All of this makes me appreciate how much you guys had to deal with just to stay in N scale in those days. It also makes me understand more why many of you are less focused on rivet counting and are just happy that you can buy a locomotive that you can count on the run out of the box.
Yeah, I'll admit to those years making me into what could be best described as a reliability freak. The highest compliment I could get was that 'your N trains run a lot better and derail less than my HO stuff.... why is that?' and then I'd know I'd hit the sweet spot. If anything got in the way of that (rivets included) it was pushed aside. Most HO layouts I visited derailed more, stalled more, Kadee couplers hung, etc., than I could accept, but they sure looked good doing it. Everybody has their own priorities, mine was always performance.
Yep, after I worked through the starter phase of my start in N, I sold my Bachmann and life like and slowly started getting Kato and atlas units. Then I switched railroads and discovered new Manufacturers models that perform as good as they look.
That takes me way back to when I wanted one of everything, mostly Alcos of course. These images show my attempt at putting all sorts of models on Atlas/Roco chassis, using MRC, Atlas and Bachmann shells and some Early Detail Associates parts. I think I still have the chopped nose RSC that I put on an Atlas/Roco chassis and frame with FA-1 sideframes. Ha, nice topic and what a laugh, but it was all we had back then. Most of these photos were taken around 1980-83. I built newer versions of these when newer models came out in the mid to late '80s. Cheers Steve NZ
I do not know if this is too far in the future for you, but, Ak-Sar-Ben used to do custom paint schemes for the shell of the RS-11, Atlas, I have the 15th N-TRAK anniversary shell. I would assume that Ak-Sar-Ben did other schemes also and not just for RR cars. The shell I have dates from 1989-1990?
Ahhhhhhhh, yes, Good Ol' Hacksaw Ben........They used to come to the Timonium, Maryland shows. They had stuff there from some of their projects that "Did not quite work out the way that they would have liked". I bought more than a few of those at excellent prices for parts and donors for bashing projects. Their prices were far more reasonable than another certain seller of custom painted models of that era who came from the capital of a certain state on the Atlantic Seaboard. That guy's prices were extremely high and if he sold you a bum steer, he would not make good on it. I still have some of the stuff that I bought from their junque piles in may parts boxes.
Back when I started in the hobby (1967 ) I started with a Athearn HO scale trains set that I received as a Christmas present. I do not remember the exact year (Mid 1970's - early 1980's???) Atlas released their line of Scale width hood EMD locomotives. This may sound funny today, but this was giant news back in the day of the Athearn JET motor with the oversized long hood. I purchased 3 Atlas / Roco HO scale locomotives. 1 - GP38 that I custom painted in the P&LE ex-Conrail GP38 paint scheme 1 - SD35 in the Santa Fe blue & yellow bonnet scheme 1 - SD24 in the Santa Fe blue freight scheme with the yellow stripe. Since switching to N scale in the mid 1990's, these locomotives have been in storage and are showing their age. What was once considered top of the line is now yesterdays news. I hang onto them for the memories, but by today's standards these locomotives would be reserved to roundhouse garden tracks
I still run my Atlas/Roco FA-1s on my road and even custom-painted a pair in L&NE long ago using Northeast Decals. Atlas offered a simple weight kit for them a few years after introduction, featuring two weights that were custom fit around the can motor.
Since I posted my Heisler shot several years ago, it went through one more rebuilding by putting a Kato 11-103 five-pole motor in it. That works as a replacement motor for that awful, terrible, no-good Roco one that has no reason to live. And the Trix three-pole U28 motor that I'd replace the original Atlas motor with, that finally just wore out and always cogged a bit on starting. That five-pole Kato is a sweetheart motor. Trust me, buy the 11-103 chassis just to get it and throw everything else out without guilt. So for "Bigfoot the Heisler", it has now had three different motors, but still has Roco frame, truck frames, 0-6-0 wheels, and some other odd details. And I still keep parts to keep it running - red Roco gears still in original packages. That darn thing still outpulls an Atlas Shay and creeps just as slow. So Bigfoot or not, it's still running now, never out of service, since 1976. It's now my second-oldest locomotive that has never been retired since I originally bought it.
HELP! HELP! HELP!!!!!! I've got two ATLAS ROCO SD 35s and a GP-38. I just can't figure out how to get the trucks off the chassis to rebuild the gas tanks. Any help -- with photos -- would be greatly appreciated!
After over 40 years of aging, my Atlas/Roco locos (F9's, GP30's, and GP9's) run very well after the brushes hardened up, apparently from some binder evaporation. They originally ran well until the commutator slots got plugged up with a brush powder/binder mixture and it was fire rings/variable speed galore. Doug
That might explain the situation with my old Atlas/Roco geeps. I hadn't thought of this. Some run pretty well and others are horrible.
Hi RedBarnes, Hope these photos help. First I remove the truck bottom piece by gently prying the retaining clip toward the fuel tank Next remove the wheels (remember which side the plastic insulator in the wheel is located, this is very important) Next tilt the front of the truck assembly (end closes to the fuel tank) down, until the bolster pin is free from the truck assembly. Notice the angle in the photo, this is the point where the pin is now free from the truck assembly Next, slide the truck assembly to the rear of the opening in the frame and tilting it slightly will allow you to pull the assembly free from the frame. At the same time you can also remove the small piece of drive shaft. At this point you'll have to de-solder the wires from the truck assembly. Remember all of these steps only took a light amount of pressure to remove the truck. Too much pressure could possibly cause one of the plastic truck parts to break. Hope this helps?
Hehe, some of us talking N scale and others, HO. Anyway, yes, when I first got my N scale F9 and first GP30, they ran great, for locos in those days, anyway, but soon started changing speed on their own. I think the GP30 was worse. I took the shell off and connected jumpers and watched as the fire rings were almost scary, looking like they were bad enough to burn off the commutator plates. I cleaned the slots out and it ran great again but the problem recurred. I eventually put them back in their jewel cases where they spent most of their lives until a few years ago when I took them out and tried them again. To my surprise, they ran great and stayed that way and still run fine. I reasoned the brushes had somehow hardened a bit over the years. Doug
Hi Doug, Yes that is my fault, I forgot I was in the N scale section of the forum Back in the Atlas / Roco era I was still a HO scale modeler, although I did receive a N scale AHM / Lima train set as a Christmas present in 1971, but that's another thread
No worries, Rich. I love HO, too. I just bought a Varney Ohio Seamless gondola on eBay. Its missing the overhead beam rigging, however. I'm am going to make a replacement. Doug.
I just realized I had another question: If it's still running today, do you have any videos of it to post?
