The older Athearn motors were called Jet 400s featuring General Electric "Lodex" ring magnets. While you're at it, it's important to replace those flimsy snap-on coupler boxes with screw-in boxes. Also replace the metal strip atop the motor and trucks with soldered wires. These will really improve reliability.
Athearn trucks will have either the 23 tooth idler gears or a 16 tooth idler set, you can still order both from their site (8 bux for a pack of 6). Depending on your desire you can swap them out for a low speed hi torque or go with the smaller one for a higher speed lower torque. You can experiment with RC car gears as well just be sure they fit but not too tight or you'll end up just snapping them. You can do the same with the axle gears but I would try to avoid messing around there too much. Good video!
UA-cam 'flashed up' a screen about this presentation asking me to rate and tick comments. There was no opportunity to volunteer a comment of my own. Presumably the exercise is run by AI. I don't know what is going on. I was not going to comment on the presentation, but as I am here reporting the above, I now will. What makes this presentation so valuable is the imperative to monitor motor heat. All motors have a duty cycle. I too like the 'old models'. We must, however keep in mind the engineers who signed off on these designs were concerned with the models as new, not life expired as they reasonably considered as now. This is the problem running this stuff at all, and most especially with rewinding (as you mentioned), especially to new specifications. As I keep saying in my comments, interfering with factory settings is fraught. As you reinforce at 17:17, monitor a running motor for heat buildup; most problems generate heat. In running trains, especially old trains, the problem hopefully is not your viewers; the problem is kids who are naturally inexperienced. Rusty, below, left a couple of comments, one suggesting he was a beginner looking for guidance, the other somewhat undermining that. Might be a good idea to join a club, particularly one with an engineering bent. I will leave him a 'reply'. Very encouraging.
I've got several old Athearn engines I got back in the mid 80's and have never taken them apart. Guess I should perform some maintenance on them in the near future. Probably need to lube and check motor mounts. I think they are all switchers and one F-7 I repainted for the Southern Railways. Guess when I take them apart I'll have to change out the incandescent lighting to LED's. I don't do DCC as I hate the tinny sound of HO DCC. Only DC for me. I've seen other modelers remove the brass/copper bar and replace with wire. Does this really help??? Clean the commutator grooves with a toothpick. Thanks for the tips. Cheers from eastern TN
I've got a blue box loco from maybe the mid to early 90s that looks just like this. It's a Conrail GP38-2. I was so frustrated at how to get the shell off. I ended up having to jam a skewer or small screwdriver into all 4 of the clips and push all together to get it off. It's never going back on until I get the DCC and speakers put in. Whenever that is.
The Athearn BlueBox GP38-2 was notorious for having that bad shell attachment design with the 4 clips underneath the fuel tank. Most used examples you find have at least one of the clips broken off, if not all four. You really only need two clips to keep the shell on, so if you keep a forward clip on the left side and a rear clip on the right side, you'll still be able to pick up the model without the chassis falling off, and it's a heck of a lot easier to remove the shell to do maintenance. As far as I know, the GP 38 - 2 was the only Blue Box model that used that clip design.
Any tips on Atlas engine maintenance? I have acquired 4 new Atlas engines. I also have a brass Hallmark Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 in the Central of Georgia livery I've been working on. Tech 7 controller for me. NO DCC!!! How about using inox or some kinda anti oxidize agent? I also do Lionel 027. Cheers - TN
Those plastic brush holding shaft supports whatever are a cheap weak link to these type of trains . Its not a common thing but when ran consistantly loaded like for public display it melts down the brush side of the motor.. suddenly started making ratting noises slowing down losing power and then just stopped running and started smoking ..the kids watching thought it was part of the show.. ive smoked a few now..one caught fire inside ..i love trains ...
Love Athearn locomotives! I have a bunch of blue boxes as well as a RTR and I just got back into the hobby a bit after a 15 year or so hiatus. Yup some of them are loud (I have one GE Genesis P40 locomotive that is probably my favorite locomotive but man is it noisy!) but you can't seem to kill them. I picked up some Labelle 102 oil at the local hobby shop and lubed with that, now what would the difference be between that oil and the 107?
