Cracked axle gears on Proto 2000

[zoegraf]

You can try, but the noise is likely the result of the different tooth profile of the Athearn gear. Lube will help, but when gears mesh incorrectly, the two most noticeable side effects are:

Noise

Accelerated wear.

The OEM gears are what you should really put in there. Once the other gears in the truck start to wear, you'll have a bigger problem.

Good Luck.

Makes sense. Thanks. I'm still waiting for a response from Walthers.

 

[zoegraf]

I've been using the Athearn gears for years, well before Proto had a good replacement with no problems. May of these locos have lots of time on them, but no mater who's gears you use, lube them with a plastic compatable oil. Labelle makes some fine products for plastic gears. Also lube the outer bearings with a light oil.
Doug

I just put some Labelle oil on the gears. Though it now can crawl at a nice slow speed, should I still put a drop of light oil on the outer bearings?

 

[zoegraf]

It could be as simple as the axle ends were pressed too tightly on the gesrs when assembled. Will the square bearing blocks spin freely, or do they feel tight? If they are tight, loosen up that wheel until the bearings all will move freely. Then reassemble and run the engine again.

All is fine with the square bearing blocks. I noticed that the blocks don't slip out of the groove anymore like it used to do at times. It seems the axle gear width is a little more wide than the Proto's.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I had a pair of FA's that I put Athearn gears into. They ran for several years without a problem. A third FA also had cracked gears but I had a different fate in mind for it. It's been fitted with trucks from an Athearn F7 and a Bachmann FT-A body. Talk about your shotgun weddings!

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I just put some Labelle oil on the gears. Though it now can crawl at a nice slow speed, should I still put a drop of light oil on the outer bearings?

An electrically conductive oil would help a lot. The square bearings transfer power from the axles to the trucks. Most oils don't conduct electricity well and can insulate the bearings. I found that out the hard way.

 

[zoegraf]

You can try, but the noise is likely the result of the different tooth profile of the Athearn gear. Lube will help, but when gears mesh incorrectly, the two most noticeable side effects are:

Noise

Accelerated wear.

The OEM gears are what you should really put in there. Once the other gears in the truck start to wear, you'll have a bigger problem.

Good Luck.

Walthers contacted me and I order two pair of these.

I ran my FA-1 with the Athearns in them around the layout a couple of times. It'll be interesting to see the difference. I can't remember what it used to sound like with the original axle-gears.

 

[zoegraf]

An electrically conductive oil would help a lot. The square bearings transfer power from the axles to the trucks. Most oils don't conduct electricity well and can insulate the bearings. I found that out the hard way.

Is Labelle oil conductive? Thanks for the info.

 

[zoegraf]

I had a pair of FA's that I put Athearn gears into. They ran for several years without a problem. A third FA also had cracked gears but I had a different fate in mind for it. It's been fitted with trucks from an Athearn F7 and a Bachmann FT-A body. Talk about your shotgun weddings!

I only owned one Athearn loco and it was a switcher, which is long gone.

I take it you put a lot of miles on your locos? Several years is impressive for the Athearn gears I must say.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

A drop or two of Dexron tranny oil once in a while can work wonders. That's all I use for lube oil.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Is Labelle oil conductive? Thanks for the info.

I think they have a conductive oil but I wouldn't swear to it.

 

[Mac Loco Works]

The new repleacment gear sets from Walthers do not have the same problem.
One of the problems was the plastic that was used would shrink to much when cooling. So when the wheel's where inserted in to the gear it would put stress on the gear and crack it.
The Athearn and Walthers gears will work for replacement just depends on which ones you can get your hands on.
I have been ordering them from Walthers 20-25 sets at a time. All of the P2k and P1k that I own now have the new axels and when I do work for someone I replace them if they have not been replaced already.

It is like the real railroads needing to replace a truck set or a axel set do to damage or heavy use.

Michael
maclocoworks.com

 

[diburning]

One of the problems was the plastic that was used would shrink to much when cooling.

It's still a problem with stuff made today, although the items don't shrink as bad. An example would be handrails. Athearn and Atlas handrails are injection molded and they warp over time because of the process. Just like how cracked axle gears occur randomly in models regardless of brand.

 

[bnsf971]

Is Labelle oil conductive? Thanks for the info.

Atlas markets a conductive lube called, coincidentally, Conduct-A-Lube. A drop on each bronze bearing is all you need.

 

[Alien]

Has anyone out there used North West Short Line (NWSL) replacement gears on a P2k loco? If so, did you use gears on existing P2k axles or drop in replacement wheel / axle / gear assembly? What was it like to do the work and what was the effect on performance?

 

[slammin]

I use Athearn SD40-2 axle gears, pt#60024 They come 6 gears to a pack. Most guys I know use these and have never had a problem. Be sure when you push them on the axle not to bind the bearings, check the gauge and clean out the old grease and replace with a plastic compatable grease.

 

[zoegraf]

I use Athearn SD40-2 axle gears, pt#60024 They come 6 gears to a pack. Most guys I know use these and have never had a problem. Be sure when you push them on the axle not to bind the bearings, check the gauge and clean out the old grease and replace with a plastic compatable grease.

Thanks.

I installed them and they work great. However, I will install the ones from Walthers just to compare.

 

[zoegraf]

Has anyone out there used North West Short Line (NWSL) replacement gears on a P2k loco? If so, did you use gears on existing P2k axles or drop in replacement wheel / axle / gear assembly? What was it like to do the work and what was the effect on performance?

No. But I have used their gears to for custom replacements for an older brass doodlebug. Great performance.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I just recently rebuilt a Stewart U25B. This included replacing the Kato trucks with Proto 2000 trucks from a FA1 that had cracked gears. All the axle gears were replaced with axle gears from an Athearn F7.

 

[diburning]

Has anyone out there used North West Short Line (NWSL) replacement gears on a P2k loco? If so, did you use gears on existing P2k axles or drop in replacement wheel / axle / gear assembly? What was it like to do the work and what was the effect on performance?

They're a bit overpriced considering that Athearn AND Walthers makes a similar product for less. NWSL does make good replacement components though.

I use Athearn SD40-2 axle gears, pt#60024 They come 6 gears to a pack. Most guys I know use these and have never had a problem. Be sure when you push them on the axle not to bind the bearings, check the gauge and clean out the old grease and replace with a plastic compatable grease.

There are slight differences in the shape/size of the teeth as well as the manufacturing methods (I believe one is cut, while the other is molded). Some people argue that the differences can cause the parts to wear out faster, but personally, I haven't experienced that. The differences are so slight that I don't see it being a problem.

 

[zoegraf]

Well I finally got the new Proto replacement wheels assembled with gears. I looked at them and compared them with the new Athearn gears I have in my loco and for the likes of me can't see the difference. Anyhow, I installed the Protos and though they do run fine, it seems that the Athearn gears run smoother and quieter though.