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 Posted - October 10 2015 : 05:24:43 AM
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OK, the older you get, the more you learn about model trains......
YOU CAN STILL BE COMPLETELY THROWN!!!
My wife's friend donated this to me. It was in a crate of all TYCO, but of COURSE,
this one didn't come with a box! It's easily identify able as a FP45, Chessie.
UNDER the oversized fuel tank, is embossed "Yugoslavia". It has improper triple-clamp
brakes, instead of the first gen Flexicoil trucks, like SD40 and SD45.....
THEN, I removed the shell !!
It's got a Roco-looking 3-pole motor, and Athearn style sliding driveshafts, going to BOTH trucks...
BUT, only TWO axles on each truck is geared, and only TWO wheels on the front truck, and two
wheels on the rear truck pick up track power! Front truck - right rail pickup, rear truck - left.
Like almost ALL HO trains made back then (except Athearn, Atlas, and Brass), ALWAYS were ALMOST there!! Never EVERYTHING you would have needed, for a reliable model !!
Closeup of rear truck, after some of my "usual & necessary" modifications!
Anyway - WHAT IS IT??? I SHOULD know, but really have NO idea!
At least as far as WHAT manufacturer, when it was made, things like that...
Can somebody help this old modeler out - I'm stumped!
Carmine - CEO, Engineer, and Chief Bottle Washer
Pacific Belt RR, in HO Scale, Since 1975! 
Edited by - pacbelt on October 10 2015 06:41:02 AM
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 Posted - October 10 2015 : 05:47:03 AM
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Oh, and the stick-on weights were done by me. More of "necessary" improvements!
I also started painting the inside of the shell black. (I HATE "lampshade" locomotives!!).
AND, I really WISH I had my camera ready! I had also disassembled the motor, polished
the commutator... AND literally SKEWED the poles (because nearly all new motors have
skewed poles.
Also, it had VERY long brush springs. I cut a full 1/3 of the springs off.
~ What that got me, was a motor that now starts moving at .45 volts instead of 3.23 volts!
LESS cogging at slow speed - MUCH less!
Amp draw (in loco, at stall) went from 1.84 amps to .71 amps.  Now, I can actually
consider running her on DCC!!
AND - noticeably MORE torque. I can't measure that with what I have, but in the stall test, on
my test track, sitting on my bench, she almost tore the track out from under her!!!
That also was after chiseling what was left of the traction tires off of the wheels.
(I CAN'T STAND traction tires anyway!) 
SO, if you guys could help me figure out what the heck it actually IS - maybe I can find some
spare axles, and swap all of the grooved wheels for solid tread wheels. 
Carmine - CEO, Engineer, and Chief Bottle Washer
Pacific Belt RR, in HO Scale, Since 1975!
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 05:52:30 AM
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OOPS! Maybe this should have been in the "identification" thread....
Well, I AM a Noob, here!
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 08:31:26 AM
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Good thing you caught your newbie error before Microbusss did!
Based on the way the coupler mounts, and the headlight clip, and the drive line, I'd guess Mehano. Could have been imported and branded by someone else though.
Glenn
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
Edited by - gmoney on October 10 2015 08:32:49 AM
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 08:40:25 AM
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I'm also curious about how you skewed the poles.
Glenn
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 08:52:04 AM
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Not sure of the brand, but it was built by Mehano. These were made in Yugoslavia, which ended up as Slovenia after the breakup.. These were somewhere between Hong Kong junk and Athearn Blue Box in quality. Not great but not too bad. AHM, Tyco, AHC, Model Power, life like, and others sold engines built by them or had drive trains of their design.
Regards John
Edited by - JRG1951 on October 10 2015 08:53:53 AM
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 08:54:46 AM
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worth a look very similar,mehano power
http://www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6733
catfordken
if you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel,try turning around
Edited by - catfordken on October 10 2015 08:58:45 AM
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 12:13:16 PM
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If it's made in Yugoslavia, it's Mehano.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 3:35:55 PM
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| I have seen that drive in Mehano, IHC and AMH as others have said. My son has an GE UBoat with that in it by Mehano. Reliable but to light to pull allot.
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 4:18:19 PM
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lampshade locomotives hehe I like that
I agree with you there
BUT did Chessie System have locos like that?
Edited by - microbusss on October 10 2015 9:06:35 PM
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Posted - October 10 2015 : 11:19:38 PM
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quote:lampshade locomotives hehe I like that
....did Chessie System have locos like that?
Originally posted by microbusss - October 10 2015 : 4:18:19 PM
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Nope
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - October 11 2015 : 01:25:44 AM
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quote: quote:lampshade locomotives hehe I like that
....did Chessie System have locos like that?
Originally posted by microbusss - October 10 2015 : 4:18:19 PM
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Nope
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â October 10 2015Â :Â 11:19:38 PM
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Yeah, I didn't think so either...
So, as long as this isn't any Historical piece (didn't believe that either!), it will be repainted to my
own Railroad!
THANKS for your help!
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Posted - October 11 2015 : 01:35:06 AM
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quote:I'm also curious about how you skewed the poles.
Originally posted by gmoney - October 10 2015 : 08:40:25 AM
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I figured that would pique someone's interest.... right after I finished, and forgot to
take pictures! 
The NEXT time I do one, I'll do a full pictorial.
Basically, the windings are just loose enough, where you can place one of the poles
in a vise (much easier with the spacing of a 3-pole), and give the armature shaft a VERY
gentle twist.
It REALLY lessens the cogging of cheesy 3-poles!
And NO! It doesn't kill the magnets to take it apart!!
If this IS Mehano, they used fairly strong, permanent magnets.
Carmine - CEO, Engineer, and Chief Bottle Washer
Pacific Belt RR, in HO Scale, Since 1975!
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Posted - October 11 2015 : 01:47:12 AM
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quote:
So,except for wire color,it looks like EXACT,Mehano power!
Piecing together everyone's help, it appears to be AHM/Mehano!
It boggles me, that they could figure that adding ONE more bronze strip and a wire,
to each truck would have been a BAD idea!!??
Well, it's something I'M gonna do!
This won't win any modeling contests, but that doesn't matter to me...
It doesn't seem to matter to you guys either - which is why I'm really enjoying
this Forum!!!
Thanks guys!!!
Carmine - CEO, Engineer, and Chief Bottle Washer
Pacific Belt RR, in HO Scale, Since 1975!
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Posted - October 11 2015 : 02:38:04 AM
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You need to double this Chessie with a steam version and you'd have... that fantasy locomotive A-A set that was never created more than on paper and in someone's mind. Someplace, there's artwork and I can't find it now. 
John
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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Posted - October 11 2015 : 04:51:12 AM
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quote:
That's SO quirky.... that is actually consider it!!!
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