I am looking at an ALCO models ALCo S6 switcher much needed for a project. I was going to bash an S6, but found this brass model on ebay. The question is how do the ALCO models run? It looks to have a drive line going from one truck to the other. Would there be a way to put the brass shell on an atlas drive?
ALCO models
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rlundy90
Armchair Engineer
I have an Alco EMD NW-2 that I swapped the chassis on. I could not get it to run decent and kept breaking the gear in one truck. I was going to use an atlas S1 chassis because it was nice and heavy, but found that it wouldn't fit properly even with considerable cutting. If I remember correctly, the front truck was in the way of the hood and there was no way of cutting it down . I used a Proto 2000 S3 chassis instead. It required a bit of cutting but was a fairly easy job. I had to remove a few of the inner braces on the body of the NW-s as well. It now runs beautifully. Also before doing any cutting on the chassis mask off the motor and trucks so no metal particles can get in. Better yet if you know how, take it apart and then do your cutting. Once you are finished, blow it off very well with compressed air.
malletman
Alcohaulic
Alco models drives can be made to run well, it takes NWSL gears and some fabricated wheel wipers to give the engine 8 wheel pickup. I prefer to keep my brass with thier original drives. Both of my Alco models and Tenshodo drives, while noisy, are very smooth and dont stall on turnouts ect. Replacing the original motor with a can motor and flywheel helps to. The gear cracking is the same issue so many manufactures are dealing with today, the delrin/plastic shrinks and the metal axles doesnt, so it splits. NWSL gears fix this issue once and for all. My SW1500 needed 13 tooth gears, if you decided to save your original drive and need gears with that number of teeth, let me know and I will give you the part number. Mike
Brass model can be a real can of worms. If it was taken care of, run and lubed regularly, and the motor is still in good shape, they can be made to run very well, especially if you convert it DCC. If it's been in a box since it was bought, you may find many parts have deteriorated beyond economic repair, especially wiring, gears, and the motor. You can get replacements from places like NWSL but it's not cheap. Also, each model was hand made, usually by one person. From a run of 50 you may have most that perform well and soem that were just not put together right and will never run well. Unless I could test run the model and have a look inside (or it's really, really, cheap), I'd be inclined to go with a kitbash with modern components.
My small collection of brass diesels all required repowering and regearing except for two. One, a Sunset GP9 circa 1984 or there abouts, and the other is an A - B factory painted F9's from Tenshodo. I used Sagami can motors and brass flywheels as well as truck & tower gear sets all from NWSL to do all the rest. Admittedly even with a complete upgrade of the drives and pick ups they do not run as smooth or as quiet as even my worst Atlas. But they are noticeably better than the typical blue box Athearns and all pull like a Clydesdale on steroids. Back when I converted them all the necessary NWSL parts added up to under $30 even for a 6 axle unit. At today's prices that will get you little more than the replacement gear set for a 6 axle unit. If a useable Atlas or P2K or similar can be bought and rolled under a brass shell without major surgery I'd recommend doing it. If part of your hobby enjoyment comes from making improvements and upgrades to the original frame and running gear then NWSL has what you need starting about $60 a 4 axle engine and upwards from there.
One thing I forgot to mention. The chassis on a typical brass diesel is little more than a flat brass plate with lugs, holes, and a few other things to mount the motor and gear boxes. Chassis of plastic jobs are thicker cast pieces with bumps and slots to locate and support the plastic shell properly. Some can be as thick as 3/16 of an inch or even more in places. This alone might make what seems to be a simple conversion end up a major project trying to get the brass shell to sit down at a correct height. I'm certainly not trying to scare you or talk you out of doing it. Simply wanted to point out something that might not be readily obvious at first.
Already had that in the back of my mind!
rlundy90
Armchair Engineer
On mine it took me about an hour to cut down the chassis. I also had to remove a few peices from inside the shell so it would sit flat on the new frame. Here are a few pics of how mine looks. It still needs a little work on the top. The hood sits up a little from the deck. I also have to cut it down a bit more where the air tanks go. If you think it through carefully before you do any cutting, you should have very little trouble doing the conversion. I am not the least bit sorry I switched over to a Proto chassis. It is now a great running piece of brass and should pull much better due to the added weight. Ron.
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