Athearn rtr wheel replacement

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D

Dallas Modern HO Scale

Modern HO scale modeler
hey guts i have 2 athearn c44-9w engines that have flat spots on the wheels. does anyone know where i can buy the wheels and how to swap them out? any tips would be greatly appreciated
 
Flat spots are prototypical :D

Contact Athearn if you want original wheels. If you want better wheels, try NWSL. There is a clip on the bottom of the truck that can be taken off to expose the axles.
 


I'd go for the NWSL or Jay-Bee wheelsets. Both are better than the stock Athearn sets, and both come blackened. You just separate the originals from the gear and pop the replacements in. Make sure you have an NMRA gauge handy, as it is possible to get them close enough to touch inside the gear and cause a dead short.
 
I would go with NWSL if your going to put in all new ones. They stay a lot cleaner than the original Athearn ones.
 
The RTRs with the dcc quick-plug (retooled versions) already have Nickle-Silver wheels and shouldn't need replacements. The RTRs without the plugs still have the sintered iron wheels and shoud be replaced as they attract dirt like a magnet
 
You'll have to figure out if your wheels are 40" or 42". I replaced the wheels on two GP38-2s, both Blue Box, and one had 40" and the other had 42". I only had 42" NWSL, and they work, but if you're wanting to have an even swap, you'll want to figure it out before you buy.

One box of NWSL will do one 6-axle loco (12 wheels). I'm pleased with how much better these locos run without having to clean the wheels so much.
 
diburning said:
The RTRs with the dcc quick-plug (retooled versions) already have Nickle-Silver wheels and shouldn't need replacements. The RTRs without the plugs still have the sintered iron wheels and shoud be replaced as they attract dirt like a magnet
Click to expand...

yea i know but i have flat spots in the wheels on 2 of my engines, so i have to replace them
 
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