While trying to lubricate my 10 year old Athearn Genesis GP28-2 with Tsunami sound I accidently broke one of the wires leading from the front truck to the decoder. Please see my photos attached. My question is how do you remove the truck to attach a new wire OR (and I don't think this is feasible) try to solder the wire back together? How does Athearn attach trucks to these HO scale locomotives? In the exploded diagrahm I don't see a screw that attaches the truck to the frame.
No screw. The worm gear cover (on top of the truck in your picture) but not shown in your instructions will come up and off with the help of a small screwdriver (bottom picture here, small catches on the four corners, yellow arrow shows a catch at one corner).
The worm gear and shaft will come apart from the motor shaft and the truck will drop down.
Or, remove the bottom cover of the truck (small catches on the four corners) then the side frames which are held in place by the bottom cover will come off and expose the brass side plate with the wire attached.
Red arrows: bottom cover's loops that catch on to the gear box (truck body).
Green arrows: are the pins on the bottom cover that hold the side frame (green arrow location on side frame) in place.
You can not remove the side frames with out removing the bottom cover.
I'm sure you could solder a new wire to the end of the broken wire #3 closest to the truck and take it the the circut board #1. Do not forget to cover the new connection with heat shrink tubing.
Hope this helps.
Thank you for your detailed reply! Now I know what I didn't know and that will help me decide what to do. I'm really leaning toward soldering but my soldering iron is a bit big for this wire but I think a friend of mine as a smaller one. Again, thanks for taking the time to help! :)
Jarrell
PC101, thanks for that detailed explanation. Your post is a keeper.
At one time, some years ago, I knew how to disassemble the truck on an Athearn Genesis diesel. So, when I saw the OP's post, I wished that I could offer my expertise. But, alas, I had forgotten how to do it. A few weeks ago, I sent in an Athearn Genesis diesel to Horizon Hobby for repair because I could no longer recall how to remove the truck.
Rich
Alton Junction
Thank you PC 101 and Rich for your replies. I've been trying for a day or two to reply but kept getting the 'time out' message, I guess it's a thing here now. I got with a friend that had the right size soldering iron and he and I together managed to solder the broken wire back together and I didn't need to drop the truck as you mentioned PC 101. However I'm facing another problem now that I'm getting the cover back on. Dummy here forgot to label the wires connecting the head and rear lights to the decoder and so far I've not figured it out. There are two bulbs in the nose and two in the rear, two wires from each bulb for a total of 8 wires. There are 4 'pads' on the decoder to connect these wires to, two on each side of the decoder. Is there a simple way to figure out which wire pairs with another that goes to which pad. Why didn't I label the darned things, I would be off to another project by now, but what fun is that!
The typical Tsunami decoder for locomotives such as the GP38-2 has 16 tabs, four in the front, four on each side, and four in the rear. The front lights attach to #2 and #3 tabs on the front, and the rear lights attach to #10 and #11 tabs on the rear. The following diagram illustrates this wiring protocol. Does your decoder look like this diagram?
Yes, my decoder looks like that. The problem I'm having is instead of just 4 wires total, I have 8. 4 coming from the 2 bulbs in the front and 4 from the 2 bulbs in the rear. But now I think I see what to do. One of the two front bulbs is wired like your diagram shows and the other goes on the same tabs. Then do the same on the rear light tabs. I've got to get in there and see which wires are coming from which bulbs! It would be simple if the loco had a one bulb headlight and a one bulb tail light like your diagram, but having 8 wires in all threw me... :)
Thanks for the help!
Don't I see the front half of his decoder in the numbered picture he provided?
It looks as if there are press-on black sockets with lead wires on the 'front' tabs, which may be throwing him off because there was nothing to 'solder to' directly.
jacon12 Yes, my decoder looks like that. The problem I'm having is instead of just 4 wires total, I have 8. 4 coming from the 2 bulbs in the front and 4 from the 2 bulbs in the rear. But now I think I see what to do. One of the two front bulbs is wired like your diagram shows and the other goes on the same tabs. Then do the same on the rear light tabs. I've got to get in there and see which wires are coming from which bulbs! It would be simple if the loco had a one bulb headlight and a one bulb tail light like your diagram, but having 8 wires in all threw me... :) Thanks for the help! Jarrell
richhotrain Exactly! And those little black tabs are the devil to get on and off the pads. There just isn't enough space to slide them back far enough to get the wire into the hole in the pads without removing things you really shouldn't need to remove. Anyway, thanks to you guys I have enough information now to proceed and I thank you! Jarrell jacon12 Yes, my decoder looks like that. The problem I'm having is instead of just 4 wires total, I have 8. 4 coming from the 2 bulbs in the front and 4 from the 2 bulbs in the rear. But now I think I see what to do. One of the two front bulbs is wired like your diagram shows and the other goes on the same tabs. Then do the same on the rear light tabs. I've got to get in there and see which wires are coming from which bulbs! It would be simple if the loco had a one bulb headlight and a one bulb tail light like your diagram, but having 8 wires in all threw me... :) Thanks for the help! Jarrell Yes, one wire fron each light to the same tab. So, two wires on each of four tabs. Rich
Exactly! And those little black tabs are the devil to get on and off the pads. There just isn't enough space to slide them back far enough to get the wire into the hole in the pads without removing things you really shouldn't need to remove. Anyway, thanks to you guys I have enough information now to proceed and I thank you!
Yes, one wire fron each light to the same tab. So, two wires on each of four tabs.