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 Posted - July 01 2015 : 02:09:59 AM
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A recent acquisition of a beta up Penn Line GG-1 got me thinking how I could improve the incorrect wheel arrangement of the Tyco GG-1 . 
In comparing the two I was surprised that the major dimensions of the Tyco unit are better than I originally thought with respect to overall length.
The first order of business is in modifying the pilots of the Tyco design. this can be done in short order using a jewelers saw and cleaning up with a flat file. 
As an added bonus, when you are done removing the pilots you will have two nice streamlined pilots to retrofit and F or E unit that you might have with a broken pilot or one that you would like to have with the look of the optional EMD passenger pilot!
Now we can move on to adding some slots in the car-body to relocate the original gimbal mounts for the motor block and dummy truck. Just measure, drill some starter holes then trim out the holes with an X-acto knife and Voila.
The next piece is the key to making this project work. I made some brass tongues that are trimmed and drilled to fit in the original coupler pockets of the Tyco PT drive trucks.
A little trial and error might be needed here but I decided to use an old set of Mantua/Tyco passenger car trucks. They are a bit long compared to the prototype but do help to compensate for the shortness of the Tyco PT 6 axle truck spacing and smaller diameter wheels. They look pretty good overall. I modified the trucks by removing the extension for the coupler with a jewelers saw and drilling holes for a Kadee coupler box. A Kadee #24 was installed and came out at he correct coupler height. Next the truck is screwed to the new tongue adapter and then inserted in to the coupler pocket.
I left a bit of slop in the mounting to allow the truck to swing freely and give it some wiggle room. I will go back and add some shims and washers as needed. This does show the flexibility of the design.
  
On the track you can see the amount of swing that is achieved on a 22 in radius and the spacing of a coupled car.
Next, I looked at some options for new pilots. I have some I might use that look pretty good. They might do until I can make some from scratch.
Now all you need to do is repeat all these steps for the other end of the locomotive, you will need two brass adapters.
Did you notice that you will now have extra wheels for power pick-up! take this in to account when you are soldering up your electrical connections.
So here is the finished product. What do you think?
Not bad for an evening of work hey? Not a perfect GG-1 but it now looks much more like the real thing and best of all it was done using mostly Tyco or Mantua parts. Now go build one for yourself!
Edited by - metalsmith1 on July 02 2015 10:32:30 PM
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Posted - July 01 2015 : 07:00:46 AM
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Nice work; thanks for documenting it with lots of pictures.
Randy
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Posted - July 01 2015 : 08:38:07 AM
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It's simple and effective and you end up with a GG1 that looks like one. 
I can imagine that this sort of out of the box thinking about powered trucks could have many uses.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - July 01 2015 : 09:39:06 AM
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| Nice job there metal. Nice to see a kitbasher thinking "out of the box".
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Posted - July 01 2015 : 11:53:43 AM
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Now that's how Tyco should've done their GG1. How much more would it cost them, like $10?
-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 - July 01 2015 : 12:05:32 PM
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Gee thanks metalsmith, now I have a reason to get a Tyco GG-1 
Great job - and yes thanks for documenting the build for us. Gonna put this on my to-try list.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - July 01 2015 : 6:46:27 PM
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Wow, now that's a big improvement! I really like the upgrade! Thanks for posting your kitbash procedure.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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