Re-power Kato with Athearn?

[weekendrailroader]

Hi all. I've got a question for you.

I volunteer as a caretaker for the HO layout at my local Children's Museum.
Having worked at the museum for over a year, I've found that Athearn Blue Box/ Athearn Ready-To-Run locomotives are the most desirable locomotives to use because of their all-around "chunkiness". Everything on these locomotives is easy to disassemble, replace, and repair. Keep in mind that the trains run almost non-stop from 9 AM till 5 PM, 6 days a week, with one week off a year.

Kato engines, on the other hand, have not held up so well. Recently, one of our Kato locomotives was running pretty hot, and was crawling down the track, even though it was receiving the same maintenance as the Athearn engines (which were running fine). I opened up the kato engine (the can motors are not maintenance friendly at all, having to pry open the tabs that hold the can closed). After I got the motor opened I examined the brushes, and one of them promptly broke in half (Kato brushes are half the size of an Athearn brush).

So, I'm wondering, is there a way to install an Athearn RTR open frame motor in a Kato locomotive?

Thanks.

 

[el3637]

So, I'm wondering, is there a way to install an Athearn RTR open frame motor in a Kato locomotive?

Probably, but I usually do the opposite. If you have some new Kato or near new Kato motors I'll trade you Athearn motors one for one..... Athearn motors as-is of course, but generally I replace them fairly quickly when I buy a new loco and want to add it to the fleet.

Andy

 

[Larry]

Hi all. I've got a question for you.

I volunteer as a caretaker for the HO layout at my local Children's Museum.
Having worked at the museum for over a year, I've found that Athearn Blue Box/ Athearn Ready-To-Run locomotives are the most desirable locomotives to use because of their all-around "chunkiness". Everything on these locomotives is easy to disassemble, replace, and repair. Keep in mind that the trains run almost non-stop from 9 AM till 5 PM, 6 days a week, with one week off a year.

Kato engines, on the other hand, have not held up so well. Recently, one of our Kato locomotives was running pretty hot, and was crawling down the track, even though it was receiving the same maintenance as the Athearn engines (which were running fine). I opened up the kato engine (the can motors are not maintenance friendly at all, having to pry open the tabs that hold the can closed). After I got the motor opened I examined the brushes, and one of them promptly broke in half (Kato brushes are half the size of an Athearn brush).

So, I'm wondering, is there a way to install an Athearn RTR open frame motor in a Kato locomotive?

Thanks.

Could you put a picture of that frame here on the Forum, I might have a motor U could use to replace that 1.