Hi SO I’m wondering if you can take any Diesel Locomotive like an F-7 and put it onto any chassis For another F-7. Does anybody know.
Some are direct fits where others need some fabrication. If you could let us know the make of the shell & new chassis, I’m sure others who may have done it already would chime in. Also what scale?
IN HO, it can happen, maybe with a little tweeking on how it mounts, and stays there, so you can pick it up by the shell.
In N scale…??? No clue…I model HO.
Just thought I’d give your post a “bump” to the top.
Mike.
The train I am wanting to do in a vintage Minitrix F7 Diesel that was sold in america under the Auroroa Postage stamp and am just trying to get the engine to work again on a different F7 Diesel in n scale. the engine means a lot to me but i dont have the know how to put a new motor in which it desperetly needed for years
Bump
N scale bodies and chassis are a tight and bespoke fit, so fitting a drive mechanism from another manufacturer to your Minitrix F7 shell will require a substantial amout of modification. Spare parts are no longer available from the manufacturer. My best advice is to check the auction sites and buy a replacement Minitrix chassis.
I haven’t owned a Trix F unit since Kato released their first ones around 1989. But if I remember correctly, the body is a little shorter on the Trix F, so I’m pretty sure the Kato mechanism won’t fit. There may be another non-F unit chassis that might fit, but that will take some work to get it to attach to the shell.
I think you would be better off trying to repower the original drive with a Kato motor. Doing it yourself is a good learning experience.
I have placed non DCC shells on a DCC chassis. For example, the Minitrix U30CG shell on a Kato SD40 drive. I had to shim the inside of the shells with thin strips of plastic to make sure the shell was snug to the drive. Just find a drive that the shell will fit on.
Caldreamer
That is what the OP was hoping to get the answer for.