Athearn CF-7 sideframes

[Gary S.]

I need some help from the internet gurus and "those in the know".

I was tuning up my Athearn CF-7s and ended up breaking some of the pins off the plastic truck sideframes. I've been searching diligently for them this morning, but can't make any headway on finding them (considerable frustration is mounting). Can anyone throw me a clue where to get'em?

I need the silver ones, not black. Thanks in advance!:mrgreen:

Oh... I think these are the same sideframes for most any of the GP series.

 

[brakie]

Gary,I would use the side frames from the GP7 and paint them "old" silver.
Of course you could contact Athearn and if they have any in stock.Horizon doesn't show any.

 

[Nomad]

Gary, could you buy a dummy at your local lhs and part it out?

Loren

 

[Gary S.]

We've got a train show coming in the first week of November. If I can't find them before then, I'll dig around in all the show junk boxes for some cheap old wrecks that I can part out.

I found some GP sideframes online but in black. As brakie notes, I could paint them.

 

[Gary S.]

oh... Loren: I dug through a bunch of my old mags for that tile factory I mentioned in another thread, but haven't found it. I'll keep looking because I want to see it again.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Athearn side frames are just styrene, not delrin so they will take paint nicely.

 

[Gary S.]

Thanks for the info, Russ. Unless I find some in the junk bin, I'll be painting some black ones. Apparently Athearn does not sell silver ones. And I just noticed that the sideframes that I broke are inded black, painted silver.

 

[doctorwayne]

Gary, if you can't find any replacements, simply cut the existing pin flush, then drill the back of the sideframe either 7/64" or #36. The existing pin is .106", the same as #36. Take a short length of plastic sprue, roughly the right diameter, chuck it in your electric drill and turn it to size using a mill file. Make it a bit oversize, so the solvent cement will make it a nice press fit when pushed into the hole. Drag a razor saw along the exposed length of the new pin in order to give it some "grip" in the hole in the truck.

Wayne

 

[Gary S.]

Hey! I can do that! I'll give it a shot, probably tomorrow. Thanks Wayne.

 

[Gary S.]

I used some of the piping from a Walther's piping kit, shaved it down a touch, drilled the sideframes, glued the piping in, and it works like a champ. Lookin' good!

 

[doctorwayne]

Good work, Gary! :thumb::thumb: Seat-of-the-pants engineering comes through in the clutch. :-D

Wayne

 

[Gary S.]

Every week I spend in the hobby adds to the realization that scratchbuilding, kitbashing, East Texas engineering, and building stuff out of a bunch of junk parts is half the fun!