i have an atlas loco that runs pretty fast and i love it that way . Queston is how do i find other atlas locos like it. I have one other atlas loco and its very slow and im not a fan of it at all. Ive been seeing atlas locos on the bay and they all say slow scale speed motors I do not want scale speed anything . i like that i can start my locos off fast as i have track cleaning cars they pull so once or twice around the track ay higher speeds clean very good. how do i find these fast locos???? i also have intermountain and katos that run pretty fast as well.
I'd use the data within Trovestar or Spookshow to determine when your Atlas locomotive was made and seek others from the same time period. I'm guessing that locomotives from the 1990s would be a good bet.
Check the Atlas archive to determine when a specific model was produced: http://archive.atlasrr.com/n-mcloco-archive.html Then, as Hardcoaler mentioned, check the Spookshow site to find out when the change was made to the scale speed motor: http://www.spookshow.net/locos.html
Vintage isn't always the deciding factor........I have a pair of SD35's that were released at the same time. One has a scale speed motor , the other has a "fast" motor. Apparently during the transition, they were installing whatever was in stock.
Thank you ill have a peek at these. i like the slow one but its really slow. and it wont pull good either. I quess its luck of the draw i will probably get 2 more locos and that will be all i need fast or slow. maybe ill use the really slow ones for yard duty , they do creep real nice. Thanks again.
Older models seemed to have metal frame/chassis made from a heavier/denser material. Also, newer DCC-compatible/ready models have some of the metal frame/chassis removed to provide space for a decoder, so they're even lighter. Something to check is if the wheel treads (still) have a black coating on them. This coating can tend to be slippery until it has worn off.
Sidney, if you pull the trucks "to clean the gears" go one step further and disassemble each truck and clean the cups on the wheel wipers. Following are 2 images to show why : 1st - dirty cups also found goop and hair in the gears : 2nd is the cleaned cups, this loco ran like new : This may not be your problem but it can't hurt. WARNING - watch how the wipers come out of the trucks 'cause on Atlas there is a right and left wiper. You will want to reassemble in the correct position. Be well, Carl
JFYI, I have a ConCor Switcher from the '70s that will beat ANYTHING you got !!! One day I will paint it like Richard Petty's old STP cars. Not very proto-like, but it's Damn FUN !!!
have not done this yet as its a new loco. it has ran a few laps though so ill sure have a look at it. Thank you
Carl i have not taken it apart yet its pretty new loco. but ill sure have a look at it. its just very slow from the first day i got it. i used jmri to check all the settings and even changed a few but she is still very slow. makes a good yard goat though thats how slow she is. it will creep and you have to really look at it to see if it moves. haha Thank you .
Sidney, No problemo! what brand decoder, did it come as a factory install? Do you have a way to remove the decoder and test run as a dc to see how the motor performs? Just thinking out loud and you can probably smell the sawdust burning from where you are! Be well, Carl
carl ,,, ya know i dont remember what decoder it has installed . i bought it all ready to go.i think it has a nce decoder.. i really have not had time to look it over . ive got three laptops im working on at the same time and a ton of other gizmos. Thursday i might have some time to play with my layout. Mike i have not tried any of that . i just ran it through jmri mostly to view the settings it had. . ok so i looked at it right now and it does have a nce decoder haha 2006 it says for date on the frame, black motor. looks super clean every where not even a hairy critter in there.
Sidney, Thanks, that was my point, your problem might be the decoder and not the motor. Try it somehow on analog dc. Carl
