Donor Chassis for SF A Class

[Sulzer201]

Hi lads,

Would anyone of ye have a reasonably priced donor chassis for the Silver Fox A Class Locomotive? Despite many mods to the original supplied chassis (with pancake motor), the loco is still running erratically, a Hornby railroad Deltic might do the trick if anyone has one to sell.

 

Thanks in advance, Tommy.

[richrua]

I had the same problem . Enniscorthyman recommended the chassis you mentioned. I got a dcc version on ebay for under £40. more or less new. if you search ebay for Class 55 railroad st. paddy . I have mine running now and it is 100 times better than the lima one i tried first.

[Sulzer201]

Thanks richrua, yes it was Eamonn who advised me of a suitable donor - just like their real big brothers these locos would seem to require a 'transplant' and some day I'm sure they'll be replaced by a first class model.

[burnthebox]

Hi Sulzer201 this any good,

 

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/321575895014?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

[WRENNEIRE]

I would recommend a Hornby one rather than a Lima.

does this one have the same motor as the 201 or is it a better one?

i see it's in a Lima Collection box which would indicate it has one of the better late issue motors

[enniscorthyman]

Thanks richrua, yes it was Eamonn who advised me of a suitable donor - just like their real big brothers these locos would seem to require a 'transplant' and some day I'm sure they'll be replaced by a first class model.

The Hornby Deltic has a good chassis for the SF 001 loco.It seems the

price has creeped up as I bought one two years ago for about 36 stl,while

the last time I looked on Hattons it was 50 stl.Tommy you are welcome

to pop down to have a look at what's involved it switching over the

chassis.As you wont have a speaker in your machine,the weights that

come with the Deltic can be better arranged to get good traction as

bass reflex speaker I use takes up a lot of space.Here is a bit of video

of 001 with the Deltic chassis showing some slow speed.

[aclass007]

I actually used a Lima Class 31 chassis in my A class. I bought the chassis new on eBay. Maybe I was lucky, but it runs smooth and slow, all be it a little on the noisy side. The advantage of using the class 31 is that the bogies are 'similar' to the ones on an A class, so I left them unaltered and didn't attach the Silverfox bogies. When I say similar, they are not identical, but I like them. They are also longer than the bogies Silverfox supplies. I have never posted photos on here, but I can try if you are interested to see how they look......

[Sulzer201]

Thanks to all of you for contributing this advice, A Class I would love to see pics of the loco and maybe I too, will find it a bit easier to pick up a 31 as the Deltic appears to be scarce enough and rising in price as mentioned by Eamonn. Eamonn many thanks for that offer and I will definitely be calling to see you as soon as I pick up the donor Chassis. I like the SF A Class, I know she's not perfect, but it would be nice to have her running smoothly and reliably.

[aclass007]

The night time images aren't great, but at least you'll get an idea of how they look. But, the important thing to remember is that it's a Lima chassis. If your main objective is to get a better runner than what you have, a Lima can be hit and miss......

[richrua]

That is an amazing paint job. Mine is dodgy looking by comparison!

[aclass007]

That is an amazing paint job. Mine is dodgy looking by comparison!

 

I got the model painted from Silverfox, although I did add some small touches myself afterwards, such as the silver under the cab doors that you can see in the photo. It probably needs weathering to make it look like an actual 001.....

Edited November 8, 2014 by aclass007

[DiveController]

If you do a conversion on the chassis could you post some pics of the steps, please?

[Sulzer201]

Well done A Class 001 looks excellent. As with Eamonn's machines you must have achieved smooth, responsive running characteristics after the conversion. DiveController I will post the pics as soon as I can get a suitable donor, although I will be seeking the serious help and advice of Enniscorthyman, who lives not a million miles from me and is a master at this stuff. Tommy.

[Sulzer201]

Gave the wheels of 039 a good cleaning again this morning, see short vid of the running characteristics - this is with the supplied 'pancake' chassis by SF - okay running at medium speed but any slower than that and she is jerky and erratic. Very slow running is out of the question, now my track is not the best but any of the murphys locos are running fine on it at very slow speeds. My A class is chipped so running on a DCC set up, I will try her later on my DC line but for me it's an achievement just to have this loco running reliably at medium speed. The other issue is that she would be a poor hauler and you would need to set the speed at a high rate to ensure the loco clears even the slightest gradients - result West Clare Railway speed on some sections and HST on others! Will have to get that chassis. P.s has anyone found does adding weight to the supplied chassis make any difference in terms of smooth running?[video=youtube_share;viV48jqdpQw]

Thanks, Tommy

[aclass007]

Well done A Class 001 looks excellent. As with Eamonn's machines you must have achieved smooth, responsive running characteristics after the conversion. DiveController I will post the pics as soon as I can get a suitable donor, although I will be seeking the serious help and advice of Enniscorthyman, who lives not a million miles from me and is a master at this stuff. Tommy.

 

Yes, I was lucky enough to get smooth running, but at the end of the day it's a Lima chassis with a pancake motor. If better running is your requirement, you are probably better off trying the newer Hornby, even if it is expensive.

