I recently acquired an Athearn F7A HiF at a garage sale, (it is part of a set and I only paid $5 for it) the locomotive is in fairly good shape, but needs a few parts. Namely the wheels and drive bands. I looked on Athearn's site, but can't find them. Does Athearn still sell these parts, or are there any after market alternatives available? I'd call and ask, but at the time of this posting they're closed.
Thank you in advance.
pm me .
The Athearn rubber band drive is called Hi-F, not HiFi.
I went over to e-bay and entered "Athearn Hi-F" and turned up a few locos for sale. Seems $30 is typical. Back in the day, they were $5 and $6. Which would be $41.95 and $50.34 today.
FWIW.
Ed
How does the motor run? These are old locomotives and after replacing some parts you may find that you still don't have a working engine.
I've converted a couple of these old rubber band models to sound dummies to run in consists. Seemed like the best thing to do with them.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
7j43k The Athearn rubber band drive is called Hi-F, not HiFi. I went over to e-bay and entered "Athearn Hi-F" and turned up a few locos for sale. Seems $30 is typical. Back in the day, they were $5 and $6. Which would be $41.95 and $50.34 today. FWIW. Ed
the first one i got in 58 was in a yellow box (still have it and box) were simply labled powered .
I haven't tested the motor yet, but it looks like its in good condition, including the wiring. I forgot to mention in my first post that I do have the original wheels, but they're corroded and I'm not sure if and how they can be cleaned. That's why I was wondering if there are any replacements available.
Wolf359I do have the original wheels, but they're corroded and I'm not sure if and how they can be cleaned. That's why I was wondering if there are any replacements available.
You might check NWSL for wheels
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Wolf359 I recently acquired an Athearn F7A HiFi at a garage sale, (it is part of a set and I only paid $5 for it) the locomotive is in fairly good shape, but needs a few parts. Namely the wheels and drive bands. I looked on Athearn's site, but can't find them. Does Athearn still sell these parts, or are there any after market alternatives available? I'd call and ask, but at the time of this posting they're closed. Thank you in advance.
I recently acquired an Athearn F7A HiFi at a garage sale, (it is part of a set and I only paid $5 for it) the locomotive is in fairly good shape, but needs a few parts. Namely the wheels and drive bands. I looked on Athearn's site, but can't find them. Does Athearn still sell these parts, or are there any after market alternatives available? I'd call and ask, but at the time of this posting they're closed.
Deano
I got an old Athearn Budd RDC car with the rubber band drive and replaced the motor. I then used RC model aircraft fuel line to connect the two motor shafts to the wheel assemblies shafts at each end- the result being much slower speed at low power and smoother speed increases as I applied more power. I recall cleaning and polishing the existing wheels with mothers wheel polish on my bench top drill press which enhanced the current flow. Don't spend a lot-just a few bucks for the new motor and the fuel line.
Cedarwoodron
i have four or five of the wheelsets laying around .. i can send them to you if need be .. they look like regular sets except for the center part, it quite a bit larger, like a non-conductive barrel of sorts ..
i know that i don't have any of the bands, and you would be better off picking up new ones, because they do dry out some what
OT Dean I do remember those Hi-F locos ran very smoothly, if a bit speedy. (Somebody made a replacement motor with reduction gears for the hefty shafts on each end of it.)
I do remember those Hi-F locos ran very smoothly, if a bit speedy. (Somebody made a replacement motor with reduction gears for the hefty shafts on each end of it.)
That would have been Pittman. The gear reduction was 4:1. The shafts did not use the vertical shaft supports, and the supports had to be cut off. The new shaft was 1/8" diameter. The overall reduction was thus 2:1, compared to the original motor (only).
I don't have my rubber band drive F handy, but I would think the original had a "gear" reduction around 6:1. If so, the Pittman design would have give 12:1, comparing nicely to current ratios.
If you never stopped the train, it would be hard to beat a set of 4-6 rubber band F's for smooth and quiet operation at around 40 smph. I suspect Pittman equipped power would have been quite a bit noisier because of the gears.
**UPDATE** Good news! I've successfully tested the motor and it seems to work good.
Hi everybody. Just wanted to let you know that I got the F7 running, (runs good by the way) and that the wheels weren't as bad as I thought. Believe it or not, I figured out a way to refurbish them, and now they're like new. For anyone else who may need help with this problem, I took them apart and put them in a sonic jewelry cleaner filled with a mix of water and Dawn dish liquid. Then, after rinsing them and letting them dry for a few days I polished them with a fine emery board and put it all back together. I also found new drive bands for it, as the originals were long gone. I believe it was someone at Athearn who recommended Goody hair rubber bands for things like small pig-tails, and they're just the right size. It's amazing the bargins you can find at a yard sale. Thank you everyone for your tips and suggestions.
glad that you got it running :)
That's good to hear. I have great fondness for those old things, and it's great to hear that one (or more) are still slithering around a layout.
Glad to hear you got it running!
I fixed up a couple of these a while back. I bought multisize packs of the Goody rubber and "ouchless" bands experiemented a couple times until I got a set with the right tension and I was good to go.