@@weekendrailroader Thank you for the response. The 102 works pretty good at keeping my Amfleet coaches rolling pretty well. I will have to check out the 107 next time Im at the hobby shop. Thank you for the video!
Forgot to add below: Ronald Dodd's youtube is worth a look. He offers not cheap but very good remagnetizers. I don't know if he has a version for US 110v AC.
Follow the instructions in the video on where to add a couple drops of LaBelle 107 oil. Do you know for sure where the squeak is coming from? If you think it's the motor itself, disconnect the motor from driveshafts and see if it still squeaks. If the squeak sounds like it's coming from the motor itself, and oiling the bearings on both ends of the motor doesn't solve the issue, then remove the flywheels and remove the motor armature from the magnet/casing. It's possible you've got a chunk of magnetic material stuck to the permanent magnet(s) of the motor, which is dragging on the armature as the armature spins.
@@Thiswhat22 Sparking from where? The wheels? Clean your wheels and your track. From the commutator/motor brushes? Clean the commutator, commutator slots, and the brush tubes.
probably the most dependable model locomotive ever made
Excellent presentation for anyone wanting to understand basic HO scale mechanism principles... Especially Athearn locomotives. Thank you!
The older Athearn motors were called Jet 400s featuring General Electric "Lodex" ring magnets.
While you're at it, it's important to replace those flimsy snap-on coupler boxes with screw-in boxes. Also replace the metal strip atop the motor and trucks with soldered wires. These will really improve reliability.
Great video on the Athearn drives. Thanks for sharing.
Athearn trucks will have either the 23 tooth idler gears or a 16 tooth idler set, you can still order both from their site (8 bux for a pack of 6). Depending on your desire you can swap them out for a low speed hi torque or go with the smaller one for a higher speed lower torque. You can experiment with RC car gears as well just be sure they fit but not too tight or you'll end up just snapping them. You can do the same with the axle gears but I would try to avoid messing around there too much. Good video!
Thanks for this video. i was able to repair my Fp45 locomotive after following your steps.
Delren gears do not need lubricant. Delren are self lubricating.
Wow thank you for explaining it in easy to understand steps
Excellent video!! Thanks!! DC forever!! 🙂
UA-cam 'flashed up' a screen about this presentation asking me to rate and tick comments. There was no opportunity to volunteer a comment of my own. Presumably the exercise is run by AI. I don't know what is going on.
I was not going to comment on the presentation, but as I am here reporting the above, I now will. What makes this presentation so valuable is the imperative to monitor motor heat. All motors have a duty cycle.
I too like the 'old models'. We must, however keep in mind the engineers who signed off on these designs were concerned with the models as new, not life expired as they reasonably considered as now. This is the problem running this stuff at all, and most especially with rewinding (as you mentioned), especially to new specifications. As I keep saying in my comments, interfering with factory settings is fraught. As you reinforce at 17:17, monitor a running motor for heat buildup; most problems generate heat. In running trains, especially old trains, the problem hopefully is not your viewers; the problem is kids who are naturally inexperienced.
Rusty, below, left a couple of comments, one suggesting he was a beginner looking for guidance, the other somewhat undermining that. Might be a good idea to join a club, particularly one with an engineering bent. I will leave him a 'reply'.
Very encouraging.
Thank You só much.I haver 9 Athearn locomotives and i love...
Thanks for the tips helps a lot
this guy knows his stuff A+
I am only DC .... I love the sound of my blue boxes!!!! 👍
On the newer atheron locomotives you may find plastic washers on the worm gears when they should be metal thrust washers....
Wire wrap entails 179 full 360 degree wraps per ea (3) section of motor!