[aclass007]

Gave the wheels of 039 a good cleaning again this morning, see short vid of the running characteristics - this is with the supplied 'pancake' chassis by SF - okay running at medium speed but any slower than that and she is jerky and erratic. Very slow running is out of the question, now my track is not the best but any of the murphys locos are running fine on it at very slow speeds. My A class is chipped so running on a DCC set up, I will try her later on my DC line but for me it's an achievement just to have this loco running reliably at medium speed. The other issue is that she would be a poor hauler and you would need to set the speed at a high rate to ensure the loco clears even the slightest gradients - result West Clare Railway speed on some sections and HST on others! Will have to get that chassis. P.s has anyone found does adding weight to the supplied chassis make any difference in terms of smooth running?[video=youtube_share;viV48jqdpQw]

Thanks, Tommy

 

She's well weathered anyway! Have you tried lightly oiling the cogs in the mechanism, as well as cleaning out any fluff or dirt that might be trapped there? As for weight, my Silverfox A class came with a fairly substantial weight block fitted. I assume your's did too. It certainly needs it, and adding more would certainly help with traction. You could try some more weight to see if it improves the running. Just something simple strapped to the chassis with the body removed would do for a test run.

[Broithe]

The brushes and the commutator in the pancake motor aren't always the best - and can dig in a bit where the brushes run over the breaks between the copper segments. The flywheel-effect of the rotor at speed helps overcome this, but with low-speed running, it will often stall. A bit of rounding off of the copper edges can help. This problem gets worse as the carbon brushes get shorter.....

[DiveController]

Hi lads,

Would anyone of ye have a reasonably priced donor chassis for the Silver Fox A Class Locomotive? Despite many mods to the original supplied chassis (with pancake motor), the loco is still running erratically, a Hornby railroad Deltic might do the trick if anyone has one to sell.

 

Thanks in advance, Tommy.

 

Cosmetic defect will not affect the chassis you need on this one

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Bachmann-32-525A-Class-55-Deltic-The-Kings-Own-Yorkshire-Light-Infantry-/390965704761?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item5b075f3839

[Sulzer201]

Thanks Dive, I'll have a punt on that one.

[aclass007]

It will take an awful lot of work to get the Bachmann chassis into an A class. The chassis will need to be shortened considerably. This is why the Lima and Hornby models are used. They feature a pancake motor at one end of the chassis, while the rest of the chassis is basically hollow. The Bachmann will have a central motor with a driven bogie at each end, just like any of the Murphy Models locos.

[Blaine]

Bogies will work fine, but will need a lot of chopping on the Deltics chassis, you will need to make your own driveshafts and how long is the motor including flywheels??

 

Surprised nobody mentioned 1 of these http://www.ebay.ie/itm/HO-1-87-FRATESCHI-LOCOMOTIVE-G-22-CU-RFFSA-BRAZIL-/271636766414?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item3f3ed01ece

[aclass007]

Bogies will work fine, but will need a lot of chopping on the Deltics chassis, you will need to make your own driveshafts and how long is the motor including flywheels??

 

Surprised nobody mentioned 1 of these http://www.ebay.ie/itm/HO-1-87-FRATESCHI-LOCOMOTIVE-G-22-CU-RFFSA-BRAZIL-/271636766414?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item3f3ed01ece

 

Is that short enough to slot into the A class body without chopping?

[Blaine]

Is that short enough to slot into the A class body without chopping?

 

Its a tad longer, but not as long as the Deltic. Probably only need 1 new driveshaft to be made up.

 

Easiest solution is 2 Hornby Deltic power bogies wired in parallel

[irishthump]

Does anyone know offhand what length the chassis has to be to fit the Silverfox kit?

 

I'm sure you could find an Athearn or kato HO chassis that would fit without major surgery...

[Blaine]

Does anyone know offhand what length the chassis has to be to fit the Silverfox kit?

 

I'm sure you could find an Athearn or kato HO chassis that would fit without major surgery...

 

The problem is - the A class is very short for a 6 axle chassis - The B101 class is even shorter. Easier to fit 2 power bogies than a central can motor chassis - but depends too on how much work you fancy

[irishthump]

The problem is - the A class is very short for a 6 axle chassis - The B101 class is even shorter. Easier to fit 2 power bogies than a central can motor chassis - but depends too on how much work you fancy

 

I'm thinking of using an Athearn F7 chassis and fitting it with 6 wheel bogies from an Athearn SD40.

Mind you I have'nt even got a Silverfox kit, that's why I'm asking about the dimensions of the resin body!

[Blaine]

I'm thinking of using an Athearn F7 chassis and fitting it with 6 wheel bogies from an Athearn SD40.

Mind you I have'nt even got a Silverfox kit, that's why I'm asking about the dimensions of the resin body!

 

Use the F7 and just fit longer sideframes, unless its an eye level layout 2 inches from your face you would never know...

[irishthump]

Use the F7 and just fit longer sideframes, unless its an eye level layout 2 inches from your face you would never know...

 

That would be a last resort. But I think the longer bogies would work, and I have a few spare.

 

So can anyone tell me the dimensions of the resin body?

[aclass007]

That would be a last resort. But I think the longer bogies would work, and I have a few spare.

 

So can anyone tell me the dimensions of the resin body?

 

180mm approx, measured on the inside from cab to cab. About 184mm inside between the two buffer beams below the cabs.

Edited November 9, 2014 by aclass007

[irishthump]

180mm approx, measured on the inside from cab to cab. About 184mm inside between the two buffer beams below the cabs.

 

Thanks for that! Well the F7 chassis should fit easily, time to start tinkering...