Repowering IHC FM C-Liner and Athearn RDC

[G Rees]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to affordably go about
repowering An IHC C-Liner? I have done extra detailing on the shell but
would like to improve the pulling power of it. The Same applies to an old
Athearn RDC-3 that is still driven by rubberbands. I have seen the
replacement drive trucks that are gear driven but I found a serious problem
with them. The U-Joint over the trucks is not centered on the pivot point
of the trucks. So the only way to get acceptable performance on my layout
would involve re-engineering the whole drive assembly.

[dhusman]

G Rees <gav...@home.com> wrote in message
news:1hvP3.1211$Ef2....@news1.rdc1.ab.home.com...

> Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to affordably go about
> repowering An IHC C-Liner?

===================
The Athearn GP35 has the correct wheelbase. You would have to redo the fuel
tank and replace the sideframes with some of those from Detail Associates
(or recycle the AHM ones).

Dave H.

[msowsun]

Why not wait for the new PROTO 1000 C-Liner.

G Rees <gav...@home.com> wrote in message
news:1hvP3.1211$Ef2....@news1.rdc1.ab.home.com...
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to affordably go about

[chuck kimbrough]

Instead of repowering the rdc how about puting gears in it? Ernst has a good
gear set for that unit. It is part #3 $11.98.

G Rees <gav...@home.com> wrote in message
news:1hvP3.1211$Ef2....@news1.rdc1.ab.home.com...
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to affordably go about
> repowering An IHC C-Liner? I have done extra detailing on the shell but

[Jim Pattillo]

One trick you might try with the Athearn RDC is to put the largest Athearn
flywheels you can find on the motor. You will have to shorten the metal
shaft that the rubber bands run on.

You will find that the RDC becomes a good performer and it doesn't cost very
much.

Jim Pattillo

[BLowell632]

Back in the spring, "Model Railroader" ran an article on repowering and
re-detailing an IHC C-Liner with an Athearn chassis.

The guy used a PA chassis to get the 4wheel lead truck, 6wheel rear truck (or
"B-A1A") wheel arrangement. He added a new bolster made out of brass strip for
the four wheel front truck, and had the drive on the rear truck.

[G Rees]

I Must thank you I have been going through the wrong Mag trying to find
that article. Do you remember what issue that was in? That is gonna be
next next project for CN Loco's

BLowell632 wrote in message
<19991021205441...@ng-fm1.aol.com>...

[G Rees]

Thanks for the idea. I had a couple of smaller flywheels out of an Athearn
Switcher that I just installed as per your suggestion and I do notice a
difference. I will try to get some bigger ones and try them out. Thanks
for the advice.

G

Jim Pattillo wrote in message ...

[Mountain Goat]

On Thu, 21 Oct 1999 05:32:21 -0700, "dhusman" <dhu...@gateway.net>
wrote:

>
>G Rees <gav...@home.com> wrote in message
>news:1hvP3.1211$Ef2....@news1.rdc1.ab.home.com...
>> Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to affordably go about
>> repowering An IHC C-Liner?

>===================
>The Athearn GP35 has the correct wheelbase. You would have to redo the fuel
>tank and replace the sideframes with some of those from Detail Associates
>(or recycle the AHM ones).
>

You can also stretch an Athearn F-7 chassis (behind the motor) to the
correct length as its' easier to mount the AHM/IHC body on that
chassis. You will need to replace the rear drive shaft with a longer
one. I did one of these and removed a fan to do a CP unit.

[S C Sillato]

The article is in the April 1998 Model Railroader. It's also the issue
with Ken McCorry's huge Pennsy layout.

G Rees (gav...@home.com) wrote:
: I Must thank you I have been going through the wrong Mag trying to find

: >
: >

--
Steve Sillato NYC, LV, GBW & ALCo fan
Forty is the old age of youth, fifty the youth of old age.

[Bob Boudreau]

If it will help any, I had an article on repowering an AHM C-Liner
using an Athearn P-35 in the Feb/Mar 1992 issue
of "Canadian Railway Modeller" magazine. They have a web site, and I
think they sell back issues.

I also was the one who had the article on the C-Liner in the March 1999
Model Railroader, but as i has been mentioned, this was the model with
the six-wheel rear truck, and I used an Athearn PA power chassis.

As for the Athearn RDC's, I've repowered two of them but have not
prepared any magazine articles on the work. Basically used small power
trucks in place of the stock ones. Not sure if PFM "SPUD" power trucks
are still available, but I think the NWSL "PDT" ones are. I have one of
the Ernst regearing kits for the RDC, but I too did not think too much
of the way it would work and never installed it.
--
Bob Boudreau
Saint John, N.B. Canada

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[Peter]

>>
Not sure if PFM "SPUD" power trucks
are still available, but I think the NWSL "PDT" ones are. I have one of
the Ernst regearing kits for the RDC, but I too did not think too much
of the way it would work and never installed it.
>>

The SPUD with the correct RDC wheel spacing was discontinued years ago.

The Earnst kit works well, but the instructons are fatally flawed and will not
produce a usable result.

You must construct the drive system from spare Athearn universals and shafts,
and you must build and adapter using brass tubing ... steps not disclosed in
the Ernst instructions.