AHM C-Liner Repower Project
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2022
- Hey guys! Welcome back. It has been a long while since I have been able to upload a video, but today I will be sharing the journey of these two C liners, as well as some history on the original Rivarossi tooling, and the somewhat ill legacy they leave behind.
Music: • Tomoko Aran - Midnight...
Super. Fairbanks Morse made the CPA16-4, CPA16-5, CPA20-5, CPA24-5, CFA16-4, and the CFA20-4 Consolidation Line of locomotives, or C-Liners. C = Consolidation, P = Passenger, F = Freight, A = Cab, B = Booster, # = Horsepower, 4 or 5 = Axles. All had four traction motors, some with an extra unpowered idler axle to help carry the weight, (B-B or B-A1A trucks.) and the lower horsepower units had three cooling fans on the roof, while the more powerful units had four. This model could be a CFA20-4, but there is no guarantee that they didn't "homoginize" this locomotive from their imagination. This is one of the few models that I got as a gift from a friend that preferred slot cars, so it got a home on my railroad, but not by my choice, as I had already seen the drive line in magazines and didn't want it, even though I liked the look of the locomotive. (I already knew: No more traction tires.) I managed to get the four wheel drive loco working, and it did alright, but was always a runner up when I was choosing locomotives to operate. After about thirteen years of being ignored, and after seeing the beautiful Life-Like Proto model, I decided to turn it into a dummy using an Athearn PA-1 chassis and the powered rear six wheel truck of the PA-1 with the gears removed, along with a powered front FA-1 truck, also with the gears removed, instead of dummy trucks, so that I could install directional lighting. After some fussing, cutting, fitting, filing, parts buying, and reassembly, the PA-1 chasis worked great, and I had, and still operate, the shortest and chunkiest FM five axle C-Liner dummy in model history. My RR buddies mocked me, which is OK, but even my friends that didn't know railroads thought it was cute, which was kind of a bad omen. 🙂 I never ever wanted to power it, but I did spend some time detailing it, giving it full lighting, a nice horn, window glass, and Kadee couplers. I also filled in the pilot hole around the Athearn chasis, which made it look amazingly better. The paint on this over forty year old unit, which runs inside and outside, has a nice patina from being constantly operated, and looks very realistic and prototypical now, and has even fooled a few model railroaders that thought it looked prototypical. Hello from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N.
Thanks for the comment! Sounds like a lovely engine you created!
I was surprised to see there are two variations. While some have two 4 wheel trucks, others have a 4 and a 6 much like the FL-9. While I have not been lead down the path of darkness of complete modding, I hear it's call. It occurs to me a 4x6 configuration would be an exciting alternative. I currently have the Proto 1K C-liners and the Proto 2k "Erie Builts". Both gorgeous. While I am not particularly a fan of FM, there is not much out there I find more sexy than a streamlined loco with a B unit in trail. Hmm, 2 4x6 C-liners? Very tempting. Athearn is perhaps the best platform to start with due to availability and cost. A great video and certainly a good starting place for future mods. Thank you.
I, too, have learned about the C-liner modding community, although I learned from this video! This is very nicely done, both the model and the video itself. I now have aspirations to similarly modify all of my C-liners.
Thanks for watching! Glad it was enjoyable!
It's ironic that you made this video. I have a C Liner that was repowered in a similar manner using an Athearn F7 underframe that was extended. The only difference with my locomotive is the builder decided to keep the large pilot of the original of the shell, but it was detailed nicely and painted in the NYC scheme just like yours. I need to make a video of it someday to show off how it was built.
Yooo, a Varv video? No way! But in seriousness, thats a cool project. Keep it up.
7:15 Mohawk FNAF jumpscare
Nice work! Might I suggest a pair of ballistic nylon Gauntlets of Inverness for use with the Whirling Blades of Doom. Available at any auto supply or hardware store and much cheaper than the ER copay.
Great to have you back Man ..
AHM produced a C liner with 8 wheel drive. The same drive mechanism from their GP18. A Micro Mark HM-5 dual shaft motor is a drop in replacement.
I used an Athearn GP-35 chassis with 2 axle U-boat trucks under mine. With a new NWSL motor and flywheels, they run very smooth.
I repowered mine with a chassis from and Athearn GP-35 with Athearn GFE side-frames, reworked the front coupler housing and added automobile stick-on weights to make it pull better with its new can motor. I also made a B unit by splicing 2 cut up A unit shells and painted both in a PRR 5 strips scheme. With an ABA set, I now have a better running more highly detailed set of HGO locomotives.
The underground c-liner menace
Very good video and nice job on the CFA/B set.
I took the ez way out and found a CFA/B set by Trueline Trains in the NYC Cigar band for $100. Just needed to add the DCC decoders.
Lucky! Those engines look incredible!
Awesome conversion
Absolutely smashing job here Starfighter man
Very cool, nice work! I guess we can call these the Johnny Cash special C liners now!
I have 16
Love them
All 5 pole motors
I have hundreds of tires for them
2 will pull 50+ cars
I cut off the front pilot, well actually shortened it, filed it and it looks normal
Added some ladders and hoses
Yeah they’re loud, but so is an a real engine
I like the BL-2’s also
Nice dude. Always wanted at least one C liner diesel. You did great.
Absolutely fantastic my friend!!! What a great video and job on the c liner!! Very Inspiring.
Hey buddy of mine gave me one just for the fun of it with some basic work I got it running and I do agree these engines are fun to work on thank you for posting this you're an inspiration my next challenge to me will be to power a dummy unit
Glad to hear! Thanks for taking the time to comment and watch!
I LOVE IT! This was fantastic! Awesome job varun, keep ‘em comin.
