The Bearden Mod

fluff Jun 4, 2011

  1. fluff

    fluff TrainBoard Member

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    i just got another atlas-kato gp 30. as expected, it ran perfect, but had that annoying whine to it. so apart it came, and in record time,(for me) the inside blocks are out it runs whisper quiet now. i cant believe how Ron ever thought of this. if i can do it, anyone can! thanks again U18B.....
     
  2. Steve Mann

    Steve Mann TrainBoard Member

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    Are there any links to his 6 axel mod how to?
     
  3. fluff

    fluff TrainBoard Member

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    im not sure , hopefully someone knows. engines with a universal joint is a different egg, not recommended, if i remember. i'll see what i can find.....
     
  4. johnh

    johnh TrainBoard Member

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    Will not work on lokies with a universal joint (most 6 axle lokies)
     
  5. SinCity

    SinCity TrainBoard Member

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    Ditto. I have a very noisy C628 that I made some adjustments to the drive shaft taht did help, but still VERY noisy when it goes around 9.75 curves.
     
  6. OC Engineer JD

    OC Engineer JD Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Any link to that thread?
     
  7. PF2488

    PF2488 E-Mail Bounces

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  8. OC Engineer JD

    OC Engineer JD Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Printed it out...Thanks! :)
     
  9. N-builder

    N-builder TrainBoard Member

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    Here is what I did with the six axle locos (with universal shaft). I also found that if you remove the plastic bushings the loco will not work. So I bored the holes in the bushings just a bit bigger using a small drill (just don't make them too big) and now they are all quiet like an Atlas should be.
     
  10. fluff

    fluff TrainBoard Member

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    OC Engineer

    i do the hexnut deal a little different. i never could get the hexnut to pull far enough off the shaft to have any of it left on the shaft itself. i just carefully flake off tiny bits of the pink foamboard to take up the slack in the wormshaft by stuffing it in end of the flywheel. THATS NOT IN THE LINK. you have to get the worm gear to jive with the tower gear. it aint hard to do......
     
  11. OC Engineer JD

    OC Engineer JD Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    OK, sounds easy enough...:) Thanks!
     
  12. u18b

    u18b TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yes, on some locos, the shaft is a bit too short and it is hard to get the hex nut to bottom out just right. One solution is indeed to place some kind of bouncy stuff inside the flywheel to take up some extra space. I tend to use a tiny piece of toilet tissue.

    One day I plan to release an update to the file with a lot of refinements.

    Glad we have another satisfied customer!
     
  13. fluff

    fluff TrainBoard Member

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    i said this earlier somewhere, but i sold off some really nice cotton belt and santa fe 30's because of the noise. wish i had them back..
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 5, 2011
  14. Steve Mann

    Steve Mann TrainBoard Member

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    Oh I meant the mods to make 6 axles run better in general. Dont know the link. Remember seeing just a few pics in his gallery, but not the full pdf.
     
  15. u18b

    u18b TrainBoard Supporter

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  16. C. Giustra

    C. Giustra TrainBoard Member

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    Two other things to consider when trying to quiet things down. On some locos the position of the worm gear above the truck gear can affect noise i.e. if the worm is too far forward or back. This could be due to the worm not being in the correct position on the shaft or due to slop. The other thing is the shell. On those GP30/35s if the shell tabs are broken (the ones that hold the side sill and shell together) the shell will vibrate and make a lot of noise. I have used a crafters glue that is flexible and easy to peel off on the inside of the shell and side sill.
    CG
     
  17. norco44

    norco44 TrainBoard Member

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    The Beardon modification is so simple. The locomotives run much smoother. One important point is to re shim the worm gear to reduce the end float. Just a few thou is all it needs.
    I found one source of noise on my Life Like FA's is the trucks. The truck has a rounded bearing point on each side that the frame sits on. Some of these were found to have a small amount chipped off. This was possibly due to rough handling or being dropped at some time. Result of this is the worm gear on the truck is meshed too tightly into the worm. This is the cause of excessive noise.
    Fixing this was simply cutting away some of the original and attaching a new piece of styrene with epoxy. When dry the new piece of styrene was rounded on top to match the original shape. If you make them just a shade higher than original the worm it will ensure that the worm gear and worm are not too tightly meshed.
    Gary
     

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