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 Posted - April 20 2012 : 2:21:36 PM
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I asked this on the MR General Forum, but- given that location's "persnickity-ness" with responses, I am also asking this here:
I am planning to use a powered F7B unit to "push" my rotary snow plow. At this point, I am considering some improvments to the plow, such as powering the blade system with a battery-powered small motor with an on-off switch underneath the chassis, eliminating the old rubber bands that are already long gone bad. Any suggestions for replacing the trucks and wheels on this model? (both front and rear)
Siouxlake Ron
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Posted - April 20 2012 : 2:56:22 PM
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Ron,
I have done much the same thing. HOWEVER the Athearn rotary snowplow is in fact a steam powered unit, which using an F unit pusher is a good choice for the era the plow is.
With this said, a good point to work this would be to use an old Athearn passenger truck (NOT those that are plastic), but those from ages before, that are METAL! Given the wheelsets are plastic, with metal axles, replace them with say Jay-Bee wheelsets that are metal wheels and axles, and isolated, and if this is done, you can use the front truck it came with as it too is metal, and use wheelsets of the same type in it as well, and if reversed, they can act as a "power supply" for the motor inside the unit to spin your blades, and to that, you can also add the switch to turn it on or off when ever you like. IF you use a small "POT" switch, you can also adjust the speed the blades spin!
Power from the front truck can be routed through the metal frame it mounts too.....The rear truck if it is metal and is bolted as the factory counterpart, you can use the head of the bolt to cary power from the other rail, as long as the 2 trucks are positioned that one side of the truck picks up the left rail, and the other truck picks up power from the right rail.....
I'd done this to an undecorated unit that I painted in a fantasy B&O paint job, with a semi-vanderbilt tender as the B&O had a true liking for the Vandy tenders.....
HTH
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid... 
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - April 22 2012 : 09:30:04 AM
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To John/EM-1 and others:
Things took a turn for the better this weekend when I attended the Tampa Great Train Show and found, much to my delight, a Bachmann Spectrum Plus F7 B POWERED unit sitting in it's original box listing for $20. As I had to pay parking AS WELL AS event admission, I tried my old " starving public school teacher" line on the vendor and got $ 2 off, so I felt even better!
Now, I have a powered B unit that runs very well. I have that Athearn rotary snow plow that I would like to see the blade run. Would it be easier to run two wires off the B unit motor to power the rotary blade (and perhaps run an led with resistor inside to light the plow interior) keeping both cars always coupled, or do the metal wheel + rail pick up by brass wipers method?
Are there any pitfalls in either approach that makes one better than the other?
Thanks for any feedback.
Ron
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Posted - April 22 2012 : 09:32:56 AM
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Sorry- one further thought on this:
I have a small student-type project motor, like the kind sold at Radio Shack, that I could perhaps use to turn the rotary blade and run leads off to power an LED.
Ron
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