Hi I am new around here and my favorite trains are alco s-series switchers.I used to have one it was an AHM Alco 1000 the roadname was burlington northern and the # was 912.It was lost of ages when I was five .I would like to replicate it but I am 13 and have no cash.I have an Athearn SW7 chassis no.41018 that I would like to turn into an alco S1.Anybody ever attempt to do this or is there a tutoriol?I need help!
first off [#welcome] im in the sam boat as you, im 14, im also broke, and i ould like an sd or gp 38-2. i have an f7 a-b set and a dock side 0-4-0, both are broken, the easiest and smartestthing to do would be sell the engine(s) and pick up the enige you want.
hmmm mabe but i worked hard for these,I am experimenting with tissue box cardboard on the sw7
You can pick up an Proto 2000 S1 from train world for $29. They are very detailed and great runners and DCC ready. They should cost three tiimes that much. You can sell your engine on eBay and have close to the amount you would need to get the real deal. Compared to that, changing a cow to a horse seems like a big waste of time and effort.
The EMD unit will have the wrong trucks, wheel base, wheel height, etc…they share nothing in common.
Your best bet is to browse ebay for the item you want.
David
do they have a website?
Yes, just get the P2K model. It’s a great runner and very nicely detailed. Cary made cast metal bodies to fit on the Athearn chassis (although the one my father in law has is an S2, not an S1 - they may only have made the S2), but by today’s standards the detailing is rather poor, and of course the trucks and wheelbase are all wrong. And the P2K will run rings around the old Athearn drives. The one good thing about the Cary conversion is that it weighs a ton and will pull the walls off, but my P2K pulls plenty of cars for any layout.
And you’d spend a lot more than $30 obtaining a Cary body and paintign and detailing it.
–Randy
More specifically look on this page. Lower left hand corner about 4 items up from the bottom.
Here is the other link:
http://www.bowser-trains.com/hoother/cary/cary.htm
The Athearn trucks would be appropriate for an Alco S4, which is almost the same as a S2 except for the trucks.
Smokey Valley offers:
| 676-119 | Alco Blunt Switcher Side Frames – Fits Athearn Switcher Power Truck |
|---|
which are correct for the Alco S1 and S2.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?manu=676&split=300
Cary and Smokey Valley offer other detail parts for Alco switchers too.
The above entails much more work, and more money than just purchasing the P2K model from Trainworld. Trainworld is a good dealer, I have been doing business with them for more than 25 years.
Thank you all very muck for helping me out.