by Bartoli
I've been reading through a few webpages, magazine articles, and books about how to tune up and improve an Athearn locomotive, and I've got a few questions based on what I've read:
1. Does polishing the gears with Pearl Drops make a big difference?
2. Where the heck do you get this stuff (can't find it in southern Indiana)? 3. What else can be used instead (I was thinking about using Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound)?
4. How much of an improvement does polishing the commutator make?
5. What other kinds of tricks and procedures are there to tune-up an Athearn?
I polished the commutator on two of my Athearns and it didn't seem to make any difference to me, however, I used 600 grit sandpaper which may be too coarse.
I'm quite happy with my Athearn equipment, I'd just like to quiet it down a bit!!
Any experiences and stories would be greatly appreciated.
Just for reference, here's what I've been looking at:
"Model Railroading with Athearn Locomotives and Cars" which is a bunch of articles from Model Railroading in one book.
"Tuning and Upgrading Athearn Locomotives" which is a bunch of articles from Railmodel Journal in one book.
"Quick and Easy Tune-Up Procedures for Athearn Diesels" from the November 1993 Model Railroader.
"The Care, Feeding, and Growth of your Athearn Power" at http://hackitup.railfan.net/athearn.html
1. Does polishing the gears with Pearl Drops make a big difference?
2. Where the heck do you get this stuff (can't find it in southern Indiana)? 3. What else can be used instead (I was thinking about using Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound)?
4. How much of an improvement does polishing the commutator make?
5. What other kinds of tricks and procedures are there to tune-up an Athearn?
I polished the commutator on two of my Athearns and it didn't seem to make any difference to me, however, I used 600 grit sandpaper which may be too coarse.
I'm quite happy with my Athearn equipment, I'd just like to quiet it down a bit!!
Any experiences and stories would be greatly appreciated.
Just for reference, here's what I've been looking at:
"Model Railroading with Athearn Locomotives and Cars" which is a bunch of articles from Model Railroading in one book.
"Tuning and Upgrading Athearn Locomotives" which is a bunch of articles from Railmodel Journal in one book.
"Quick and Easy Tune-Up Procedures for Athearn Diesels" from the November 1993 Model Railroader.
"The Care, Feeding, and Growth of your Athearn Power" at http://hackitup.railfan.net/athearn.html