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This drawing has been updated in 2006 and adapted to use the Micro Trains new z-scale GP35 chassis. The mechanism is superior to the F7. It runs quieter has a slightly longer wheel base uses the same truck side frame, but has an entirely new drive train and electrical pickup with narrower motor. Frame is DCC friendly also. The DCC board is not ready for this chassis yet so can not comment on this yet.

I will have photo's of the underbody of the Doodlebug and the chassis of the GP35 and a picture of the trailer I use behind this Doodlebug shortly. The chassis is taller than the F7 so four areas had to milled out of the underside of the roof to allow the new chassis to fit in.

Here we have at the top the GP35 chassis from Micro Trains Ltd (MTL) and I have removed the truck mounted couplers. Note the spring from the circuit board on top to the motor power terminal. Power from the track is picked up in the trucks via the metal wheels and transferred to the split frame. The plit frame has brackets that hold the printed circuit board on top of the chassis and route the power from the chassis halves to the circuit board. From the circuit board it is routed back down to the motor by springs. So this chassis is DCC ready.

This is the doodlebug body and you can see the yellow areas where I had to mill out ceiling material to clear the cast brackets on the chassis that hold the circuit board that does the power routing and the LED lighting. The white styrene is the new material added to allow the doodlebug body to snap onto the GP35 metal frame using the tabs already in place for the GP35 body. The slot is 8mm wide. The styrene strip is 1mm (.020 in.) thick and 2.5mm wide (.126 in.). The critical dimension is the 8mm between the strip edges.

At the bottom is a picture of the Trolley side frame purchased as a spare part from Bachmann that I use on my doodlebugs. This one needs to be reattached as it has been hit and moved from being level.

Here are some more shots of the doodlebug, I have not included a picture of the trailer that goes with this doodlebug. Will try to remember to add one later.

Finally remembered and this update shows some pictures of the trailers that I use behind my doodlebugs. The top picture is a shortened RLW observation coach. The other trailer is a standard RLW coach.