Barcodes on MTH F7s

[SteamPower4ever]

All my F7s have a coloured barcode next to the road name.

Surprising. Ugly. Never saw that on a picture.

 

Does anyone know what that is for? Some late Amtrak thing? A manufacturing blip?

Does anyone know how to remove it without damaging the silver coat?

 

Jens

 

 

[enginear joe]

For a period they used that for id/location scanning. I believe it's replaced by GPS now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_equipment_identification

 

[enginear joe]

Oops. looks like it's this system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KarTrak

 

[SteamPower4ever]

Right - late sixties into the seventies.

 

That is consistent with the numbering of the A units (311 and 310C) as the 300 series was delivered as LAB sets and not LABC.

310C was born 42C but renumbered in 1971, only months before being leased to Amtrak. Delivered back to ATSF in 1973 and rebuilt to a CF7 in 1974.

I was thinking about renumbering the A units which would have been no biggie, but it seems I need to figure out how to remove the bar codes also. I want a late fifties train.

 

Thanks for the help, Joe.

Muy obligado.

Jens

[enginear joe]

I would guess that even MTH has to apply those somehow. Removing their paint and even the lettering on MTH O scale engines I have not mastered. It's bullet proof!

Good luck. Maybe try alcohol on a swab first. You may end up scuff sanding with super light paper and spraying over.

[SteamPower4ever]

It's printed on the body.

I do in fact have some 2400 and even 4000 "sand paper" that I bought a long time ago and which - according to the LHS dealer at the time - can be used for the exact purpose. I also have silver and steel paint for the paintbrush.

So that's going to be plan A ... when I get around to it.

[Chuck]

MTH does clear coat over the printing so that's to be considered...yeah I know makes it even tougher to deal with