Recommended - Old Skool Atlas F9 upgrades?????

purchase replacement geared wheelsets from NWSL (NorthWest ShortlIne). they are a big improvement over the stock wheelsets.

in addition, I've included an article by John Armstrong: 'Sure Feet for the Atlas Engine (or F9)'. A detailed look at improving the way the power trucks are mounted, which gives the engines greater pulling power.

I had a set I detailed for the PRR.   I tried to get them close to F7s since PRR did not have F9s.

I shaved off the cast on grabs and handrails and replaced them with wire.    And the big hole in the pilots is obvious.    I kitbased a PRR pilot for one, and by the time I did the second, P&D hobbies had a new passenger style pilot I used.     They also have freight pilots.      Or you can try filling and filing the existing ones.     P&D also makes all sorts of other detail parts for F-units such as MU cables for the ends.    

The conversion I did to make F7s which probably does not apply to you also included filing off the front louvre on the side and filling in the front porthole.   then putting in a new port hole more forward where they were on F7s, about where the louvre was.    Scale City Designs has the porthiole window frame castings from the old Keil Line molds.

Many thanks for the replies and the article guys, much appreciated

Regards

Nick

we offer several items to help with your project here is a link:

http://www.scalecitydesigns.co...EL-DETAILS_c_22.html

we also have several items not listed but available such as late number boards, freight pilot,steps,speed recorder,lifting lug set(frt&rear) and coupler carry iron. email us for info as we are working on a new website with pics of all items.

I found some CANON ballbrg shafted 12v motors at a surplus house ,turned some flywheels with the end bored for a press fit of the existing drive components , runs so smooth and really coasts . It fit like it was made for it . Even used the original motor clamp or hold down strap .On the truck mount , when you take the tower apart there is a U shaped metal piece in the top , I soldered a screw to it , reassembled , works like a dream . I used the NWSL wheelsets  , but I have also repaired the gear that splits by honing out the inside where it slides over axle , then pinned the gear and there is a brass tube that will fit right over the shoulder of the drive gear , I did this as an experiment waiting on the NWSL wheelsets to arrive. These F-9's can be detailed very nicely and are a beautiful molded nose model . For 70's vintage model pretty hard to beat , I have some with LIONEL bodies to be installed on this power drive chassis. You may be able to find these little powerful motors , they were 3.95 , I only bought about 8 and when I saw how good they would work , went back to buy the rest maybe 20 or 30 and they were gone 3 days later .

The side frames are an other weekness this is my fix for that, the angle pictured could be brass ( thats what  I used ) or plastic the side frame just slips on. I to have used brass tubing with the gear shoulders filled to except an interference fit with the tubing, then with the tubing slipped over to repair cracked gears, worked great.      ( cTr....Choose the Right )

@Scratchbuilder1-48 posted:

... I used the NWSL wheelsets  , but I have also repaired the gear that splits by honing out the inside where it slides over axle , then pinned the gear and there is a brass tube that will fit right over the shoulder of the drive gear , I did this as an experiment waiting on the NWSL wheelsets to arrive...

Old post, but can you elaborate, perhaps with a picture?

Mark in Oregon

Back in the 1970s the Atlas F9 is what got me into O scale.

The F9 headlight was vertical. The F3 and F7's were slightly tilted backward (toward the windshield) from bottom to top

ECI