Mini-Trix F9 body

[GP38-2freak]

I got two body shells of Mini-Trix F9A units and look for a mechanism to get them run.
Don't want to use original Mini-Trix mechanism so does someone made a conversion?

Tim

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Man, the detail is so crude, unless they have some sentimental value, I'd make em into gon loads...

[LV LOU]

 The old plastic frame Life Like F-unit frames fit,so do the old Bachmann metal frames.Actually,the TRIX units are better than the Bachmann frames.

[CBQ Fan]

Go with Kato or Intermountain.

[LV LOU]

Go with Kato or Intermountain.

Won't fit..Well,it will fit,but the early chassis are much bigger,the wheelbases will look goofy.

[robert3985]

I got two body shells of Mini-Trix F9A units and look for a mechanism to get them run.
Don't want to use original Mini-Trix mechanism so does someone made a conversion?

Tim

Why??????????

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[hpwrick]

Why not?

I have two custom painted Minitrix F9's and the motor's in their chassis gave up the ghost.   Performance was always poor forever stalling out due to the touchy feelers from the truck to the fuel tank.   As a result I seldom ran them.     Like you I tired a number of different things...finally settling on Life Like's F7 Chassis.    It is slightly shorter and slightly oversized but not obviously so.   Now the problems I had running these beauties is minimized.  They get to run, right beside my Kato's and Intermountain F units, painted in D&RGW, Aspen Gold.    I'd give that a go and see what you think.

[peteski]

Yeah, why?  Those are quite crude and IIRC, those aren't actually F9s.   The nose and the front windows are really wrong shape and so is the plow.  And they are really incorrect (I'm not just splitting hairs).

[LV LOU]

Why not?

I have two custom painted Minitrix F9's and the motor's in their chassis gave up the ghost.   Performance was always poor forever stalling out due to the touchy feelers from the truck to the fuel tank.   As a result I seldom ran them.     Like you I tired a number of different things...finally settling on Life Like's F7 Chassis.    It is slightly shorter and slightly oversized but not obviously so.   Now the problems I had running these beauties is minimized.  They get to run, right beside my Kato's and Intermountain F units, painted in D&RGW, Aspen Gold.    I'd give that a go and see what you think.

Yeah,why not? Never mind that those Life Like F chassis could pull the chrome off a trailer hitch,they're certainly cheap enough to put the cash into.You could buy three Life Like F's for the price of one Kato..I have dozens of Life Like and TRIX F's on my roster,no complaints here..Those TRIX shells ain't even bad looking,especially with stainless grills..

[mmagliaro]

You can overcome the electrical issues by hard-soldering super-flex wire from those wipers to the motor.
Those engines run really nice.  I have several mechanisms and shells, and some nice cast shells (courtesy of Lou!)
that were going to become a nice A-B-B-A Pennsy set.  Sadly, I never got around to it, and I still have all those
parts.   But....   The SP&S had F units...

I know, the shell details aren't up to today's level of detail.  But I can't ever say a bad word about the Trix F Unit.
I guess I'm too sentimental that way.

[hpwrick]

Check this out and tell me this doesn't look like a Minitrix F Type:  http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELvHsf3BN2E/T9d8fZ22abI/AAAAAAAAAP8/mD0oGzXBTnc/s1600/IMG_8769.jpg

To your own conclusions....

Courtesy of:  Galveston, Texas  Railroad Museum

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It doesn't look like a Trix F unit.   

[hpwrick]

LOL   Right bact at you  

I told you not to tell me that.         COL     Similarities perhaps.

It doesn't look like a Santa Fe Locomotive F type...either.     You can do your own research as to the orgin of the locomotive.

What struck me was the grill and the similarity to Minitrix's F unit.

   

[GP38-2freak]

I'd like to save them and get them into running conditions as they are for six year old boy, along with a Walthers GP38-2 and a Atlas GP-7, some Mini-Trix Streamline Cars (also Penn Central), Atlas & Bachmann freight cars on a 4x8 layout....no sentimental value but the hope to get him into a hobby other than Nintendo and X-Box...
Will try the Life Like mechs..

Tim

[peteski]

Tim,
if these are to become toys for a child then why not use the original mechanisms?  It is very robust (mostly metal) and pretty much as they say "bulletproof"!  Especially the older one with all metal gears. It will withstand all sorts of abuse and will run for years trouble-free.  It is also very simple and very easy to maintain.

Even Mark gave it a pretty good grade http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/trixf9a.html