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Post by boxcarwilly on Sept 4, 2016 11:02:14 GMT -5
I am curious to know if anyone here has experimented with putting MTL engine bodies onto AZL chassis. For example, MTL GP35 bodies on an AZL chassis, perhaps a GP 30 or 38. Or how about and MTL SD 40-2 body on an AZL SD 45, 70 or 75 chassis. I have conducted limited experiments with putting MTL F7 bodies on AZL F3 chassis and they are compatible once you adapt the front coupler but that's as far as I've gone.
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Post by toronado3800 on Sept 4, 2016 23:05:26 GMT -5
I have an AZL GP38-2 I might one day try putting on an MTL chassis to take advantage of the couplers.
The AZL chassis pulled very strong though. Is that why you are essentially looking to do the reverse swap?
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Post by boxcarwilly on Sept 5, 2016 9:26:45 GMT -5
It would be if the AZL couplers were any better than MTL. They are not. Both are too weak to pull more then 10 cars of equal weight up a 2% grade over 22 feet. I was just curious if anyone had attempted it. In as far as pulling power is concerned, I find they are about the same, but MTL engines have a slight edge when it comes to lash ups and speed matching. For example, I have 3 AZL GP38's and they all run at different speeds when the throttle is set at a certain point. I have 6 MTL GP9's 5 are all equal in speed under the same setting. The only reason I'm changing out my MTL F7 units is the noise factor. AZL's F3 are very quiet by comparison.
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Post by BAZman on Sept 6, 2016 16:15:23 GMT -5
We pull 50+ car trains, up to 100, at shows. All day. Many of us do. Once in a while, we get a breakaway. Once in a while.
Issues that cause breakaways are:
*Track work: transitions at joiners (hi/low coupler travel), angle changes (flat to grade, grade to flat), sharp curves, straight to curve (no transition curve), S-curves with no straight transitions. *Dirty loco wheels (start/stop jerky motion). *Heavy cars behind lighter cars.
One thing you can do, since you wanted the automatic uncouplers, is to glue the AZL knuckle closed. This will minimize the angle that the coupler can split to.
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Post by smr on Sept 6, 2016 21:11:56 GMT -5
We pull 50+ car trains, up to 100, at shows. All day. Many of us do. Once in a while, we get a breakaway. Once in a while. Issues that cause breakaways are: *Track work: transitions at joiners (hi/low coupler travel), angle changes (flat to grade, grade to flat), sharp curves, straight to curve (no transition curve), S-curves with no straight transitions. *Dirty loco wheels (start/stop jerky motion). *Heavy cars behind lighter cars. One thing you can do, since you wanted the automatic uncouplers, is to glue the AZL knuckle closed. This will minimize the angle that the coupler can split to. I can fully agree with Jeff !! With AZL the most effective thing is to glue the AZL knuckle closed as Jeff already pointed out. Best, Sven
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Post by gerd on Sept 6, 2016 22:14:06 GMT -5
I put on customer request MTL GP35 body on GP30 chassis, fits perfectly. Reason for this the customer wants to run other AZL models, so similar performance.
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Post by boxcarwilly on Sept 10, 2016 13:05:34 GMT -5
A MTL GP35 on and AZL 30 chassis eh? Interesting. Unfortunately I don't have any GP30's in the road names I run. I really don't want to buy a whole whack of 30's just to change over the bodies. What would I do with the MTL 35 chassis? Gluing the knuckle closed? I'm assuming by this it is meant the outer movable part of the knuckle. I can see how that would stop them from pulling apart, but it cancels out the auto latch deal. Hmmm. Sounds like not a bad trade off since most of my AZL cars don't latch on their own, they need manual assistance. Perhaps I'll give this a try with a few of my older AZL cars.
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Post by smr on Sept 13, 2016 8:33:29 GMT -5
Don't be too extreme with the glueing, Dom, With reefers, I glue blocks of 5-10, allowing switching of the blocks. With coaches, I glue the head/end and the sleepers only as a block. Best, Sven
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Post by domi on Sept 13, 2016 10:12:42 GMT -5
One thing you can do, since you wanted the automatic uncouplers, is to glue the AZL knuckle closed. This will minimize the angle that the coupler can split to. But if you do so, then you deny any chance to perform coupling duties (I won't speak of switching) otherwise than lifting rolling stock with two fingers and set it to place inserting one's coupler on each other... As a hand off switching operations fanatic, needless to say that I'm not satisfied at all with such a solution. As I'm on the opposite way, in the process of swapping my AZL rolling stock and motive power's couplers with MTL samples, I'm happy not wanting anymore to run 80-car trains on 2% grades as it was the case when I was planning a sample of the Tehachapi Pass... Dom Edit: sorry, you replied to my previous message before I deleted it... Please disregard what's above.
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Post by domi on Sept 13, 2016 10:24:04 GMT -5
What would I do with the MTL 35 chassis? I guess you wouldn't have no issue to sell it. As MTL does no more produce these locomotives nor their matching stuff I think there is more and more needs for these chassis: -spare parts, -a chassis that matches naked GP9 and GP35 shells still available in MTL catalogue, -a chassis that fits Z and Nn3 scratchbuilders' and kitbashers' needs. I'm even sure that these will gain value as it's now more and more difficult to find brand new MTL Geeps in stores and online. Dom
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Post by boxcarwilly on Sept 15, 2016 11:25:17 GMT -5
I'm not opposed to gluing knuckles closed so that cars have to be lifted and inserted to couple and uncouple. This doesn't bother me, but gluing blocks of cars together? I don't know if I want to go that far. Perhaps if I were running specific trains with all the same cars, like auto racks, hoppers, lumber, and such. I do that now with unglued couplers, but I also like to run mixed freight trains as well. In as far as passenger cars are concerned, I don't think so. I have found that the auto latch feature doesn't work in most cases. I find that even at the slowest speed possible to couple, the cars just bounce off one another. I have to hold them still so that the auto latch feature will work, and even then it's 50/50. So you see, manually coupling and uncoupling isn't a big deal for me unless it's in a confined space with little room to put one's fingers.
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