MTH Locomotive | F3 | Scale Conversion

MTH

Locomotive

F3

Scale Conversion

Notes About Scale Conversion

Convert to Scale

Lee Rainey reports that one must pay close attention to the position of the axle bearings when replacing the wheels after converting them to "scale" wheels, because the "notched" vs. "flat" edges' positioning of the bearing has a noticeable affect on how the engine performs.

If you have a non-powered A- or B-unit that doesn't roll smoothly, it is likely that the bearings weren't installed correctly after the conversion. So, make sure the flat part of the bearing rim is toward the body and the notch in the bearing rim is directly away from the body.

Also, like S-Helper Service engines before it, the MTH F3 engines, when converted from the hi-rail wheels to the scale ones, need to have their wheel contact wipers adjusted. When the scale wheels are installed, the wipers may not make contact, which will lead to the engine not getting enough contact with track power.

According to Don Thompson, the steps shown on the webmaster's personal web site for the NW2 switcher are the same for this engine, to convert it to scale wheels (and couplers).