Proto 2000


WC3026

WC3026

Member
First off All I can say is wow.. Wow that they run great and wow that you have to take it apart and clean all the gears to free them up!

I picked up two ( unknown when made) GP30's put them on test track at hobby shop, they light up and you can hear the motor turning but no movement. Well we all know the cracked gears no problem thats the fix. I got 2 of them for 55.00 each so it didnt bother me that they needed a little help and with what little run time the appeared to have. Get the new gears in and decoder in program them and they are slower then heck. so tear them both back apart and all I can say is WOW they use way to much grease in the gear boxes. cleaned them up and I have one pulling a 18 car grain train with a 1.5% grade it holds it pretty good going up and it dont run away going down. I think I am going to keep my eyes open for more P2k stuff!!!
 
I have five or six Proto's and they out pull anything else I have!
Been lucky with the gear problem and the grease thing but I think only two are new so maybe they've had the fix already.
Two Sd60's will pull a thirty six car coal train up a two percent grade with ease.
 
Here's a Proto GP9 that I pulled out, replaced the axle gears, added a decoder and 14V headlight bulbs. Runs like a charm -- I have a number of these that I never quite got into service 15 years ago.

GN 711.jpg

So for the price of axle gears and decoders, I can add some good locos to my operating fleet.
 
Here's one I just finished today -- looks like I'm on a roll! Haven't given this one a decoder yet, and most of my UP diesels are still DC only, but I can't wait -- the numberboards on this one light up with the headlights.

I did replace the axle gears, and had to free up the mechanism, but now it runs OK, if a little noisy (don't know if a decoder will eventually help with the motor noise).

UP 868.jpg

When I pulled it out, I noticed that in May 1999 I paid full list for it, which was $95. I've got to say that that seems expensive for a loco that wouldn't run, and it takes away a little from the idea that I'm getting good locos at a bargain -- I didn't get any of mine off eBay, although I did get some at discount. But more or less equivalent Bachmann locos are still cheaper 15 years later, and they run right out of the box!
 
WC3026 said:
I think I am going to keep my eyes open for more P2k stuff!!!
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Just curious, so what equipment did you have before that you are comparing them to? I believe the last run of GP30s was 2005.

The only Proto-2000s I've been disappointed with was the original run of the Alco PA and PB. They need new motors. I had a bunch of them lined up for Life Like to get me free replacement motors when Walther's bought Life Like out and the deal went down the tubes, so the locos still sit on the "to be worked on shelf".
 
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Iron I have mostly ran athearn BB and RTR stuff. 95% of what is on my layout is Athearn and now all of that is dcc ready rtr or the older rtr.
 
Iron Horseman said:
Just curious, so what equipment did you have before that you are comparing them to? I believe the last run of GP30s was 2005.

The only Proto-2000s I've been disappointed with was the original run of the Alco PA and PB. They need new motors. I had a bunch of them lined up for Life Like to get me free replacement motors when Walther's bought Life Like out and the deal went down the tubes, so the locos still sit on the "to be worked on shelf".
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I run mine, and I have all first runs. SP and ATSF. To date I've lost one decoder.
 
jwb said:
Here's one I just finished today -- looks like I'm on a roll! Haven't given this one a decoder yet, and most of my UP diesels are still DC only, but I can't wait -- the numberboards on this one light up with the headlights.

I did replace the axle gears, and had to free up the mechanism, but now it runs OK, if a little noisy (don't know if a decoder will eventually help with the motor noise).

When I pulled it out, I noticed that in May 1999 I paid full list for it, which was $95. I've got to say that that seems expensive for a loco that wouldn't run, and it takes away a little from the idea that I'm getting good locos at a bargain -- I didn't get any of mine off eBay, although I did get some at discount. But more or less equivalent Bachmann locos are still cheaper 15 years later, and they run right out of the box!
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Hey, if somebody didn't pull you out of your box for 15 years you'd be a little stiff too! ;) Grease will congeal into sludge over that kind of time. I see this with brass models constantly. Loosening things up cleaning out sludge and re-lubing are standard procedures on any model that sits for years unused.

The decoder may quiet the motor however if it is gear noise there is something you should be aware of that almost nobody pays attention to: If it's gear noise it is and you used Athearn gears, guess what? That's why. Everyone does this and just about everyone says it works fine but there are tiny differences in the Proto and Athearn gears. The Proto gears are machined. The Athearn ones are cast, and there are some differences between the two tooth profiles. They'll work, but they will wear faster and may be noisier than the Proto parts. Life Like and later Walthers gave away enough free gears to do every loco they made before they quit with the freebies. You can still get replacements for a few bucks. I have not had this problem with many of my P2K models, just two, both GP's and I used the Walthers parts. One guy in our club used Athearn gears and got enough noise that he got rid of them and used the Walthers parts.
yeah Bachmann is doing some pretty stuff now, but they weren't in 1999 and even today you won't get the detail level out of a Bachmann that you will out of a Proto, and that's where the money is in modern models. It's all in the detail level!
 
Espeefan said:
I run mine, and I have all first runs. SP and ATSF. To date I've lost one decoder.
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I say your lucky. I lost 3 in one night (also Santa Fe), and then the club's unit (former SP) went through 3 decoders before we figured out what the problem was. I do have one with an MRC decoder (An old 14 step one) that was thrown together for my children's Youth In Model Railroading display at the St. Louis NMRA Convention. It has seen some service in a few shows since then with no problems.
 
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WC3026 said:
Iron I have mostly ran athearn BB and RTR stuff. 95% of what is on my layout is Athearn and now all of that is dcc ready rtr or the older rtr.
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Interesting, now I will be waiting with baited breath to see what you think when you run your first Atlas Master.
 
Iron Horseman said:
I say your lucky. I lost 3 in one night (also Santa Fe), and then the club's unit (former SP) went through 3 decoders before we figured out what the problem was. I do have one with an MRC decoder (An old 14 step one) that was thrown together for my children's Youth In Model Railroading display at the St. Louis NMRA Convention. It has seen some service in a few shows since then with no problems.
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Could be...who knows? But they run and run well. Most have Digitrax DH-140 somethings, one has a 163 and one has a Tsunami. They also pull prototypical consists if 12-16 passenger cars, mixed plastic and brass, and one three unit set pulls my Lark, and another pulls a Santa Fe Chief (the Kansas City Chief if memory serves)
 
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I picked up a pair of GP-7's decorated for the Northern Pacific and an SD-7 for the Milwaukee Road and they have all been excellent running locomotives. No complaints at all from me. All have been around for about 10 years or more.
 
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