HO Scale Locomotive Current Draw

[BTP Productions]

How much current do older and newer HO scale locomotives draw?

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Some of my newer locos draw as little as 1/4 of an amp. One of my older ones (79 Athearn) draws almost a full amp. It's in line for a new motor.

[modelmaker51]

You really need to be more specific. How old is old? What brand/model? What scale?

[selector]

Scale was mentioned in the title, Jay.

Even when new, the older open frame motors drew somewhat more current than modern can motors.  When they're unused for many years, they almost seize up due to some corrosion and the lubes losing much of their volatiles.  They will be almost as good as new with some cleaning and re-lubing, but probably not as good as the can motors.  So, I would say that Jeff is quite right in his stated amperages.  Of course, the work the engine is being asked to do will also add to the draw, so a simple RS-2 with a non-sound decoder doing a scale 15 mph on the flats might only draw 1/4 amp or less.  Add sound, add 10 weighted hoppers, yada yada, you could be near 0.6 amps all the way up to a full amp in some cases.  The thing to remember is that the older motor will almost certainly be between 30-100% higher than that.