Another option for Tyco Shark repowering
Nov 1, 2017 10:34:18 GMT -5
stretch and NickelPlate like this
Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 10:34:18 GMT -5
Tyco's Baldwin sharknose RF-16 is easily my favorite loco by them, and might be the best they made. While it's not perfect, it's somehow not as crude or compromised as the GP20, C430, and C630. Unfortunately as we all know, the PT drive is garbage. A few years back I used an Athearn F-unit chassis and drive to repower a shell, and it turned out great. Not really an earth-shattering conversion, but it's straightforward enough.
I've been weeding out a couple junk boxes I acquired in the past year. One of the finds was an intact "original" Bachmann 8-wheel F9 drive - the diecast chassis that's rather infamous for rot, but a diamond in the rough if you find one that hasn't succumbed to this. I believe the same drive was also used in the AHM FT for a time.
Anyway, I didn't have an immediate use for it but knew better than to part with it. THEN I rediscovered another Tyco Shark shell and the ol' mental light bulb dimmed on. Unfortunately it was not a perfect drop-in, requiring slight modification to both the chassis and shell... but it does present another viable option.
I almost prefer it to the Athearn mod because in a way it takes the best parts of two manufacturers better known for junk at the time, and makes something respectable.
^ The Bachmann F8WD chassis only requires one modification, but it's a big one: you need to notch the top (silver) plate over the rear truck, to match the notch already present in the lower (black) portion. You can see the notches directly over the rear truck and its retaining pin.
I used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel for the cleanest effort. It turns out the notches don't need to be that wide, but I couldn't quite ascertain that at the time. The notches really only need to be about 1/4" wide, from the forward edge back.
^ Note the bosses over the trucks - this is the reason you need to notch the chassis. Alternatively you could remove the bosses if you're feeling more handy with a sharp chisel blade...
...and maybe that's the better way to go, since you also need to remove a some of the extra material thickness which - for some odd reason - is only present at the Conductor's rear corner/door.
Alternatively, you could possibly grind the corners on the chassis to clear this material.
I used a routing bit on my Dremel to hog the material out of the shell, but there may be cleaner alternatives. You need to be careful! I was not too concerned with this shell and wanted to test "how far to go"... well, I went right through it. I'll have to be more careful when I do this to my Northern Pacific shark!
Also note the small bosses in the center of the shell, where the fuel tank snaps in. Trim these back a bit, to where the side/roof profile starts tapering in.
Completed install. The shell is a super-snug drop fit. You'd have to fill the tank with something, but the profile looks good. I think the truck spacing and placement looks better here than on the Athearns as well - the Athearn chassis sits such that the trucks are about 2 scale feet forward.
You can see where I perforated the rear door, it almost looks open. The other damage was pre-existing when this loco took a hard 4-foot drop to a solid concrete floor. At least Tyco made 'em tough!
I've been weeding out a couple junk boxes I acquired in the past year. One of the finds was an intact "original" Bachmann 8-wheel F9 drive - the diecast chassis that's rather infamous for rot, but a diamond in the rough if you find one that hasn't succumbed to this. I believe the same drive was also used in the AHM FT for a time.
Anyway, I didn't have an immediate use for it but knew better than to part with it. THEN I rediscovered another Tyco Shark shell and the ol' mental light bulb dimmed on. Unfortunately it was not a perfect drop-in, requiring slight modification to both the chassis and shell... but it does present another viable option.
I almost prefer it to the Athearn mod because in a way it takes the best parts of two manufacturers better known for junk at the time, and makes something respectable.
^ The Bachmann F8WD chassis only requires one modification, but it's a big one: you need to notch the top (silver) plate over the rear truck, to match the notch already present in the lower (black) portion. You can see the notches directly over the rear truck and its retaining pin.
I used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel for the cleanest effort. It turns out the notches don't need to be that wide, but I couldn't quite ascertain that at the time. The notches really only need to be about 1/4" wide, from the forward edge back.
^ Note the bosses over the trucks - this is the reason you need to notch the chassis. Alternatively you could remove the bosses if you're feeling more handy with a sharp chisel blade...
...and maybe that's the better way to go, since you also need to remove a some of the extra material thickness which - for some odd reason - is only present at the Conductor's rear corner/door.
Alternatively, you could possibly grind the corners on the chassis to clear this material.
I used a routing bit on my Dremel to hog the material out of the shell, but there may be cleaner alternatives. You need to be careful! I was not too concerned with this shell and wanted to test "how far to go"... well, I went right through it. I'll have to be more careful when I do this to my Northern Pacific shark!
Also note the small bosses in the center of the shell, where the fuel tank snaps in. Trim these back a bit, to where the side/roof profile starts tapering in.
Completed install. The shell is a super-snug drop fit. You'd have to fill the tank with something, but the profile looks good. I think the truck spacing and placement looks better here than on the Athearns as well - the Athearn chassis sits such that the trucks are about 2 scale feet forward.
You can see where I perforated the rear door, it almost looks open. The other damage was pre-existing when this loco took a hard 4-foot drop to a solid concrete floor. At least Tyco made 'em tough!