Another thing to try for rusty parts is plain old vinegar. Sometimes they will be so pitted that you have to file/polish, etc, but often the result is a ready-to-go surface after an application of vinegar (gentle rubbing with a cloth or cotton swab) and a rinse with tap water. I've even used it on an old painted metal boxcar with white corrosion (not zinc rot) and I was able to remove the corrosion and preserve virtually all the paint!
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
7j43k That's good to hear. I have great fondness for those old things, and it's great to hear that one (or more) are still slithering around a layout. Ed
Enjoy!
OT Dean (What were they--$5.95?) That was 62 years ago, and I'm still hooked on railroad modeling.
(What were they--$5.95?) That was 62 years ago, and I'm still hooked on railroad modeling.
The Athearn catalog for 1957 says $6.95. Which is $63.93 today. If I were to leave out nostalgia, I'd keep saving my money until I had $300, and get one of today's beautiful sound equipped models.
Would anyone here pay $63.93 for a new-in-the-box Athearn rubber-band F?
That would be an F without handrails, windows, lights, sound, DCC........
I WILL point out that the incorrectly shaped Athearn F was shaped much better than the Varney F. I've got one of THOSE in a box, and I WOULD sell it to my worst enemy.
I am refurbishing a half dozen of these old HiF drives right now. So far three have turned out as good as could be hoped for. A third one seems to have a bad motor (motor runs OK with no load, but loads down when the trucks are driven, and there doesn't seem to be any binding). One thing I have noticed is that quie a few of the axles (actually the large diameter plastic pieces between the wheels) are cracked the length of the piece (much like the old P2K Geep axle gears split). I bought a large supply of genuine Athearn drive belts (aka rubber bands) a few years ago, and they seem to be doing the job OK. Those corroded wheels do seem to clean up pretty well (as you mention).
I have found two variations in the drive. One uses a rubber sleeve to couple the motor armature to the "drive axle" (the thing that drives the belts). The other drive has the "universal socket" type connector between the motor and the drive rod. Even though these models are light years behind current stat-of-the-art, they do bring back some good memories.
It's funny that you should say that, because shortly after I got this one working, I found a matching A and B set (UP) in working order for $25, and both are powered. They helped me fine tune the first one so it would run smoother. They'er good pullers too. I put them to work pulling six UP passenger cars and they can move them with ease.
MikeyChris I am refurbishing a half dozen of these old HiF drives right now. So far three have turned out as good as could be hoped for. A third one seems to have a bad motor (motor runs OK with no load, but loads down when the trucks are driven, and there doesn't seem to be any binding). One thing I have noticed is that quie a few of the axles (actually the large diameter plastic pieces between the wheels) are cracked the length of the piece (much like the old P2K Geep axle gears split). I bought a large supply of genuine Athearn drive belts (aka rubber bands) a few years ago, and they seem to be doing the job OK. Those corroded wheels do seem to clean up pretty well (as you mention). I have found two variations in the drive. One uses a rubber sleeve to couple the motor armature to the "drive axle" (the thing that drives the belts). The other drive has the "universal socket" type connector between the motor and the drive rod. Even though these models are light years behind current stat-of-the-art, they do bring back some good memories.
I've found the variations in the drive too. The one that I just got working has the universal type connectors, and the A and B set that I mentioned in my last reply have the rubber sleeves. Rebuilding the first loco was educational to say the least.
I'm enjoying your thread.
I have an Athearn F unit that I got for my birthday in 1958. It still runs quite well. Mine has brass wheels.
CN Charlie
CNCharlie I'm enjoying your thread. I have an Athearn F unit that I got for my birthday in 1958. It still runs quite well. Mine has brass wheels. CN Charlie
I'm glad you're enjoying this thread. You said you've had your Athearn F unit since 1958, and it still runs well. That's something I like about Athearn, they're well built and very reliable. I'm not sure what the wheels are on my yard sale find, (nickel-silver?) but I did trace it to around 1957, as it still has the original box and I found a picture of an identical set on HOseeker. You can't go wrong with Athearn.
thomask hello iam having a problem finding suitable shaft couplers for the rubber band shaft to motor connection that do not slip tryed vinyl wire cover 12 gauge works but not great. Also found slippage in the wheels where they mount to the insulated shafts used 2 part epoxy with good sucess any help on shaft coupling material would be helpful thanks thomask
hello iam having a problem finding suitable shaft couplers for the rubber band shaft to motor connection that do not slip tryed vinyl wire cover 12 gauge works but not great. Also found slippage in the wheels where they mount to the insulated shafts used 2 part epoxy with good sucess any help on shaft coupling material would be helpful thanks thomask
to the Forums! Your drive shaft connection problem is usually a pretty simple fix. I know of several options you can use. You can use small diameter surgical tubing, or you can use the air tubing from either a personal oxygen system or the tubing for a fish tank air supply. I believe North West Short Line also makes universal joints for things like that, but you would have to measure the size of the drive shaft.