I wondered for a long time about the quality and design of Athearn's original version of the GP9 (which was actually a GP7 of course), which had the "tower" gear drive in metal trucks and a big square motor. I finally got one, and I have to say, it's an impressively good runner from the 50's!
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Like the history part the best, very well done.
I had one of those engines, well, back in the 50s. When I pulled my old trains out of their Rip Van Winkle slumber decades later, that engine, like all the rest, would barely stutter down the track with assistance. I also had an old belt drive geep, but that was easy to turn into a dummy and that's the way it stayed. Eventually I tossed the small pile of non--working engines, sad to see them go but knowing I'd never really see them 'go' again.
It also sounded like a coffee grinder, as I recall, and I'm sure it took gobs of power. Are you going to remotor and re-gear yours?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
The motor runs surprisingly well, so I'm going to keep it. As for gearing, that could potentially be done by replacing the tower gears with a belt and pulleys in each truck. I'm fine with how it runs though.
Darth I never had one of those but did have several of the rubber band drive ones
also have these two they are still rubber band but completly different and they run at same speed as geared ones
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Nice, I think it was Pittman that made those conversion motors! I've never tried one myself, but I'm sure they were a huge upgrade.
Thanks Darth, nice video.
Mike.
My You Tube
Darth thanks for the info never could figure out what those motors were
Pittman made a DC700 series of motors these are the DC703 version and they run smooth and quite
They came in a box set from Athearn two engines the A and B F units plus six pieces of rolling stock
So if someone replaced them they did a good job If I remember I paid like $10 for the box of stuff these and a bunch of old Atlas brass switch kits a few buildings etc Those old Atlas brass are still shiney as new must have been a better brass material
Keep up the videos I like watching them
Mike
I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this....."If it wasn't for the Athearn BB locos and cars, I never would have gone from Lionel to HO".
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central