Folks, the header for this post pretty much says it all. Being away from my locos while out of town I can’t recall if the A and B frames are identical. I certainly can’t pull 'em out for a visual but could use the info for a pending purchase. Please advise and thanks.
John
If you mean Stewart HO scale F-units with Kato-made drives, then yes, both use the same frame that’s lower at one end to allow for the low nose of an A-unit. One nice thing about that is when using the frame with B-units, it leaves a space at one end big enough to easily fit in a 1" speaker and enclosure when adding a sound decoder.
Thanks, Stix. I’ve also heard that Genesis F shells fit on them.
John
Yes, the Stewart chassis has a tapered end so the nose of the F3/7/9A shell will fit on it. B units fit over the tapered end of course, which is basically hidden when assembled.
The B unit powered frame is different than the unpowered frame. Perhaps the same difference exist in A units. Not important for shell fit but if you wanted a powered unit, get the heavier frame.
These are B units
Thanks, Henry. Interesting that the casting on each end is different for the unpowered unit - and not centered in relation to the trucks. Wonder why.
John
If my memory is correct, I believe the coupler mount on the front of the ‘A’ chassis is different than the ‘B’ unit. The mounts are interchangeable though.
I have also used Proto 2000 shells on Stewart/Kato chassis. They snapped right on.
Yes, the stock Kato unit has a lamp holder on the front of the A unit.
The Kadee #450 conversion kit has the lamp holder on all the brackets, so this becomes a non-issue.
-Kevin