Amtrak Electric Collage

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I want to build a small display case in my office to celebrate the first 50 years of Amtrak. On the left side will be electric engines and on the right side diesel of approximately the same era:

GG1         -       E8
E60CP      -       SDP40F
AEM-7      -       F40PH
HHP-8      -       P42DC
ACS-64    -       ALC-42

With Amtrak's Day One scheme bookending the display.

Most of these engines are available RTR. The big issues are the AEM-7 and rebuilding the E60CP. I think I need help with these two.
1. The Bachmann model has an older shell and the details reflect the as-built status rather than the end-of-life appearance I want. The shell is certainly usable, but the chassis is total garbage. For one, the wheels are almost 50' wide. An Atlas SD50 chassis has almost the right truck centers, but can not accommodate the Atlas GE-style truck needed for the model. Maybe a Japanese mechanism adapted to use the Atlas trucks?

2. I have the AEM-7 shell and it is very nice. The best chassis option for it, the Swedish RC2 by Fleischmann, is not. Large flanges, 3 pole motor, questionable electrical pickup, and no sound provisioning.

Any ideas on what I can do to get these built?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Well... if you're just keeping them in a display case, just make em dummies.

That'll simplify making a frame for the E60, and you won't have to worry about the motor in the AEM7. In fact, you can probably also swap out the wheels on it with something better looking much more easily since you won't have to worry about gears.

[nickelplate759]

There's an E60MA body on Shapeways - designed for the Bachmann chassis.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/QMDANMQWV/n-ge-e60ma-loco-body

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Well... if you're just keeping them in a display case, just make em dummies.

That'll simplify making a frame for the E60, and you won't have to worry about the motor in the AEM7. In fact, you can probably also swap out the wheels on it with something better looking much more easily since you won't have to worry about gears.

I want these fully operating if I decide to make a South Station layout later.

[peteski]

3-pole motor?  You sound like it's a bad thing.    There are plenty of models out there using 3-pole motors running smoothly, even at low speeds. Especially with a decoder which has excellent BEMF motor control.  Deep flanges problematic?  They can be turned down (even just using a file).

[nickelplate759]

In principal, I agree with @peteski about 3-pole motors.  They can be good.

However, I also have a Bachmann E60CP.  The 3-pole motor in that model is not good.

It doesn't help that the entire drive train is relatively high friction.  There is plenty of room inside for a larger motor - maybe someday I'll get around to doing that.

[peteski]

3-pole motor or not, I do agree that it would be really beneficial not to use Bachmann's E60CP mechanism.  These are prone to cracked axle gears too.  I fixed one for Lee's Hi-Rail layout some time ago.

[kiwi_al]

Daniel, for the E60CP you can use the mechanism from an atlas 8-40C and stretch it to the correct dimensions. That way you get the GE trucks and a reliable running mechanism.

[nickelplate759]

3-pole motor or not, I do agree that it would be really beneficial not to use Bachmann's E60CP mechanism.  These are prone to cracked axle gears too.  I fixed one for Lee's Hi-Rail layout some time ago.
...

It looks like you fixed it with a Very Large Hammer!

[peteski]

It looks like you fixed it with a Very Large Hammer!

LOL!  Sure looks like it! Well, it deserved a large hammer treatment, but in that photo all the axle gears are fixed and trucks are partially reassembled.

[dem34]

3-pole motor or not, I do agree that it would be really beneficial not to use Bachmann's E60CP mechanism.  These are prone to cracked axle gears too.  I fixed one for Lee's Hi-Rail layout some time ago.

Funny story with that one.
The gears gave up the ghost after a month at their new home. Watching this thread with interest since I've been shepherding a few from junk bins and wondering if I should either toss the mech, shells, or both.

[peteski]

Al, does that mean that Lee passed that model to you and the gears failed?  Which way did they fail? The brass sleeves prevented the plastic tubes inside them from expanding or cracking further, and I can't imagine the brass sleeves themselves cracked.  We are getting OT here - should probably continue in PMs or separate thread.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The Bachmann E60 has a fairly low body, so adding other chassis under it is rather difficult. I could use Atlas C40-8 trucks, but on what? I'm starting to think they may need a scratch built chassis. The Bachmann chassis is not great due to the poor gear plastic and the wheels that are nearly 10" scale too large.

The AEM-7 isn't much better. The Fleischmann mechanism is straight out of the 70's. The wheels are the wrong shape, though size is about right. It does not have the drilled brake discs as the AEM-7 had. Both the Kato ACS-64 and I believe Bachmann's HHP-8 have these type of wheels but I don't know the correct size. The Kato ACS-64 is the only correct pantograph for the AEM-7

[learmoia]

I agree with the others.. for a small office display, I'd just stick with dummy stock items as much as possible...

By the time you build that layout, maybe Atlas (or Rapido) will have done the AEM-7 in N..

Wouldn't the diesel equivalent of an E60 be a P30? 

[Pizzaparty]

I think you can use a tomix ed75 for the AEM7. It’s not the exact replica but it’s as close as you can get with out trying to find a flieschman chassis