Frisco SW7 SLSF 302

Here are a few pics of the oldest HO model locomotive I own - SW7 SLSF 302.

This model was purchased in Cincinnati in 1974 as a Christmas present for son Kurt - an Athearn ATSF blue & yellow powered SW7 (Athearn incorrectly called it a SW1500 back then). It ran on Kurt's layout for several years - he was/is a Santa Fe fan. All the other power we ran back then is long gone.

Around 1980, after we moved back to St Louis and got heavily involved with the Frisco, he and I agreed we should re-do the engine as a Frisco unit like the ones we were watching hard at work at Lindenwood Yard. So, it was "Friscoized" at that time, just as you see it in the pics. I was fortunate to win a local model contest with this fellow at a meet in Kirkwood (but it was easier to win contests here back then! - few people were modeling Frisco).

Anyway - about ten years or so ago, I got tired of having to feed 302 well over 100 DC amps (so it seemed!) to get its original Athearn "wide body" motor to run decently, so I turned it into a dummy. Trouble is, the Frisco SW7's had no m/u capability, so 302 has spent most of its time since then either in its Athearn "Blue Box" or sitting in a dead line on the layout.

I was thiking about it today and pulled it out to have a look. I have a NWSL can motor repowering kit for it (somewhere) so I need to get on with that job and return SLSF 302 to service. This model is 36 years old (!) - probably older than the age of the real Frisco SW7's when they were retired by the BN.

For what it's worth, here are pics of the old guy.

Ken

 

Nice work Ken,
I still like those old Athearns. It is always a joy to put those strips around the windows of those switcher cabs. I think those outside bearing trucks were smoother running that the inside bearings were/are. Any idea what the new SW 1000/1500 trucks are? Did they re-design them? Or did they use the inside bearings again.
Nice model Ken, thanks for showing us.|-|
Tom H.

 

The trucks on the some of the new Athearn locomotives are retained by the worm gear clip on top of the truck, while others are retained by a built-in clip on the truck like pointed out in Pictures 1 and 3. All of the newer trucks are of the 'inside bearing' design as seen in picture 2.

 

Here is a pic of the Athearn Blue Box powered chassis for SW7 SLSF 302. This is the original "Blue Box" powered chassis design. Note the trucks are held on to the frame by built-in clips on the truck housing, just like Keith explained in his pics #'s 1 & 3 above.

Yes, that is the original "100 amp" Athearn motor! It still runs OK, but it sure does soak up the juice. This chassis, now out of service, is stock Athearn from 1974, except that I put on soldered power feed wires replacing the Athearn clip, added Kadee couplers, and installed Ernst gearing to make it run much slower. It will creep along quite nicely, but the Ernst gears are straight spur gears and they make quite a growl. Unfortunately, I can't run it with anything else (except other old Athearns) because of the high power draw. This is the chassis I will eventually update with the NWSL can motor repower kit. It will still growl, though.

Ken

 

Thanks Rich! Yeah - I remember those yellow stripes. Each one was cut individually from a Walthers yellow stripe decal sheet. It was not hard work, but very tedious, and I had to redo several. I started to stripe an Athearn S12 I was doing next as a Frisco DS44-1000 and I got it half-way striped and just quit! It still sits here today some 30 years later, stripes on one side but not on the other. I never went back to it, and have no incentive to do so today as the Stewart Frisco DS44-1000 model is much better.

Ken

 

From the pics of Kens model I thought the trucks had the old metal side frames and had the outside bearings on the axle shafts. That was what I was trying to refer to, I still think they were smooth running, especially when it comes to the loco pulling all it can, those axle gears don't jump over the gears on those old metal side frame trucks like the new ones do. Wish I was better with PC Graphics, so could show where those Ernst back plates need to be trimmed as well as additional material removed from the trucks to allow the Ernst gears to operate at their best (most quiet). It is my belief that the majority of that growling noise comes from the motor commutator shaft on those old motors that are bent, making the flywheels turn out of round (balance) and most of all the sloppy drive lines. Of all the Ernst geared loco's I have done, the SW's are the most challenging to make work quietly
I can see those decal strips taking a couple Scotches to
finish
A great model Ken,
Tom H

