In addition to the old Proto units known to have the problem,I have 6 Athearn RS3s 5 NH and 1 B&M from eary runs of the updated MDC RS3. Out of 24 axles I had 20 cracked gears. I replaced all of the gears. I used some of the gear oil on the axle gears. On the bearings I used CRC 2-26 a plastic compatible lubricant that also enhances electrical conductivity. I used a drop on the commutator also .That helped with running and quieted things down. I oiled motor bearings Every thing works fine now.
The new Athearn RS3 Red Orange cab and Black hoods McGinnis paint scheme that came out last December look as though there has been a change .The gear box cover plate is hollowed out on the inside of the plate. Where it covers the gears it look like it is intended to give more clearance. I am not sure why it looks like the same gears but I did not examine or count teeth. They were very generous with lubricant. Right now these engines run fine.
Ron High
cacole richhotrain True, but the Walthers Proto line doesn't exhibit those cracked gears, or does it? Rich Not as common as with the old LifeLike products, but one club member has had to get new gears from Walthers. You have to buy a complete axle and wheel assembly.
richhotrain True, but the Walthers Proto line doesn't exhibit those cracked gears, or does it? Rich
True, but the Walthers Proto line doesn't exhibit those cracked gears, or does it?
Rich
Alton Junction
After Walthers bought the LifeLike product line they have changed to helical gears on the axles, so the Athearn gears that fit the older Proto models will not fit the newer products.
kbkchooch Usually if yiu can hold 1 wheel still, and 1 turns easily, there is a crack. Both axles should be snug in the center gear.
Usually if yiu can hold 1 wheel still, and 1 turns easily, there is a crack. Both axles should be snug in the center gear.
peahrens As others may have noted elsewhere, sometimes a cracked gear is not obvious except for noisy symptoms but hard to see when examining the wheelsets. I could see the cracks with an Optivisor only when I hand torqued the wheels in opposite directions.
As others may have noted elsewhere, sometimes a cracked gear is not obvious except for noisy symptoms but hard to see when examining the wheelsets. I could see the cracks with an Optivisor only when I hand torqued the wheels in opposite directions.
As a preventive measure, as soon as I get a Proto 4 axle, I install new gears regardless of current performance.
Karl
NCE über alles!
hon30critterThanks for the 'heads up' on the P2K E6 gears. I have a couple of them with no gear problems so far, but if they do crack you just saved me from messing up the repair with the wrong gears
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Paul:
Thanks for the 'heads up' on the P2K E6 gears. I have a couple of them with no gear problems so far, but if they do crack you just saved me from messing up the repair with the wrong gears.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Back in the Life-Like era, the BL2 and most of the EMD GP series had the 12:1 gear ratio. The E units had a different one(as you discovered), and the U-Boats had a strange 'compound' gear ratio(worked out something like 23.4 to 1) - Strange!
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
The E6 I have came with 11 tooth axle gears, versus the 12 tooth Athearn part cited. This presumes I counted right...I got the same count more than once but each tooth looks alike, so...
The 4 axle Life-Like P2K engines had a 12:1 gear ratio. The current Walthers P2K engines are now using a standard 14:1 gear ratio. This is one of the nice things that Walthers has done to the line. Back in the old Life-Like era, each new locomove had 'Gear Ratio of the Month Club'...
There really is no reason to change the idler gears. They do not press-fit on the axles and break. If you want to change the idler, just tear down the entire truck assembly.
Paul,
I'm curious. Do you know the number of teeth the axle gear should have for that engine. Wondering what the gear ratio is. How much differance it would make to change the idler gear, along with the axle gear.
Take Care!
Frank
Here is one thread about my experience with a P2K E6.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/228314.aspx
As noted there-in I was told by Walthers tech guy that the early DCC/sound 6-axle units simply did not have the cracked gear problem that the 4 axles did. For whatever reason, mine did (4 of 6 cracked gears). The commonly mentioned Athearn gear replacement did not work right (noisy; different number of teeth). My inquiry to NWSL on this was not helpful for my case as they offerred a gear with the wrong number of teeth. When I worked the issue again with Walthers (since I verified cracked gears) I bought two front trucks (rear were not available for my E6) to get new condition (hopefully) wheelsets with correct gearing. Not listed on their site, but the tech guys can tell you what they have in inventory and then order by phone. Only about $10 per truck. That did the trick (so far). Not a perfect solution, as these too could crack in time.
A-Line makes the Proto/Athearn Gears also
Part number from Walthers - 116-40005
So any Hobby Shop should have them
At least our Local one has them in stock!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
We try to cover....our backside.
You never know......where evils lurk.
zstripe EDIT: It was kind of others to give the part #...but tells you that, in the Video. So I didn't mention it.
EDIT: It was kind of others to give the part #...but tells you that, in the Video. So I didn't mention it.
It is always good to remember that once Frank replies to a thread, nothing more needs to be said.
Antonio45,
Good Points. That is one of the few Videos' that I have seen...that actually show and talk about lubing the motor shaft bearings/bushings.
Fraank
Nothing wrong with bringing up this topic.
The video was excellent.
I hope you don't mind these additional tips.
1. If you have a "fleet" of locomotives with this style gear (like I do), buy several packs of the Athearn replacement gears as recommended in the above posts. They're still inexpensive and Athearn keeps them in stock.
2. If you have 2 or 3 gears that are cracked, play it safe and replace the entire set. This often happens when locomotives sit on your shelf without running for months (or years) at a time OR if you purchased the locomotives "New-In-the-Box" that are a few years old and have never been run or may have been test run once. The plastic tends to dry rot. In these cases, thorouglhy clean and relube your trucks and motor. In the older run units, go ahead and "hard wire" your electrical pickup wires and get rid of the cheap contacts.
With new gears and a freshly lubed drive train, your units should rack up thousands of "scale miles" with no issues.
High Greens
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
SS122,
Maybe..He would have to change His name to Infucius,,,Yah' tink'?
Wow, that was fast. Thank you all. The video answered my next series of questions about installation. The video also makes me wonder, if a picture is worth a thousand words, what would Confucius have said about YouTube?
If you only have one bad gear and no replacment parts available. Just snip the gear teeth off and put it back together. Kind of like we did on the real railroad when we had to cut out a traction motor on a unit.
Charlie
Athearn Part Number ATH60024.
The current part number for the appropriate Athearn gears that work as replacements for older Proto 2000 diesels is 60024, listed as being for the Athearn SD40-2.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
Watch this You Tube Video. Should you have more questions....feel free to post more questions. Easier for You to watch, than explain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6rICPsxQbY
I always used axle gears from Athearn F7's and GP9's as replacements.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
I know this has been discussed before, but I tried using the search feature but only got irrelevant answers. My question simply is what NWSL product do I use, and how do I install it? Any tricks to disassembly of the trucks? Directions to the previous discussion would be appreciated as well. When I searched "Proto Cracked Gears" I got mostly new product reviews but no specific instructions. Thank you.