I've got several old Athearn engines I got back in the mid 80's and have never taken them apart. Guess I should perform some maintenance on them in the near future. Probably need to lube and check motor mounts. I think they are all switchers and one F-7 I repainted for the Southern Railways. Guess when I take them apart I'll have to change out the incandescent lighting to LED's. I don't do DCC as I hate the tinny sound of HO DCC. Only DC for me. I've seen other modelers remove the brass/copper bar and replace with wire. Does this really help??? Clean the commutator grooves with a toothpick. Thanks for the tips. Cheers from eastern TN
I've got a blue box loco from maybe the mid to early 90s that looks just like this. It's a Conrail GP38-2. I was so frustrated at how to get the shell off. I ended up having to jam a skewer or small screwdriver into all 4 of the clips and push all together to get it off. It's never going back on until I get the DCC and speakers put in. Whenever that is.
The Athearn BlueBox GP38-2 was notorious for having that bad shell attachment design with the 4 clips underneath the fuel tank. Most used examples you find have at least one of the clips broken off, if not all four.
You really only need two clips to keep the shell on, so if you keep a forward clip on the left side and a rear clip on the right side, you'll still be able to pick up the model without the chassis falling off, and it's a heck of a lot easier to remove the shell to do maintenance.
As far as I know, the GP 38 - 2 was the only Blue Box model that used that clip design.
Very informative vid thank u.
Any tips on Atlas engine maintenance? I have acquired 4 new Atlas engines. I also have a brass Hallmark Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 in the Central of Georgia livery I've been working on. Tech 7 controller for me. NO DCC!!! How about using inox or some kinda anti oxidize agent? I also do Lionel 027. Cheers - TN
Those plastic brush holding shaft supports whatever are a cheap weak link to these type of trains . Its not a common thing but when ran consistantly loaded like for public display it melts down the brush side of the motor.. suddenly started making ratting noises slowing down losing power and then just stopped running and started smoking ..the kids watching thought it was part of the show.. ive smoked a few now..one caught fire inside ..i love trains ...
Love Athearn locomotives! I have a bunch of blue boxes as well as a RTR and I just got back into the hobby a bit after a 15 year or so hiatus. Yup some of them are loud (I have one GE Genesis P40 locomotive that is probably my favorite locomotive but man is it noisy!) but you can't seem to kill them. I picked up some Labelle 102 oil at the local hobby shop and lubed with that, now what would the difference be between that oil and the 107?
@adamm2837 If I recall correctly, 102 is a bit heavier / thicker than 107. I've used both, either should work
@@weekendrailroader Thank you for the response. The 102 works pretty good at keeping my Amfleet coaches rolling pretty well. I will have to check out the 107 next time Im at the hobby shop. Thank you for the video!
good info yes
I use a Starr-Tec Hogger with walk around controller
Actually, Best Practice - don't oil the gears, remember this mantra: Grease the Gears, Oil the Bearings.
Grease gears, oil bearings and wheels.
Forgot to add below: Ronald Dodd's youtube is worth a look. He offers not cheap but very good remagnetizers. I don't know if he has a version for US 110v AC.
I have a few Athearn rs3 logos, but I'm not sure how to remove the shell. Any suggestions??? Thanks.
How long do you leave the rare earth magnets on the motor?
@@XBOXShawn12thman Permanently
@@weekendrailroader Thank You 🙏
I have a motor like this in the video it’s squeaks how do I fix it?
Follow the instructions in the video on where to add a couple drops of LaBelle 107 oil. Do you know for sure where the squeak is coming from? If you think it's the motor itself, disconnect the motor from driveshafts and see if it still squeaks. If the squeak sounds like it's coming from the motor itself, and oiling the bearings on both ends of the motor doesn't solve the issue, then remove the flywheels and remove the motor armature from the magnet/casing. It's possible you've got a chunk of magnetic material stuck to the permanent magnet(s) of the motor, which is dragging on the armature as the armature spins.
How do I fix sparking
@@Thiswhat22 Sparking from where? The wheels? Clean your wheels and your track. From the commutator/motor brushes? Clean the commutator, commutator slots, and the brush tubes.
Yeah, you need a proper stand for your phone. I’ve watched you knock it over three times and that’s enough. Best wishes to you. Bye.
Just remove the trucks! It’s easy!