Slow Runnin Locos for brachline service.

[traingeek087]

I want to recreate a portion of a branchline that is about 30 miles away. What I mean is I wan't it to split off of my single track mainline, run in view for about 5-10 feet, run into the closet to a reverse loop/staging that will connect to another part of the layout. The prototype runs about 10 mph, I could go with 20 or so, but I can't find a motor that will run that slow constantly. Most of my fleet of locos are Athearn engines and Proto 2000. Can anyone help me?

[coal drag]

With the Athearns, if you haven't already, take the bar that connects the 2 trucks and toss it. Remove the top copper bar on top of the motor and remove it. Be careful not to lose the brush spring and brush. Now solder a wire from the copper bar and each truck re-assemble everything and you'll have a better running engine, and maybe slower also.

The only other way to lower the running speed of an Athearn is to put about a million (real) miles on the loco. It'll run so smooth that you can pass it off as a Kato !!!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by coal drag

With the Athearns, if you haven't already, take the bar that connects the 2 trucks and toss it. Remove the top copper bar on top of the motor and remove it. Be careful not to lose the brush spring and brush. Now solder a wire from the copper bar and each truck re-assemble everything and you'll have a better running engine, and maybe slower also.

Why does it help by removing the bar?

[traingeek087]

What bar that connects the two trucks?

And do Kato engines run that smooth?

[nfmisso]

The bar has sliding intermittent contact with the bar attached to the trucks. Soldering a jumper wire between the two greatly improves the reliability of the electrical connection.

Kato - yes.

On Athearn: NWSL wheels. On P2K, if the gears crack, replace with Athearn.

If you want a slow smooth running locomtoive, look Hobbytown http://bearlocomo.zoovy.com/ and TVM http://www.lynnet.com/~tigervalley/ with low speed gearing. TVM's low speed gearing provides around 45 mph at 12 V.

Another choice is a Spectrum Shay.

Nigel

[jkeaton]

Another way to achieve slow running with Athearns is to install an Ernst gearing kit - they don't have any website that I can find, but Walthers carries them, and they're simple to install. The kits for four and six axle diesels change the gear ratio between the motor and wheels from 12:1 to 32:1, so the locomotive runs about 40% as fast as before. I have a 1980s Athearn SW with an Ernst kit, and it works well. In Walther's on-line catalogue: http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?manu=259&split=30