I picked up an Atlas GP7 at an NMRA meet last saturday, with the sole intention of repowering my Lifelike GP20, so it will run with my other Atlas/Kato locomotives. I thought it would be an easy swap, but turned out not to be the case! The frames had to be filed down a bit, and the short hood end lowered, to fit into the shell. It was also a very tight fit, and it made the very quiet GP7 mechanism into a very noisy one! I thinned down the frames, to make them an easier fit, but still the noise when the body was on. Thinking that the tightnes could be narrowing the frame halves, I pressed in the gap at the top some styrene strip, which improved things a lot, but still not great. I then did the same at the bottom of the frames, and viola! silent running So it appears that the bushes which space and insulate the frames are not sufficient to hold the frame halves parallel. A friend brought his GP9 round, as it was also quite noisy, and I gave it the same styrene treatment. Another quiet locomotive Does anyone else have a noisy Atlas GP7/9? Try the styrene thing It could just help. ------------------ Alan Curtis. Moderator. Member #12 The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale! www.alancurtismodels.com Andersley Western Railroad Alan's American Gallery
Thanks for the info Alan!! I have a VERY noisy GP60 I made (converted GP40-2) and I put to much work in it for it to be as noisy as it is now. Thanks for the info! ------------------ Craig Martyn Best Looking Models Around Custom detailing AND N scale detail parts. BLMA N Scale Detail Parts BLMAinfo@aol.com
An easier fix, Alan. Take the Atlas trucks and swap them out with the Life-Like's. The trucks are mounted the same way and the worm gears are the same. The gearing is the biggest difference between the Life-Like GP20 drive and the Atlas GP7/9 drive. I think the flywheels might be different sizes and this is the reason for the buzzing drive. RoyalBlue and I tried to stuff an Atlas GP drive into a GP20 and had the same noise, then RB switched out the trucks, noise gone and the GP20 runs the same speed as the rest of his Atlas fleet. ------------------ Brent Tidaback, Member #234 BNSF Railfan-to-the Max and a N-Scaler to boot! Ship it on the Route of The Roadrunners! The Aransas Odessa & Western, a division of the BNSF [This message has been edited by Maxwell Plant (edited 12 December 2000).]
Brent, I tried swapping the trucks, but it still did not run as fast as the Atlas locomotives. Also when the screws which hold the frame halves together were tightened, the trucks would not turn! The frames would have to be modified to give free movement. Anyhow, I now have a great running GP20, so must get it repainted and detailed If I should buy any more Lifelike locomotives, I think I will get some Atlas trucks for them, as the trucks/wheels are the only sub-standard thing about the GP20. The wheels are brass, I think, and collect dirt at an alarming rate! The LL chassis is now in the GP7, so I may try some Atlas trucks for it It will be used for switching, or way freights, so it does not need to run with other Atlas or Kato's. ------------------ Alan Curtis. Moderator. Member #12 The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale! www.alancurtismodels.com Andersley Western Railroad Alan's American Gallery
Any suggestions on making the Life-Like F7s run a little quieter? Don't suggest throwing them away, I like them. Being relatively new to the hobby I find them to be an inexpensive way to get started. Besides when my $15-$20 Life-Likes derail I probably don't cringe near as much as when a high dollar Atlas and Kato does. Don't get me wrong, I hope to have an Atlas or Kato in my Christmas stocking. In the mean time I just wish my F7s ran a lot quieter. Alan mentiones "silent running". Is that actually an option? Mark _____________________ Ratcals Red Ale "Are you man enough?"
I don't have any experience with the F7's, but the body will act as a sound box a bit more than a hood unit, so they may not run as quietly. I don't think much can be done with early Lifelike, due to the construction of the chassis. Do they have the plastic chassis? ------------------ Alan Curtis. Moderator. Member #12 The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale! www.alancurtismodels.com Andersley Western Railroad Alan's American Gallery
You could make a mounting pad in the Life Like shell for an Atlas/Kato GP9 chassis.I use this chassis assy. because the couplers are truck mounted. Make it out of styrene and fill the voids with putty for weight. I agree that the Life Like trucks are cheap and have replaced them on my GP-20s with Atlas trucks. You just have to leave the screws a little loose or make a slightly thicker spacer. It will run slightly faster, but not as fast as Atlas.
Thanks for the inputs guys. I never thought of the body acting as a sound box. Perhaps that's where I'll start looking. Yes the chassis is plastic, does that make a difference? Mark ________________________ Ratcals Red Ale "Have you tried it yet?"
The difference is that the plastic chassis models are the older ones, and generally rubbish by today's standards, also they do not have sufficient weight. Adding as much weight as possible would probably help, and by filling any voids in the body, you could cut down the 'sound box' effect a bit. ------------------ Alan Curtis. Moderator. Member #12 The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale! www.alancurtismodels.com Andersley Western Railroad Alan's American Gallery