I think Rivarossi had in mind was the open front coupler box. Some C liner customers like the NYC and PRR had on their pilots shrouded in a coupler shell for a more streamlined look. Rivarossi was depicting an open coupler box I think and if you look at some of the prototype pictures with opened coupler boxes they weren't that far off.
Good point! Still an odd choice on their behalf. To me it looks like they needed an easy way to make a truck mounted couplers, and this was the cheapest way to do it. Thanks for watching!
I have two AHM Tempo C-Liners and the one that works is my loudest engine by far. Nice video!
Nice job!
Very nice!
Varun, phenomenal job! You deserve more subs, especially with the effort and sense of humor you put into your videos. I can't wait to see more!
Looks like I have to up my game.. your project and editing is fantastic. Wish I had your narrating voice too! Excellent work!
This means a lot! Thank you!
Fantastic job! Are we going to see a video on the Mohawk?
Coming up soon!
Well executed and done amazingly!
Loved the work you put into these otherwise simple looking units
Light grey is the passenger scheme. Most freight C-0liners were painted in the black scheme.
I am aware, thought it was neat they are in the passenger scheme!
Very well done! Absolutely fantastic!
OH Dear! I see a thumbnail advertising SMT about to run ALL his C Liners, and there is a picture. Where's the Peppermints!
Less lightly, you have here a gold plated opportunity for skill acquisition. At least in my estimation, the FM C Liner is a well proportioned piece that sits brilliantly. As so often, the windscreens are the key. Always risky. No room here, and others are better qualified than me to advise. For me the biggest problem is integrity around the edges of new windshields (the 'metal' frames holding the glass) as they blend into the body shell. Have a look at the moulding techniques outlined by author Henderson (can't remember first name) in Jan issue of British 'Railway Modeller'. Hope this helps; keep encouraging everyone.
BTW; what happened to Highliners???
Anything has potential xd
Also epic music
Well Done !!!
Lets go a new video after 5 months!
Yer layout would look better if you weather yer rolling stock. I spend hours weathering rolling stock and engines so they don't look so "shiney". Really helps out the "appeal" of the railroad layout. W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee
I have the first version that has a metal frame and no traction tires. Metal trucks and side frames .Just got it .Needs a few minor parts ,screw ect ,but runs quiet and smooth .Has a low profile square motor on the power truck. .Never seen another in 30 years of collecting and modeling .Any B unit from that early 50's Rivarossi era I would be interested to complete a set of this one day.They say they are rare . Think this was before they were made for Lionel for that short part of Rivarossi's history. Not too much info out there.
Rivarossi, to my knowledge, never made B-units with the sheet brass chassis. The B unit was introduced during Lionel's 1957 HO line, and while some of the early Lionel A units had brass frames, all the B-units had clear plastic "bathtub" frames, painted black on the underside.
That re-power job is amazing!
I have a powered A-unit and a dummy B-unit by AHM/Rivarossi in the Santa Fe warbonnet scheme. The A-unit is a bit of a rough runner, but I hope that I'll someday have the resources to modify my C-liner into a smooth operator like you.
One more thing, do you know of any article or video that would show me how to modify the body shell to match the ones shown in the video?
Thanks for the watch! There is an article by Bob Bourdreau in MRR, I believe the April 1999 issue where he modified one to be a passenger C liner based off a CNR prototype. If you have discord, join the server and I can send you pictures of the article If you can’t find that magazine! For the pilot modifications, essentially the existing one is chopped off and filled with styrene sheets. Hope this helped!
Neat
Can you make a video about the f7 Hiawatha
Planning to in the future! I should have one out soon on a brass repair, but I will make a note to do a Hiawatha one.
Are you going to suspend the B36 model above the layout?
Eventually yes!
athearn makes everything better lol
Athearn is way overpriced now!
Mine can run but is very noisy, any suggestions?
Unfortunately if it has the stock drive system, that is just the nature of them. Besides a basic tune up and clean not too much can be done with the stock drives.
My suggestion is to try to place it in the trash .Remarkably that resolves all the acoustic issues permanently.
AHM version: Most horrible HO loco ever made, mechanically and acoustically. Saw this video and disposed of my 3 in the trash tonight.! GOOD RIDDANCE! Yay I'm free again!
Meanwhile a real model railroader woulda bought them from you....
@@user-lq4mo8dw1p A real model railroader could not take money for these let alone admit he/she had 3 in possession (i.e. in their original Yugoslavian-imported form decaying for 40 years). Just checked EBay, the only units with bids are less than $3 dollars.
Just because I did not synthesize everything below the shell, like the author did, does not disqualify me as a real model railroader. In fact the shell the author received at 3:19 was already extensively reworked to convert what he calls "the brady bunch picnic" pilot to something prototypical. One could argue only 25% of the original AHM version remains intact when this video is complete. The author tells a unique story for the "C-Liner-modding" community ( 2:40) , but not one most "real" model railroaders would consider.
Waiting to see if anything will materialize on your EBay channel to see the model railroading credentials that allows you to judge others.
@user-lq4mo8dw1p Yeah for 3 dollars from my EBay research. You imply a) I am not a real model railroader with this statement, having not converted them myself, and b) the "C-liner modding community" has the real model railroaders. Yet when I look at your blank channel we don't see any credentials to support such judgments.
Just because one does not convert 25% of what was the original 40 year old AHM C-liner to a viable loco does not mean he/she is not a real model railroader,.
@@denebutube check out ALL GT18mc or my conversion to model Canadian style SD40-2s to Brasilian....don't get so offensive, throwing away models that someone else may want is a sin in this hobby...
Saw this video and was inspired keep all of my C-liners which now number well over a dozen premium runners. And if I do see one in the trash it will be my treasure.