Two powered units on orange Kato TGV? Any differences between old and new versions?

[80skatoguy]

Will two powered units work on an orange Kato TGV? Front and back.

 

Are there any differences between the version in the horizontal box (from the 80s) and the version with the vertical box, or are all the parts interchangeable.

 

I have a TGV that my aunt gave me in the 80s but it is in need of a few repairs so I was thinking of getting a whole set, which would leave me with two power units.

 

I already have a 4 car expansion set that I picked up at a train show for a good price in the 90s or 00s.

[E231-500]

I think if you are running old school DC, you may find depending on how old and how well maintained the power units are, that there may be small variations in speed and power. If there isn't much of a difference then they should run together with no issues. For myself, I would put the faster one on the lead so its pulling the slower one rather than trying to push the slower one. Also as the TGV is push/pull, then your also avoiding the faster one pushing against the coaches and causing a derailment.

 

If you plan on running them on DCC, then you can adjust the CV's to have them run as close as identical as possible with some trial and error.

 

Best idea would just be to run the 2 power units and see what one is faster, then build your consist accordingly and see how they go.

[80skatoguy]

Thank you, makes sense. This makes me inclined to simply scavenge the parts I need to fix up my existing set rather than use an additional power unit.

 

Which brings me to another thought. My set is in rough shape, and I'm sure any I get on eBay from Japan will be in much better shape, so I am not sure what the difference will be between repairing my set with parts from a clean set, or just replacing it with a boxed clean set and keeping the old equipment for parts.

[E231-500]

I guess it all depends on how much work you are willing to put in to do repairs (Both mechanical and cosmetic) as well as your knowledge and experience.

 

If your not too experienced but don't mind making a mistake or two, then it would be a good learning opportunity to practice and get some experience.

 

However, I think it would be better and more preferable to save not so good equipment for parts and utilise your better rolling stock as is. It's the old saying 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'!

 

And also, do take into account the availability of compatible spares too. I have just bought a Lima TGV in HO Scale, but have found that the parts I need to bring it back to showroom condition are either very rare (and expensive) or not available at all. I will probably either have to butcher broken sets, modify alternate spares to fit or 3D print spares.

 

It can be a fun and rewarding experience bringing old rolling stock back to life, but it can be just as equally frustrating!

[80skatoguy]

I have a Jouef TGV (different from Lima I believe, but same as Bachmann?) from the 80s as well. It is probably in better shape than the Kato, as its parts were pretty rugged, but I have not tried to run that in many years. That's also on my list to get back in mint condition.

 

I have experience with model train repairs so that's no problem.