SW9 ebay find and repair question

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ricjus001

New Member
Won this on ebay for $24 plus shipping' not sure of the manufacturer. Am going to do a Maine theme on my future layout with a nod to the Rigby yard in S. Portland; had a great uncle that worked there many moons ago.
Runs well after I cleaned it up. Only problem I have is it leans to one side, tried countering by shimming the motor and that didnt do. Do I need to add weight to the opposite side in the shell?

Thanks for any help and let me know how I did;
Justin
 
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It's an Athearn SW7 cow. If it's leaning to one side, check that the motor is set on it's mounts correctly, and that the top tab on the trucks (where the frame rests) isn't bent on either one.
 
Yes definitely look at the truck metal tabs. The bend should be at a perfect 90 degree angle. I have an Athearn PA1 that was giving me fits with the front truck derailing on only one turnout. Track checked out perfect and none of my other 6 axle units derailed on that spot. Turns out the tab was not quite 90 degrees and would lift one side of the truck enough to make it jump the frog. Oddly enough the engine sat level with the deformed tab, probably due to the weight of it.
 
Here's another thing to check..Be sure the body is on the frame straight and tight on both sides and not just fully seated on 1 side.Make sure the shell isn't on backwards(reversed) on the frame.

That's experience talking.Please don't ask how I came about gaining that experience.:o
 




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