BB A1A C LINER

[jjb62556]

Has anyone tried making a BB-A1A C Liner like used by the Canadian National in N scale?
Sure like to have a A/B set. Jim

[thomasjmdavis]

I think C-Liners suffer from the fact that Atlas-Rivarossi produced them in what seems like the tens of thousands in the early days of N scale.  Mostly foobie paint schemes (one of those locos with more ATSF foobies than all of the correct paint schemes put together- a few folks may have used them as stand ins for Erie Builts).

The Canadian version of the prototype was certainly a stately locomotive when painted in the green/black/gold CN passenger scheme.  Maybe Prarie Shadows?  Or perhaps you could talk someone into producing it as the "60th anniversary of N scale locomotive."  Would be appropriate,  I think it is the first N scale loco I ever saw operate (sometime in the late 60s).  I never owned one, but have some frames and other parts that came in a box of spare parts I picked up for a couple bucks somewhere.
'

[nickelplate759]

The Atlas-Rivarossi C liner is a terrible runner, and that's not really fixable.    You can use a dummy C liner paired with something else, if I've seen writeups where someone has modified a PA drive (including modifying the front truck) to repower a C liner.

[C855B]

The Atlas-Rivarossi C liner is a terrible runner...

Provided it runs at all. The brushes on those Rivarossi can motors liked to glue themselves to the armature. I have a pair acquired new - in 1967 - in pieces rattling somewhere around in a junk box, although the last effort to find the bits was mostly unsuccessful. As a teen I tried to repaint mine into CN zebra-stripe, with embarrassingly-bad results.

All were produced in road names that never had them: UP, ATSF, PRR and, SP, in Daylight colors, no less. I think they were trying to capture the Erie-Built look to offer something different than the F or FA other companies were selling. Atlas did not produce a B.

Here's Mark's page on 'em: http://www.spookshow.net/loco/fmc.html

[brokemoto]

What is funny is that RR never offered these in ANY road that ACTUALLY had them.  CN, CP, NYC, LIRR and NYNH&H were the only ones that actually had the five axles.  I do have one somewhere that I actually did paint black and apply lightning stripes.  NYC's were grey with the stripes. but I did it more to practice putting on the stripes than anything else.  At one point, mine actually ran.  The last time that I tried it, I could feel the motor's trying to turn, but it did not appear to have sufficient OOMPH to move the thing.  I recall taking out the thing (not difficult) and p utting wires to it.  It turned.  When I replaced it, still it would not move the locomotive.

Spookshow actually gives the thing a "C".  He is more kind than I am; I would give it a RED "F".

Someone did modify a C-C PA chassis and trucks to fit the RR shell.  I have read several inquiries about chopping up an LL Erie and C-Liner to make the chassis, but I have yet to see anyone's succeeding at it.  Some even have tried simply inserting a LL four axle truck onto the Erie chassis, or a LL six axle Erie truck onto the C liner chassis, but it would not work.

When you consider what is out there, now, you might get away with having the front truck, only powered and an idler aft truck.  If you wanted them to pull six cars plus an express or two, it would be necessary to run them in pairs. The pulling power will suffer greatly with only one truck powered.

 Only CN & CP had Bs.  The US roads that ran them had only As.  CN had twenty three As; CP, six.  Thus, you could run them A-A even for a Canadian road.  CN had only three Bs.  CP had four Bs, so I would guess that, as a rule, it ran the As with Bs.

[bbussey]

I have a pair of undec B-B Life-Like units that eventually I will attempt to add A1A trucks to. First thing would be to check if the PA or DL109 truck fits and if the gear reduction is compatible. The second option is to fit the Life-Like shell to a Rapido FL-9 mechanism, if possible. But I’m not exploring anytime soon as this project is way down on the list.

[Point353]

Only CN & CP had Bs.  CN had twenty three As; CP, six.  CN had only three Bs.  CP had four Bs, so I would guess that, as a rule, it ran the As with Bs.

Are you still referring to the B-A1A units, or instead the B-B version?
https://www.thedieselshop.us/FM_CLiners.HTML
https://www.american-rails.com/c-liners.html

[C855B]

Are you still referring to the B-A1A units, or instead the B-B version?
https://www.thedieselshop.us/FM_CLiners.HTML
https://www.american-rails.com/c-liners.html

Your sources confirmed mine about the 5-axle B units, that only six CPB16-5 models were built, all for CN.

[peteski]

Provided it runs at all. The brushes on those Rivarossi can motors liked to glue themselves to the armature.

You mean the brushes glued themselves to the commutator?  Brushes do not contact the armature. Or did you mean that the flexible vinyl magnet inside those Rivarossi "can' motors melted into the armature? 

I picked up one of those models few years ago (strictly as a curiosity) and I was amused by the electric pickup "buttons" rubbing the rails (similar to the electric pickup shoes used on large scale models).    I suppose that if someone wanted to make it into a decent running model there are enough modern mechanical components (chassis with a motor and trucks) to make that happen.  Basically you would kitbash the chassis and just put the C-Liner shell on it

[C855B]

OK, OK... commutator.

[learmoia]

Maybe Atlas will put something together down the road using the Walthers Tooling.

[peteski]

Maybe Atlas will put something together down the road using the Walthers Tooling.

Where will the shell come from?  Rivarossi tooling is IIRC long lost.

[Point353]

Where will the shell come from?  Rivarossi tooling is IIRC long lost.

Presumably from the Life-Like/Walthers tooling that Atlas recently acquired.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44905.0
http://www.spookshow.net/loco/llfmc.html

[peteski]

Presumably from the Life-Like/Walthers tooling that Atlas recently acquired.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44905.0
http://www.spookshow.net/loco/llfmc.html

Oh yeah, so all it needs is a 3-axle rear truck?

[nickelplate759]

Oh yeah, so all it needs is a 3-axle rear truck?

Mostly - the fuel tank skirts also need to be trimmed at the rear to clear the truck.