Skip to main content

Decided to cover this project in a separate thread.   Did this about 8 years ago.   As usual I just winged it and I never write anything down.  I'll try my best to remember How I did it.

First I removed the keyhole truck mounting plate from the frame to mount it on the inside of the frame. This required allot of filing the hole so the keyhole mount drops in.  Also filing and beveling the plate to fit in the frame depression.  Lionel E7 truck mount close102_3423The round head screws had to be replaced with flat head screws for truck clearance.   Top pic is the powered unit, bottom pic the unpowered unit.  When removing the keyhole plate your also detaching the motor assembly.

Have to counter sink the bottom frame.   Flat head replacement screws will be a little longer to allow for spacers to raise the motor mount.  This part was trial and error to get the motor drive engaging the truck without binding or being to loose.    This next pic is or the unpowered motor mount.   Lionel E7A dummy lowered chasis raised motor mountThere may have been some filing to accommodate the wiring as the gap between truck and frame narrowed.  102_3904xxPic of rear motor mounted.

Here I had to file a bit off the bottom of the smoke tube to clear the flywheel.   Nothing else was changed so the top of that smoke tube is where the body roof lies.  It was a close fit.Lionel E7 front modsfly wheelThis was the tricky part on the front motor.   First I had to shorten the flywheel shaft.   Then file the sides of the grey motor housing to fit the inner contour of the body.   This front motor was the hardest to deal with as I didn't want to take apart more than I had to  and risk breaking things like that tach sensor.   Basically unplugging and moving wires out of the way.   Removed that motor assembly to file that hole bigger in the frame, that I remember.   Lionel E7AI did this in stages.  Lower the body.  Fixed pilot and Kadee couplers was the goal.   The adding of the scale wheels and narrowing of the trucks was an afterthought.   They just didn't look right.   

Attachments

Images (7)
  • Lionel E7 truck mount close
  • 102_3423
  • Lionel E7A  dummy lowered chasis raised motor mount
  • 102_3904xx
  • Lionel E7 front mods
  • fly wheel
  • Lionel E7A
Last edited by JoeW
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Now for the pilot, couplers and ladders..

Side ladders were the last thing I did.   After the trucks were narrowed I removed the metal ladders from the side frames and replaced them with plastic body mount ladders from P&D Hobby.IMG_0616IMG_0617

The pilot:    Lionel put and EMD EA or E6 pilot on the E7.   It didn't fit anymore and I did like the looks of it.102_3419

Studying the B&O E-Unit Diesel Passenger Locomotives book decided to go with the E8 style which looked more like an F unit.    There seemed to be a few variations in pilots among the B&O E units.  P&D pilot 2Backside of a plastic pilot from P&D on the left.   On the right is what I cut off to use.  In the center is a resin casting of it.P&D pilotThe front view102_2937The final resin cast pilot that I used.  Only pic I could find of it.IMG_0614IMG_0609xxPic of the resin pilot mounted with the short Kadee coupler.   IMG_0619

Never finished the pilot with brake hose or couple rods as I was thinking this would be temporary until I found or made a better one.   The bumper above the coupler is resin copy of of the master I carved out of plastic.  Lionel's was wrong.     After just looking at pics of real ones the siver silver part of the pilot needs to be wider.   IMG_0612

Rear coupler mounting spacer.   Again when I needed more than one part would usually make a master mold it and cast in resin. 

JoeW

Attachments

Images (9)
  • IMG_0616
  • IMG_0617
  • 102_3419
  • P&D pilot 2
  • P&D pilot
  • 102_2937
  • IMG_0609xx
  • IMG_0619
  • IMG_0612

102_2920

My brand new E7 standing along side the 3RSed Lionel F3..  This is when i decided to fix it or sell it.

102_3415

3Rsed dummy on right and the powered E7A left.   Forgot to mention the pilot is still usable. It screws right back on.  What I thought about doing was to scratch a cover for the big hole and leave the coupler off.   On the pulling end i would just get a coupler.  Never see the big hole hooked up the a heavy weight.   But,,, It's still the wrong angle.   It should be the same angle as the slope of the nose.    EA's were sloped back matching the pilot.  Lionel E7A 3RS 1Lionnel E7 powered A 3RS 2

Top pic is the un powered A unit with the extra wipers removed.   Bottom pic is the powered unit just before wiper ectomy.   Now they are 3RS in these pics.    You can see the ladder still attached to the frame.   Don't think it looks too bad.   Probably as far as most people would or should go.   But that pilot still bugs me.  I should fix it.IMG_0615

Now for the 3RS+.   Most of my engines are now 3RS.   The GGD passenger train and the coal drag is 3RS.  The K-Line passenger train, 3 engines and a couple dozen cars are scale O gauge still.   The rest of my rolling stock has been converted to 2 rail or bought new as 2 rail.   4 Atlas GP9's and the E7 AA's have scale wheels.  I can run it all on the same tracks.

Above are the wheels I bought for the E7.  I tried looking for them but P&D doesn't have the selection they use to.  Wheel tread diameter is about .824".   Tread with is about .130" .  Center hole diameter is about .120" so they have to be driller out to press fit on the E7 axle splines.   I believe the E7's had 36" wheels and these figure out to be near 40".  Check my math!   But they fit perfectly and look right.  And I bought allot of them.

IMG_0650

Then I needed wheel pullers.  At the time the only one I could find is the NWSL puller.   Well that started bending and nothing was moving.   Should be made out of steel I guess.   Making my own was plan B.   The center silver clamp was for getting into tight spaces between frame and wheel.   Others had their applications too.  Screw ends were drilled out for drill rod to push out flat end axles or pin removed for needle axles.  IMG_0651

This machine vice is what I used mostly for pressing the wheels back on the axles.  Would use washers on both side get get past the end of the axle.  Made a gauge the right width so the wheel spacing or gauge on each axle would be the same.Trucks ready for rework 3

Start by removing the non drive gear side.   Then pulled the axles out.  Then used another puller to remover the wheels without touching the gears.   Put those wheels back on first snug to the gear.  Your going to need spacers on the non gear side to limit the lateral movement of axle to keep gear coming off the drive gear.   The non drive lead axle that steers a little like pilot wheels I let float frame to frame.   I think that helped go though Atlas turn outs.

I think these engine were designed for 054.  Never thought to try it.  With the 2 close coupled with Kadees might be a problem.Scale wheels installed on first truck with traction tired wheels

Traction tired scale wheels

Learning from putting scale wheels on my Atlas powered GP9's I cut grooves on 4 wheels on my lathe.

One GP9 wouldn't pull much but the 2 together did pull allot.  With only one powered unit traction was the way to go.   I think I trimmed the tires off the old wheels to fit cause they look worn already.   It pulls my long GGD train plus head end cars with no problem.Narrowed E7 powered truck

To finish I cut down the mounting tabs on the side frames and re drilled the holes.  This Narrowed the trucks so they tucked under the body.   Did have to use machinable epoxy to fill in the counter sink hole where I shortened the tabs.  To make it pretty and be able to counter sink the new hole.

THE END

102_3970

Attachments

Images (4)
  • Scale wheels installed on first truck with traction tired wheels
  • Traction tired scale wheels
  • Narrowed E7 powered truck
  • 102_3970

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×