Just got my Athearn AC4400 today and put it on the track. Wow, no noise!!! It even pulled as well as my Genesis. The only difference was the amount of momentum! Is this due to the new drivetrain from Athearn or did I just get lucky? I have a Athearn C44-9 ATSF #709 and it is as loud as a lawn mower and it goes around the track only half as fast as this new AC4400. Kinda found that to be strange, but maybe it doesn't have the new drivetrain setup. Anybody have any info about this? I am curious to say the least. Thanks
<font color="336633">I have a SD40-2 that is one of the quietest and smoothest running locos I own, just every now and then Athearn makes a loco that out shines everything else.... just a shame it isnt consistant </font>
I have two AC4400's. A Santa Fe and a UP. The Santa Fe was very noisey right out of the box. I had to do the usual break-in work of adding soft scrub to the gears, poilishing down the worm gear, flushing it all out and greasing it up. It really quieted it down. The UP was quieter, but I did some of the breakin work on it as well. Now after several hours of running they're quieting down well, but they stirr rumble as they pull up the hills. I figure that's O.K., as the real ones rumble as well! They're still not as quiet as my Genesis Mikado! Mark.
Guys, I got real lucky on the largest Athearn made!!!!!!! There DD-40!! I bought one with dual motors and flywheels, in the B&O scheme and I can not here this thing run!!!!!! And pull????? I got 3 DD-40's and the B&O one I have runs quiet and out pulls the others and ALL the interiors (drive train) is identical! All I had done to these loco's so far is add dirrectional lighting and thats it!!!! But as I said the B&O DD-40 is the greatest Diesel I own!!!! It beats all my Kato's and Life-Like P2K's!!!! I didn't think Athearn was so good but like it was posted earlier in in this thread "Athearn will make one out shine every other loco they made, to bad its not consint" Well in that sence it stomped ALL my other Diesels as well!!!! But still as you all know i'm for steam and I have nothing to compete with my Rivarossi Mallets!!!! Not even that DD-40!! But for a diesel i'm impressed!!!! For the most part.
Thinking about it I got lucky on a Bachmann loco (diesel) too!!!!! I bought a GP-30 (Spectrum) and it will pull real close to that Athearn DD-40!!!! And its 2 times smaller then the DD-40!!! And sadly its only got one motor!! I bought it in the B&O scheme as well, in the "Sunburst Scheme" None the less my favorite B&O paint scheme on a hood diesel and also my favorite body style of diesel too!!! There's something about that GP-30 body style with then hugh blister for the dynamic brake's that I love!!! I guess it makes that diesel look heftier or something. And maybe just different from the rest. To bad GM didn't make a SD-30 to look like their smaller units of the GP-30!!!!! Ok guys i'll go away.... HEE HEE
Come to think of it, my Bachmann Dash 8 works great---it's smooth, quiet, and fast! I've heard alot about them not being good, but it is much better than my Athearn Dash 9. Two out of three Athearns run darn well and quietly to boot. That one though could wake the dead. I only have one Kato Dash 9 and I am sad that I bought it at this point (see different thread). So I don't know what to think. So far my experience with locos has been divergent from the majority of posts on the board--Just luck I guess. I must agree with 7600EM_1 in that the Rivarossi steamers are the best so far and out-pull anything I have.! Happy railroading.
For additional information on my AC4400's, I've added about 9 ounces of lead to each one. The motors won't stall out under full throttle, and they'll pull really hard! I just got a couple of Athearn GP-60's in UP colors, and I'm quite pleased with them as well. Added about 3 or 4 ounces of lead to them, and they pull almost as well as my AC4400's. Now if my track just ran as well as my locos, I'd be a lot happier! Some additional information for my break-in work, I've been shimming the worm gear so there isn't as much slop in it. It appears that most of the noise is generated in the worm gear and its mounting. I polish the outside of the worm gear with 600 grit, and then shim it with a thin washer from Kadee. Kadee has grey and red washers. They're intended for shimming trucks, but they appear to hold up well as long as they're inserted between the existing brass washer and the bearing nut on the end of the worm gear assembly. At that location the washer isn't called upon to have friction on it. If the shim washer is too thick, the motor loads up and won't go hardly at all. Then I lube up the gears with a good plastic compatable grease. Mark [ 29 March 2001: Message edited by: Mark_Athay ]
Hey anyone got a good reference to the procedure to break in Athearns so they quiet down some? Thanks Shaummy
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Shaummy: Hey anyone got a good reference to the procedure to break in Athearns so they quiet down some? Thanks Shaummy<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> <font color="336633">Tomorrow I could post what I do, I dont really have time today. Unless someone wants to post something today...</font>
Hey Shaummy, I do the same way Sticky does, I throw a hand full of sand into the gears, and drag a brick around for a couple of hours until the gears smoothe out nice and round! The noise is gone! Then all you have to do is wash out the dirt, and listen to the ungodly whine of the motor running wildly mad while the engine sits there and looks beautiful. It makes a great powered dummy now, but the gears no longer hang up.
