Interchangeable Sideframes

[High Hood]

Hey guys, I've some questions to ask.  Are Kato SD40's and 45's truck sideframes interchangeable?  Also if they are, would they still be if one had high mount brakes and the other had low mounts?  And would Atlas engines that have Flexicoils, like the Atlas SD9, SD26, or SD35, fit the Kato units?  Thanks for any help!

[jagged ben]

Kato SD40 and 45 sideframes are not only interchangeable, they are the same part.  High or low mount, doesn't matter.

As far as fitting Atlas SD9s or SD26s, I have not tried, but from just looking at them it looks like it may work.  Atlas/Kato and Atlas/China look the same to the naked eye.

[AVR Mark]

The Atlas SD9 style sideframes fit and work perfectly on the Kato SD40 and or SD45 trucks. The only possible problem could be with the copper electrical pickups in back of the sideframes. I have a few Kato SD40s and SD45s which are running with Atlas SD9 style sideframes, just like the prototype engines did on the railroad that those engines represent. Also just to confirm, the SD40 and SD45 trucks are interchangeable (read that "the same") and the high and low brake cylinder style trucks are interchangeable on the models, and often were interchanged on the prototype engines. If someone were to ask if a certain engine had low or high mounted brake cylinders, the answer could be either or maybe even one of each depending on the date which it was photographed.

Mark

[High Hood]

Cool, and what exactly do you mean by this?

The only possible problem could be with the copper electrical pickups in back of the sideframes.

[peteski]

Cool, and what exactly do you mean by this?

IMO, he means the metal piece which has the cup bearings for the axles - it sits on the back side of each side-frame.

[Mark5]

Hey guys, I've some questions to ask.  Are Kato SD40's and 45's truck sideframes interchangeable?  Also if they are, would they still be if one had high mount brakes and the other had low mounts?

Absolutely! I have swapped Kato SD sideframes from the SD45 onto my Atlas SD35s and vice versa.

[AVR Mark]

What I meant by "The only possible problem could be with the copper electrical pickups in back of the sideframes." is that the Atlas part and the Kato part are not exactly the same. If there were "flash" on the sideframe (unlikely but possible) or the copper electrical pickup was bent slightly, it might not fit perfectly. I would probably use the original electrical pickups that the original truck's gearbox used. Some prodding, bending, filing, cutting, or hacking could be required for a perfect fit. Test fitting the electrical pickups into the sideframe before final assembly should do the trick. Also test roll the truck(s) after assembly. If they don't roll well, the something is not in the right place.

Mark