.
The newer shell, which is a modified RPP shell, dosen't have them.
You can see that these lugs, molded into the shell, slide into slots in the frame.
maybe, trimming these lugs a little will make the shell sit lower.
The newer shell, which is a modified RPP shell, dosen't have them.
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You'll have to work on the shell details a little.
First(#1), you'll have to grind back the locking lugs on both sides of the frame. Which means, you need a new way to secure the shell to the frame.
Second.(#2)You may need to trim off the "locking tab", and fabricate a new one without the hole.
And last(#3). Trim off the air tank. But this can be replaced with one from either Details West, or Details Associates.
Hope this helps.
Now, that you pointed out the differences...I may have to try it myself.
First(#1), you'll have to grind back the locking lugs on both sides of the frame. Which means, you need a new way to secure the shell to the frame.
Second.(#2)You may need to trim off the "locking tab", and fabricate a new one without the hole.
And last(#3). Trim off the air tank. But this can be replaced with one from either Details West, or Details Associates.
Hope this helps.
Now, that you pointed out the differences...I may have to try it myself.
Attachments
Lol...thanks. Im glad I wasn't just seeing things:mrgreen:. The biggest obstacle I see is the air tanks in the way.
N
nachoman
geez. There was an article in MR back in the early-mid 90s that described modifying the trucks. At least I think there was an article. Maybe I am thinking of a different brand of loco, but it seemed complicated.
Kevin
Kevin
The problem is not that the body sits too tall, rather the frame sits too high on the trucks. A friend of mine who used to do custom painting before he went to work in quality control for Athearn, found a tool for a mill that he could put in a drill press. It was a surface cutter with a hole in the center that would fit over the pins in the Athearn frame. He chucked it in his drill press, and milled a few thousandths of an inch off the frames around the pins that locate the trucks. When he put the locomotives back together, the frames sat down on the trucks prototypically and the everything lined up like it was supposed to. He may have made the change in the production frames when he went to work for Athearn.