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 Posted - November 17 2012 : 4:41:37 PM
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After building my Penn Central C430, I decided to make a dummy Penn Central F7 to use as a companion. This project involved striping a Tyco F7 shell of paint, removing the steam generator details and adding appropriate grab irons, lift rings, and window glazing. I replaced the original Tyco trucks and underframe with an old Athearn Hi-F mechanism that I found in the junk bin at my local hobby shop. The following pictures show my results.....
I especially like the Tyco shell for this project for two reasons, first unlike the Athearn shell, the Tyco shell has only one headlight. New York Central didn't order their F units with two head lights so the Tyco shell saved me from having to make an extra modification to the nose. Second, the real Penn Central was so broke that minor cosmetic damage to their units was left unfixed. For example most of PC's F units had side grills that showed distinct signs of damage. This is good news for those of us who want to use the Tyco F unit for this project because often times this detail is distorted on Tyco's shells. Molding flaws of this nature may look out of place on a model of a Santa Fe Passenger Warbonnet F unit but look just right for a PC freight beater!
Proudly keeping Tyco Pluggers out of landfills since 2016
Edited by - Srenchin on November 17 2012 5:59:45 PM
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 6:14:59 PM
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| I likes it Now all you needs is a PC caboose
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 6:18:47 PM
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Another impressive example next to you C430.
Alco Fan
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 8:42:48 PM
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Scott,
Again, AWESOME work! I see what looks to be a Athearn frame under the TYCO shell? I swear by Athearn frames whenever possible! Gives those old units a new life! And as long as the frame never gets damaged, the parts for them are everywhere so......And not to bad to get!
Very realistic work and to that nice paint and all. again like the C430, looks AWESOME!
~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 - November 17 2012 : 9:20:20 PM
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Very nice job... even the photos look period. You should power it. With Athearns it's not that hard (although you'd need powered trucks).
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 10:11:14 PM
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I considered powering this unit but decided against it. First of all I used an old Athearn Hi F rubber band drive locomotive frame for this unit and Athearn gear drive components are not compatible with the Hi F frame. What I might do instead is make a matching powered B unit starting with a gear driven mechanism. The other thing to consider is that PC operated their F's in four to six unit lash ups, I certainly don't need four to six powered locos to pull any of my layout sized trains!  However PC needed to overpower their trains in the likely event that some of them died en route! Come to think of it, having a dummy unit that provides no tractive effort is just like a prototype PC train dragging a failed unit around in its consist.
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 10:23:30 PM
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quote:I likes it Now all you needs is a PC caboose
Originally posted by microbusss - November 17 2012 : 6:14:59 PM
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Actually I already have a caboose for these units, but it was made by Red Caboose and not really relevant to the Tyco theme I am running with here. With that being said, I am tempted to kitbash a Pennsylvania N8c style "cabin car" from Tyco streamlined caboose shells. However I question whether it is worth my time to kitbash a caboose that Bowser already mass produces as a simple kit.
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 10:57:01 PM
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quote:However PC needed to overpower their trains in the likely event that some of them died en route! Come to think of it, having a dummy unit that provides no tractive effort is just like a prototype PC train dragging a failed unit around in its consist.
Originally posted by Srenchin - November 17 2012 : 10:11:14 PM
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Have you seen that PC bankruptcy film? That sounds all too plausible. 
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Posted - November 17 2012 : 11:23:03 PM
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quote:
Scott,
Those hi-fi drives are good! You have the factory trucks under it? I ask as those frames and trucks if originals, make GREAT un-powered frames with lighting! What I call "Dummies, with a brain"
~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 - November 18 2012 : 02:26:31 AM
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quote: quote:However PC needed to overpower their trains in the likely event that some of them died en route! Come to think of it, having a dummy unit that provides no tractive effort is just like a prototype PC train dragging a failed unit around in its consist.
Originally posted by Srenchin - November 17 2012 : 10:11:14 PM
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Have you seen that PC bankruptcy film? That sounds all too plausible.
Originally posted by NickelPlate759Â -Â November 17 2012Â :Â 10:57:01 PM
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The movie you mentioned is Penn Central 1974 is one of my all time favorite vintage railroad films, it gives you a good feel for how things were like during the early 1970's. Another good movie produced by Burlington Northern in 1973 called Portrait of a Railroad paints a much rosier picture of railroading during the same era. You can find both movies if you google them, they are both well worth you time!
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Posted - November 18 2012 : 12:27:19 PM
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Scott,
Another question (I know I'm full of them!)
The marker lights above your number boards, the red is that a bulb or a jewel? They look like they may light up and thats COOL!
I'm building a Railpower Products SD90MAC into a SD80MAC, and will have A LOT of operating lights when I'm done including the red marker lights in the nose and rear panel of the locomotive, head light, tail light, step well lighting, and cab interior lighting, plus, it will have dual motors and 3 flywheels in it.... which is already built.......
~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 - November 18 2012 : 10:37:48 PM
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quote:Scott,
Another question (I know I'm full of them!)
The marker lights above your number boards, the red is that a bulb or a jewel? They look like they may light up and thats COOL!
I'm building a Railpower Products SD90MAC into a SD80MAC, and will have A LOT of operating lights when I'm done including the red marker lights in the nose and rear panel of the locomotive, head light, tail light, step well lighting, and cab interior lighting, plus, it will have dual motors and 3 flywheels in it.... which is already built.......
Originally posted by EM-1Â -Â November 18 2012Â :Â 12:27:19 PM
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Sorry, those class lights are just jewels but I like the way they catch the light and provide a little color to this otherwise drab looking loco..
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Posted - November 18 2012 : 10:59:05 PM
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I wasn't around during those dark times, but I can get a great idea how bad American railroading was by the way everything looked in the Penn Central video.
I like the way it came out. Looks smart in black. I personally prefer the sea-green scheme, but I understand that it wasn't as common as the black (probably more expensive to paint in color). If you're going prototype, you need it to be a little bit dirtier though. And rustier. Other railroaders would suggest it looks "too good" for PC. That's political though, so let's not go there.
What I will add though, as that idea of inteligent dummies, with lighting, sounds neat, and I think I want to try that on my pike now. If anything at all is going to work on a dead unit, it'd better be the headlight (maybe the brakes?)
Figures that an EMD needs to be towed by an ALCO...
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Posted - November 18 2012 : 11:10:43 PM
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Real nice effort.
I think turning it into a sound and light unit would be a good idea. I called them Pup-E's Pick ups-electrical.... CNR used several F's this way. They welded shields over the front screens on some to make sure no one used them as leads....
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
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Posted - November 18 2012 : 11:23:10 PM
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Romcat, I'm not following what you said CNR did. Could you please explain?
Thanks,
Glenn
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
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Posted - November 19 2012 : 10:46:15 AM
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| I should mention that Tyco wasn't the only one that did F7s with one headlight Bachman did too I has a ATSF F7 with one headlight
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Posted - November 19 2012 : 11:13:31 AM
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Nice rebuild.
I have a Tyco F7 shell on an Athearn chassis around here somewhere that I painted in Brunswic green.
The Bachmann F9 shells work if you want a later phase PC F7. The old Bachmann shell needs just a little more work removing and adding details than the Tyco shell.
Ray
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Posted - November 19 2012 : 11:32:49 AM
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Hey There:
Take a look at this previous thread...
http://tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11368
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
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Posted - November 19 2012 : 2:14:28 PM
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Thanks. The reference to a model with light and sound is what got me.
Glenn
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
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