Mix and match


P

perko12

New Member
Hi, new to this forum but not to N scale. Hoping to tap into some collective wisdom from other N-scalers.
I want to create some specific Australian locos which have different lengths and bogie styles, and was looking at the current Atlas mechanisms which seem to share a similar arrangement of bogie and chassis. I was wondering if anyone has tried mixing different bogies with different chassis and can tell me which will fit and which will not, for example can I fit FM Trainmaster bogies to a GP38 chassis, or even more radically fit SD7/9 bogies to a modified VO1000 chassis.
Any suggestions gratefully received.
 
Mate sorry but can't help you with your problem. All I know is I also wish that an Aussie company was able to produce some authentic Australian Engines.

I'm also an Aussie and also model N Scale - so any other questions - ask away :) 🍻
 
You would basically have to try each truck with each mechanism. There is no standard truck mounting system. It also depends on where the mounts are in relationship to the wheelbase of the truck and where the mounts are in relationship to the pilot sheets and fuel tanks.

Another thing to look at is the actual wheelbase of the trucks. For example the VO1000 might have 3 axle trucks, but they might be "export" trucks with a much smaller wheelbase than a US "standard" 3 axle road truck.

Pretty much it's going to be a lot of trial and error.
 
Thanks for those replies. The locos I want to make mechanisms for are either export models with flexicoil 3-axle trucks or local versions of either US or UK 3-axle trucks. I don't mind an approximation of the truck sideframe appearance but I do want to keep to a similar wheelbase to make sure they will fit. The FM or RSD sideframes are similar to the earlier English Electric sideframes with the large equaliser beams, but there is nothing matching the lightweight flexicoil trucks so I have to use the standard GM trucks and modify the appearance a bit. The truck wheelbases match pretty well the standard US models but the truck centres are usually much shorter as the locos I have are branch-line models with low axle-load requirements so similar in power and size to a VO1000 or MP15AC but with 6 axles. I will keep an eye out for some 2nd-hand locos for experimenting with. Tony, whereabouts in Australia are you? I'm in Ipswich Qld. I actually model QR in TT scale (1:120) using N-gauge track and mechanisms.
Cheers.
 
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