Athearn SD45T-2 "Tunnel Motors"

[Anonymous]

I recently purchased six of the Athearn SD45T-2. I had to test run a lot of these units at three different hobby shops before I found six units that ran without a lot of motor noise in both directions. These are great looking units. But, the motor performance, noise, etc., leaves a lot to be desired. I operate on a DCC layout, and generally re-motor by engines with can motors to keep things consistent. The SD45T-2 model uses the engine weight as the motor housing/support. Does anyone have thoughts on how to re-motor one of thes models without having to undertake a lot of modification? I would appreciate any suggestions. I am new to these forums. Thanks.

[loathar]

I don't know much about re-motoring but there is a company that makes after market motors calle Helix Humpers.They have an ad in MR Mag every month.Maybe if you contact them, they could help.

[Darth Santa Fe]

Life-Like's Proto 2000 motors are a direct replacement to the Athearns. The housing looks identicle to the ones on Athearn motors. They also run extremely smoothly and quietly.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PROTO-SD7-MOTOR_W0QQitemZ5994705409QQcategoryZ19135QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Here's a link to an eBay auction for a P2K motor.[:)]

[cacole]

I don't know about the motors, but if you bought the Athearn RTR SD45T-2, you might have to take the trucks apart and scrape enamel off of the electrical wipers.

I purchased one and there was so much black enamel on the contact wipers on the sides of the trucks that it was electrically dead.

If you ran into models that don't run well, that may be the problem with them, too.

I'm beginning to become very gun-shy about Athearn products now. I have 4 Genesis SD70s, and two of them have been nothing but trouble; and now the SD45T-2 RTR.

And Athearn has no raplacement parts for any of these Chinese-made models.

Ol' Irv Athearn is probably spinning in his grave when he sees what has been done to his company.

[modelmaker51]

A lot of the noise in the BB and RTRs comes from the gears in the trucks, which is why the more you run those good ol' Athearns the better they run; the gears get run in.

You can short-cut this by disassembling the trucks, take the gears out, wa***he lubricant off the gears with some soap and water and run some folded over 400 or 600 grit sand paper between the teeth on each gear (I'm talking about gentle swipes) and then lay them down flat on the sand paper and sand them a little more, that should remove any burrs and round the edges slightly for a smoother mesh. Clean them with soap and water with a stiff brush (not metal), let them dry, re-assemble and add a little Labbelle grease.

This should quiet them quite a bit and they should also run a lot smoother.

You could also poli***he treads of the wheels with a wirewheel in a motor tool to remove the blackening agent and promote better electrical pickup and traction. On older BB with the sintered iron wheels , replace them with NWSL nicklesilver wheelsets

[NHRRJET]

I recently purchased the SSW Bicentennial model. It is one gorgeous model. Problem is, the snowplow pilot is too low, the bottom edge is below the pilot plate. It strikes frogs and some railjoints. The same holds true with the mu hose receptacle on the rear pilot; it too is mounted too low.
I removed both,remounted them; end of that problem.
The engine was derailing on curves (I have 36", and 38" radius). I found there was no clearance between the back of the step wells and front edge of the front truck. I removed the truck frames, and with a #11 blade, trimmed the leading edge of the truck frame. You can't even notice it. The engine NOW runs perfectly.
Hope this helps those who might be experiencing the same problem.

[AntonioFP45]

Mark,

It's possible that the noise may be coming from the trucks. Athearns are notorious for this and the noise used to frustrate me.

Modelmaker's suggestion is a good one. A variation of this method is disassemble the trucks, wa***hem with alcohol, pack them with a very generous amound of Pearl Drops toothpaste, re-assemble and run for several hours in both directions. Take them apart again, wash, re-lube, and re-assemble. The unit will run much quieter.

I'm doing this with a couple of Athearn U Boats and cowl units that I plan on installing sound decoders in.

Cheers.