How Do You Remove the Truck Cover Plate From a Athearn RTR GP-38-2
- Thread starter Greg@mnrr
- Start date
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Most Athearn RTR's are just assembled Blue Box models with lots of upgrades. Rico got it right. However, it may actually only require removing the sideframe. I have not disassembled an RTR yet.
To get to the tabs on the trucks it's not necessary to dismantle the truck itself, or remove it from the chassis/frame. Removing the shell will give you access. Depending on the model, it will, if a bluebox, be a single wire soldered to a brass tab (the other electrical contact is via the frame) Later DCC ready locos will have a tab on each side of the truck sticking up. If the wire soldered to it has broken, try and melt the solder and pull it out to clear the little hole it passes through. You may need to redrill it anyway to clear it. Clean the surface of the tab with a small file or sandpaper before resoldering. Don't linger too long on it with the iron or you could melt the plastic of the truck. (the reason for making it clean). The other exception to the double tab is the early DCC ready types where they still only had 1 tab sticking up and relied on the contact of truck to frame for the other, On those, the motor was insulated from the chassis, but received power from it by a wire attached to it with a screw.
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Greg@mnrr
Section Hand
Toot: The locomotive is a late model RTR GP38-2 and has a power pick up on each side of the trucks. There is very little clearance to use a soldering iron to touch the top of the power pick up without melting the side frames of the truck.
I believe the disassembly of the truck to gain access to the top of the power pick up to perform the soldering is my only course of action.
Thanks.
Greg
I believe the disassembly of the truck to gain access to the top of the power pick up to perform the soldering is my only course of action.
Thanks.
Greg
Greg@mnrr
Section Hand
Success!!! I figured out how to re-solder the front power pick up lead to the axle power strip.
First remove the front and rear couplers. I remove the bottom plate in the center of the lower frame by loosening and removing one screw. When carefully slip off the chassis holding the fuel tank and center of the chassis. Then remove the two screws holding the front weight. Carefully prey off the upper gear tower retainer. Let the truck fall some what free.
Then you should have access to the power strip and be able to re-solder the wire. I used a new piece of tinned stranded wire and soldered it first to the power strip. Then I repositioned the front weight. (There's channels in the frame for the wire to run through under the weight.)
After the front weight was secure I cut to fit the new stranded wire and after tinning the end of the wire I soldered it to the tab on the decoder.
I also soldered the speaker wires to the decoder rather than using the rubber retainers.
Tested the locomotive on the test track and lifted the rear truck off the tracks to determine that the front truck was providing power to the motor. I did the same test by lifting the front truck. Every thing checked out. Then I tested the front and rear lights and the cab strobe. These all checked out as well.
When replacing the chassis, I removed the cover on the top of the chassis to be able to see and route the wires away from the chassis sides for a proper fit of chassis to the frame.
I replaced the front coupler with an extended, whisker shank coupler. I noticed that when the snow plow was mounted, the MU hoses are behind the plow. The plow was attached with a drop or two of glue behind the plow. I repair it at a later time. A small piece of glazing fell loose from the Fireman's side and when attempting to position it to glue it traveled into space. When I do the plow I'll cut a new piece from clear styrene.
Be careful of the hand rails especially the front. I used a foam cradle to hold the model while working on it.
The locomotive is running like a watch.
Greg
First remove the front and rear couplers. I remove the bottom plate in the center of the lower frame by loosening and removing one screw. When carefully slip off the chassis holding the fuel tank and center of the chassis. Then remove the two screws holding the front weight. Carefully prey off the upper gear tower retainer. Let the truck fall some what free.
Then you should have access to the power strip and be able to re-solder the wire. I used a new piece of tinned stranded wire and soldered it first to the power strip. Then I repositioned the front weight. (There's channels in the frame for the wire to run through under the weight.)
After the front weight was secure I cut to fit the new stranded wire and after tinning the end of the wire I soldered it to the tab on the decoder.
I also soldered the speaker wires to the decoder rather than using the rubber retainers.
Tested the locomotive on the test track and lifted the rear truck off the tracks to determine that the front truck was providing power to the motor. I did the same test by lifting the front truck. Every thing checked out. Then I tested the front and rear lights and the cab strobe. These all checked out as well.
When replacing the chassis, I removed the cover on the top of the chassis to be able to see and route the wires away from the chassis sides for a proper fit of chassis to the frame.
I replaced the front coupler with an extended, whisker shank coupler. I noticed that when the snow plow was mounted, the MU hoses are behind the plow. The plow was attached with a drop or two of glue behind the plow. I repair it at a later time. A small piece of glazing fell loose from the Fireman's side and when attempting to position it to glue it traveled into space. When I do the plow I'll cut a new piece from clear styrene.
Be careful of the hand rails especially the front. I used a foam cradle to hold the model while working on it.
The locomotive is running like a watch.
Greg
