Proto Mantua?

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Here's another chop, cut, rebuild. A Mantua F7 body on a Proto 2000 FA1 chassis. It was a shotgun wedding. The truck and weight supports inside the body had to be cut out. On the P2K chassis the front coupler pocket had to be removed and the headlight fixture had the be removed. The corners on the front of the frame had to be ground off (1/8" each side) to allow the body to fit. Naturally it runs like a dream. Here's a photo of it in it's final form, if you can get over the Alco trucks that is.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010012.jpg

[CP&E 3207]

Alco trucks on F units? I like that!
All of my GP7's on my roster will be riding on AAR Type B trucks. And a handful of GP38's will too.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

That's not the only one. I have an Athearn F7 that's riding on AAR trucks also.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The loco has been repainted for the MGRy and has a matching B unit which also has AAR trucks.
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010024.jpg

[CP&E 3207]

Just curious, how did you end up mating F7 shells on P2k ALCO chassis? What did you do with the Proto shells?

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I still have the FB1 shell, the FA1 shell was destroyed in a nosedive to a wood floor. I had the F7 shells laying around and one thing led to another.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I've also been working on an old Bachmann FT shell. I did some work on it today. The paint on the cab is still a bit rough. I'll take care of that tomorrow, I'm too tired to do it tonight. It wouldn't do any harm to put the decals on though so I did that. Also did the decals for the two F7 shells. Here are some photos of the FT as it is right now.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010045.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010043-1.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010042-1.jpg

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The FT is as done as it's gonna get and the F7-B needs just a spot of paint on the diaphrams. Wish the decals were better but this new printer is a piece of crap!


http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010052.jpg


http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010053-1.jpg


http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010054-1.jpg


http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010055.jpg

[jeffrey-wimberly]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010056-1.jpg


http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010057-1.jpg

[jeffrey-wimberly]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm18/forum-2/P1010062-1.jpg

[GTRail]

...keep off? never seen that on a loco before but your painting is getting better

[Mr. SP]

Reminds me of the late Rock Island or Milwaukee Road