A201 - A210 baby Alco

[BarbaPanagos]

OK, they were definitely more good looking before, but I like them as "Pluto" as well...
at the end they are better this way, still serving, than rusting like the Caterpillars and Faurs....


...

[BalkanExpress]

Good morning to all members

A pair of questions to open some debate topics about those 'baby locos'

It's curious how other useful locos are rusting in the yards but these one are still alive, being elder than the ones that Panagoitis talks about.

Which characteristics had meade them valueable than others to conver or keep them alive?

The secound matter is about the H0 conversión that Balkanmodels offers

I've only seen that Mehalo Horio's one

Does anybody has done the conversión?

Regards

BalkanExpress

[christo]

BalkanE,

Baz did this Alco conversion himself. He is a member of this forum but it seems that he hasn't visited for a while. The most major parts of the conversion, if I remember correctly were:
1. He cut and re positioned the steps.
2. He used 9 feet wheelbase bogie side frames which he cut in the middle and glued again at 8 feet.
3. He filed a lot of plastic inside the body to squeeze a mechanism in.
4. He left the cab doors as they were.
Note 1: I think side frames and mechanism used were Athearn but I am not 100% certain and he might have bought some buffers and transfers from me.
Note 2: Australian diesels A200 (Powerline) and A320 (ARKits & Auscission) need to be converted to right-hand drive. The doors are on the wrong side showing up the door window which is shorter and narrower. But the Powerline model has the doors as a seperate piece so one theoretically can discard them and make new ones. See below:

Concerning my conversion bits here is the parts list with prices:

01. Metal sprung buffers (4) £5
02. Metal screw couplings (2) x
03. Plastic windscreen wipers (4) £5
04. Plastic brake pipes (8) x
05. Nickel silver headlight pylons (2) £2
06. Nickel silver marker light clusters (4) £2
07. Brass horns (2) £5
08. Yellow / white rub on transfers (4) £5
09. Diamond head light lenses (4) x
10. Diamond marker light lenses (12) x
11. White metal exhaust stack (1) £1
12. White metal roof vent large (2) £1
13. Brass handrail knobs (24) £10
14. Brass length of wire (1) £1
15. Powerline body (1) £20
Note 1: Everything marked x is not available.

I also attempted to fit Roco bogies with a mashima 1624 motor, since all the 18xx motors were too wide to fit. However, there was little room for the bogies to swing in narrow curves and being discouraged, I did not experiment further.

I hope this helps.

christo.

[ellas2007]

more scratch-built in Hellenic heritage painting schemes just for fun...
https://issuu.com/johannis_likos/docs/hellenic_heritage_liveries__

[ellas2007]

Does anybody has done the conversión?

During the 1990ies I tried several clumsy H0 scratch-builts with Athearn switcher motorization...
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~likosjo/201/201model.htm

[Georgegala]

Actually,only five of the ten locos could haul passenger trains when they arrived in Greece because of the lack of steam generator (or sth like that).But after some years M.A.I. staff installed generators to all the locos, although they were mostly used for freight trains.

[Rainerg]

Hello to all,

I have seen that in 2018 Mabar will bring out the spanish version of Alco 654 and Alco 1329/1305 as model H0.
Can these models be used für correct transfer into an OSE A-201-210 (ALco DL532B)?

If yes what are the differences ...
[url=http://abload.de/image.php?img=mabaralco1329efsdp.jpg]
thank you for your help
regards
Rainer

[jsimantov]

Hi Everyone,

Rainer, I'm afraid there are too many differences between the Renfe ALCOs that will be issued by Mabar and the DL532C to allow a kitbashing...

Georgegala, your information is incomplete; these engines were very extensively used on passenger trains, especially on the Athens-Salonika line where they were systematically handling the morning 'Posta' (the train that used to leave Athens at 09:00 and arrived in Thessaloniki at 22:30...), the 14:15 Athens-Lianokladi-Stylida, and shared with the Caterpillars most Piraeus-Khalkis services that were not railcar operated . In Northern Greece their main field of activity was the Thessaloniki-Serres line where until the early 70s many locals were indicated on the timetable as 'Steam Hauled', but they were operated by an A200.

A201 was for a long time based in Idomeni, and handled every type of consist from Idomeni to Gevgelija and back. Another A200 was stationed at Strymon (Sidirokastro) handling traffic to Kulata

Another A200 was based in Mesonission, and handled the local to Kremenica, and sometimes to Bitola

The most interesting consists were the Athens-Thessaloniki 'Posta', which included every possible and imaginable coach; it was usual sight to see Famillereux coaches alternating with Bredas (Reggiane) and 'Polonezes'.

The Piraeus-Athens-Stylis local consisted of an A200 (I have never seen it steam hauled...), a two-wheeled luggage van, a II class famillereux and a I/II Poznan.

As for the lack of the steam generator, this was a detail in those days...

Iossif

[Georgegala]

Wait.I know about the posta (the posta didn't have only passenger cars but also a post car, two goods wagons for soldiers etc.) but in the other passenger trains between Athens and Thessaloniki they were extensively used UNTIL other locomotives arrived (A301-310 and A321-327).Moreover, there were freights that were operated by A200s, usually with two locos (like today with the two MLW types that are usually coupled in freight trains).Furthermore, jsimantov you are right in what you added about the generator......

[jsimantov]

The Thessaloniki Serres local was A-200 hauled until the early 80s; Idomeni <-> Gevgelija transits were also A-200 (usually A201) hauled well into the 80s, at least until 1987, where a shortage of OSE power made the JZ 661s (The 'Kenedi') come until Thessaloniki to pick up northbound trains. For information, 661s have been shot in the late 80s shunting in the Old Thessaloniki Station and in Sindos marshalling yard...

In the south, the Piraeus-Khalkis (B Breda/Reggiane + AB Poznan) was A200 or sometimes Caterpillar-hauled until the late 80s

I have no information on the A200 stationed in Sidirokastro, or on their activity (or lack thereof) in the Evros line.

Just a clarification note: the 'posta' at least during the diesel days had no coaches for soldiers (no freight cars either); northbound soldiers were usually transported in the night train (the one that later became the 604 'Pireefs-Ormenion/Dikaia') in two usually Breda/Reggiane B's, distinctly labeled 'Soldiers Only' ("ΜΟΝΟΝ ΔΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΑΣ"), hooked at the tail of the train and sometimes locked, to avoid 'incidents'