Last night, I was given a Revell "02185 Heavy goods Diesel locomotive BR 131/231" plastic model kit. This is an East German locomotive built in the former Soviet Union. From the looks of things, the kit could be motorized with an NWSL “PDT” truck. (A much simpler approach would be to drop the entire carbody onto a shortened Athearn 6-axle drive. However, I don’t want to lose the nicely-detailed prime mover. Nor do I want to lose the distinctive truck sideframes. Has anyone attempted to power one of these locomotives?
There are several 3 axle trucks available from different manufacturers. Measure the wheelbase and check that measurement against six axle locos at your local hobby shop. Most companies will sell you their trucks.
The sideframes could be adapted to mount on a different truck.
I went through my local hobby shop’s collection of spare parts over the weekend. An Athearn SD-series truck is pretty close. I’d have to cut it apart to get the right wheelbase though. But, because I don’t want to butcher the locomotive, I’m leaning towards a NWSL PDT truck. Supposedly, I can get one in whatever wheelbase I want…at a cost. At least new wheelsets for the front (unpowered) truck will be easy–40-inchers from NWSL will drop right in. Thanks for the help!