ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.
I have a special edition set of Athearn BB CNW SD40-2 locomotives. One is powered, the other is a dummy. What would it take to make the dummy into a powered unit? Should I just find a cheap Athearn SD40-2 BB at a swap meet and swap shells or can I install a drivetrain into this to make it work?
Powering a BB dummy with a powered frame is definately the easiest way to go. Swap meets or ebay usually turn something up.
Powering the original frame involves way more than just dropping a motor in. For example the frame would need work where the bottom motor strip makes contact, they're not usually milled for that.
Of course you could hard wire the necessary connections in and make it work, but that's just part of the battle.
Depending on the dummy, you may also have to replace the plastic wheels, add weights, and find some motor mount pads. It's way easier to get a cheap powered unit and swap shells.
Ive only had it out of the box once in the many years I have owned it so I would have to go and look closer, but when I pulled it out of the box to see how it felt. I seem to recall it already had metal wheel sets. Ill tell you what though. It was heavier then I would have expected for a dummy locomotive. To the point where it even threw me off thinking, "hmmm, this must be the powered unit". But I spun the wheels by hand and that told me it was the dummy of the two. I also seem to recall it having the typical weight like all the other powered units have. So its not very light for a dummy unit.
But its not a big deal, I actually have a brand new BB Santa Fe Kodakchrome Merger scheme SD40-2 thats also been out of the box maybe once in the 10 plus years I have had it. I think what I will do is swap the 2 chassis with each other no problem. Since I am a modern guy and model BNSF and modern day CNW. Chances are the SF merger unit wont really fit my era, turning that merger unit into a dummy and using it for display purposes is just fine, is it a nice looking locomotive afterall. And I need more powered CNW units anyways.