I recently bought a new Athearn F-7 (super power) at a train show. I am in the process of powerizing most of my dummy f-7b's. This engine makes no noise at all and is smoother than any Athearn I have ever owned. It must be a hit and miss thing and I finally found a good one. Which brings up my question. Aside from lubricating the gears etc in the trucks can someone tell me what replacement engines work with the following Athearns. U-28-B's SD-40-2's (original run from years past) Would like to re-engine several of the above models and was wondering who makes motors that could be installed in these with the least effort. (I am an operator not a mechanic) Thanks in advance!!! AF Niederer
Yes guys Athearn is a "hit or miss" thing!!! I know this from experience!!! I own 100 Diesels and the biggest amount of the 100 is Athearn. And I got some real sad ones and then I got that DD-40 I mentioned earlier in this thread, that runs great, I also have some intermediate Athearn loco's that runs good but nothing like the DD-40 and alot better then others I have. So if anyone got lucky and got a good Athearn concider yourself lucky....
<font color="336633">Whoops! i forgot about this Shaummy right here is what I do: First, take the drive train apart, remove all gears from the trucks and check for flash, clean up with a needle file and 800 grit wet and dry. wash gears and trucks to remove all lubricant. reasseble trucks and check they are free rolling, lube with vaseline. Next take the metal strips of the motor, being careful that the springs and brushes dont ping out, remove the com and chuck in a drill (I use a piller dirll), polish the com with 800 and 1000 grit wet and dry, and then use a hard pencil rubber to polish the com. get a hobby knife to clean between the polls on the com. reassemble the motor, and check for excessive end play, add washers if needed. next check the fit of the brushes and file then to fit the radius of the com perfectly, lightly lube the motor barings with a light oil (I use 3in1) reassemble motor and drive train, solder wires on to the motor and trucks and get rid of the metal contact strip. I then lightly oil the universal shafts. test run it to make sure its all ok, and then pop the body shell beack on, and hey presto... a quiter loco. Hope this helps oh and my other method is what Watash says </font>
Another trick to quieten down the gear mechanism is to, combined with the suggestions made by the Sticky Monk for removing old gear flash is to actually bed the gears in to there individual gear path. This is accomplished in a couple of ways. I have used tooth paste in the gear towers, this acts as a cutting agent and grinds the gear path. A quicker and better wat is to use a metal polish, not to abrasive or plastic harming, just a polish liike Goddards glow (Alloy wheel polish). Try the tooth paste first, gives the athearn that minty fresh smell. Remember to wash the gears when finished. Another way is to place a light coat of fishing real grease into the gear towers (Plastic compatible of course). Graphite Powder also works. Athearn Bodies also seem to resonate sound. Try different forms of tape in the inside of the shell. I also highly reccomend performing Sticky Monks suggestionof the Armature smoothing and getting rid of the archaic metal strip. This mod has been in a lot of Model Railroad magazines. [ 12 April 2001: Message edited by: MRL Mick ]
Lube with White Lithium Marine Grease is best for plastic gears and will not migrate onto rails or commutator. Use sparingly with tooth pick. Used in High Dollar Fishing Reels and cameras.
I speak for Watash!!!! The white lithium marine grease is the best!!!! I use it in ALL my Loco's and on the journals of the trucks on the trucks of loco's (pilot & trailing) and also on all the wheel journals on my rolling stock!!!!! WOW the whole dang train runs smoother!!!!! And as he said it does not render in getting into places it shouldn't. Same for my diesels the gear boxes get the same treatment...... Not only is it a lubercant but it also acts as a heat sink. It will keep gears and bearings from getting hot plus if used on the motor itself it takes the heat from it as well, It helps in preventing a loco's motor from over heating and distort the heat through out the grease not the mechanics of the motor or drive train.