 

Tom -

Thanks. If I understand what you are saying - my 1974 Athearn Blue Box SW7 (they called it a SW1500 back then - incorrectly) does indeed have the metal AAR-A truck side frames and the outside truck axle bearings that extend into the side frame. It was always a bit noisy as I recall, but became much more so after I installed the Ernst gearing. I never minded it as the noise sounds rather "diesel like". My Athearn F7's that I also regeared with the Ernst system (still have a Frisco F7A & F7B left - pics in my album) also got very noisy - I always thought it was due to the straight bevel Ernst spur gears. Even with the noise, the Ernst regears ran nice and slow, and smooth - trouble is that they draw too much current to run with anything modern. So ..... the SW7 needs to be repowered because it looks real good and I want it to be an operating unit. The Athearn F7A & B will become dummys. The F7B already is. All both of them need to be up-to-date is handrails - something I hate to do. I also have a Stewart EMC 103 FTB that has been waiting for handrails for about two years.

I'm slow!

Ken

 

My first reply to this thread was not clear and concise in my meaning. In no way was I trying to degrade this in anyway, I do enjoy these older models. They paved they way for the newer generation of stuff we have now. The materials and processes are no doubt improved, but all of them point back to these drives. Motor, drive lines to worm gears. As a teenager in 1974 I was busy running the wheels off of GP 35's GP9's and those little wire parts that came with them were a colossal waste of time in my world. Had a couple rubber band drives, that we were sure, approached the speed of sound. But we enjoyed them too, but man, when these drives came out that was the best.
Wish I could have seen this in 1974 I could have learned something, and to see it in Frisco, well that would have been cool, and something you just didn't see very much if any.
This is a classy model in 1974,1994 or 2004 and I'm sure 2014. It won't really grow "old".
One question though. How did you perch the beacon on the cab?
Again Thanks for sharing this SW7 with us Ken, and well done.
Tom H.

 

Tom -

Ha! Great memories. I had a couple of the Athearn "Hi-F" rubber band drives as well. They were pretty smooth and quiet, but you are correct - they would max out at just short of the speed of sound! They also seemed to surge a bit under load as the rubber bands expanded and contracted. I found them to run fairly well when run together in a consist - if you kept the powerpack throttle down low! You are correct - today's younger HO modelers just don't know what all they missed!

The SW7 SLSF 302 was redecorated from its ATSF origins around 1979-1980 as I recall. Maybe 1981 - I'm really not sure. It's been around a long time!

The beacon on the cab roof is just like the one on your NW2 - it is the Details West #126 (I think) but the vertical post is not pushed in all the way. Make sure the mounting hole is tight so it stays up to the desired height while the glue sets. I probably used Elmers, I'm not sure. The vertical post from the DW part is too thick, however. Today I am using a "nail" antenna and putting the DW yellow globe on the top of it, again with white glue, although its post is a bit too thin.

The Frisco FM H10-44's had a real spindly, tall beacon mounted on them. I used the "nail" mounting on it, and it looks good. I have an article coming up in the next Meteor showing my H10-44 SLSF 270. It turned out well except for one thing I did to it that is explained in the article. I'm still trying to correct it. I'll save the mystery until the article comes out.

Ken

 

Ken, this model deserves to be repowered. Storing it in a dead line is an undignified fate for a model with such a good backstory. Help it fulfill its destiny to move 1:87 freight once more.

If necessary, we'll start a social group for "Restoring Ol' 302" so that you'll have many of us here to serve as "accountability partners."

Regarding the craftsmanship and resourcefulness that were necessary to model the Frisco "back then," I'm certainly grateful for the wonderful RTR models that are out there. However, I frankly find more personally satisfying and easier on the budget to put in a little more sweat equity to create models like these. And, FWIW, I do hope to handlay track someday, but that's a different story for a different day.

Thanks for sharing, Ken. Keep us posted.

Best Regards,

 

Thanks Chris & Chris -

You know, for as old as it is, the Athearn Blue Box SW7 shell is still a pretty good HO model! Does anybody recall when they fiorst released it (as a SW1500)? 1970-71?

Ken