New here and q on Athearn BB loco

[Mike9476]

OK, so I'm pretty new to this and am enjoying this hobby with my little boy who is a train nut pretty much like his dad was at one time . Anyway, we started with a very basic set to see if he was going to enjoy it and now that he does I have gotten more items. I already had upgraded him to a better Bachmann Spectrum GP loco that runs great but cosmetically is not in the greatest condition so we have a good running loco, but just yesterday I found someone locally who was selling a Spectrum GE 70-ton and Aethern blue box switcher for $10 ea.
The Spectrum loco is fantastic; it looks and runs like new. The Aethern is in good condition cosmetically but I have found that it doesn't run well at all. I was able to quiet it down and get it running a bit better by some minor lubing but it still will not run at slow speed at all; it needs ~60% on our power pack vs only 30% to get the Spectrums moving, and it has issues with losing power at certain spots on the track. The motor sounds fine now with no odd noises and the wheels don't look that dirty. I have tried a basic cleaning on the wheels but what else could be going on? Why would it be unable to operate at low speeds and so picky with the track as compared to my other locos?

[trailrider]

Originally Posted by Mike9476

OK, so I'm pretty new to this and am enjoying this hobby with my little boy who is a train nut pretty much like his dad was at one time . Anyway, we started with a very basic set to see if he was going to enjoy it and now that he does I have gotten more items. I already had upgraded him to a better Bachmann Spectrum GP loco that runs great but cosmetically is not in the greatest condition so we have a good running loco, but just yesterday I found someone locally who was selling a Spectrum GE 70-ton and Aethern blue box switcher for $10 ea.
The Spectrum loco is fantastic; it looks and runs like new. The Aethern is in good condition cosmetically but I have found that it doesn't run well at all. I was able to quiet it down and get it running a bit better by some minor lubing but it still will not run at slow speed at all; it needs ~60% on our power pack vs only 30% to get the Spectrums moving, and it has issues with losing power at certain spots on the track. The motor sounds fine now with no odd noises and the wheels don't look that dirty. I have tried a basic cleaning on the wheels but what else could be going on? Why would it be unable to operate at low speeds and so picky with the track as compared to my other locos?

Re: the Athearn blue box switcher's problems. Have you checked the commutator on the motor? That's the part that spins and makes contact with the brushes. If that is dirty (black deposits) it will cause the motor to run erratically. There are a couple of ways to fix this, but the easiest is to use very fine (320) emory paper while the motor is turning at high speed. Kaydee makes a Speedi driver cleaner, that you connect to either your track or power pack, then hold the bronze brissle brushes to the wheels. While doing that, you will also clean the wheels. Fold a small piece of the emory paper so it will fit in the space around the commutator. Don't use much pressure on the paper, just enough to begin polishing the black oxide off the commutator surfaces. Next, you want to check the brass strip that connects the motor to the metal pickups on the trucks. This piece rubs on the metal pieces that come up from each truck. Usually these don't make good contact, and also can become oxidized. The solution is to trim the brass clip back so it doesn't touch the truck metal. Then, solder some 22 gage wire from the brass strip to each truck contact. Be sure there is enough wire slack to allow the trucks to turn, but without contacting the flywheels. That should probably do it. If not, you may need to check the motor brushes for excess wear. Be careful when doing this that you don't let the brush springs get away from you, especially if you remove that brass contact strip from the motor.

[sd24b]

Originally Posted by Mike9476

OK, so I'm pretty new to this and am enjoying this hobby with my little boy who is a train nut pretty much like his dad was at one time . Anyway, we started with a very basic set to see if he was going to enjoy it and now that he does I have gotten more items. I already had upgraded him to a better Bachmann Spectrum GP loco that runs great but cosmetically is not in the greatest condition so we have a good running loco, but just yesterday I found someone locally who was selling a Spectrum GE 70-ton and Aethern blue box switcher for $10 ea.
The Spectrum loco is fantastic; it looks and runs like new. The Aethern is in good condition cosmetically but I have found that it doesn't run well at all. I was able to quiet it down and get it running a bit better by some minor lubing but it still will not run at slow speed at all; it needs ~60% on our power pack vs only 30% to get the Spectrums moving, and it has issues with losing power at certain spots on the track. The motor sounds fine now with no odd noises and the wheels don't look that dirty. I have tried a basic cleaning on the wheels but what else could be going on? Why would it be unable to operate at low speeds and so picky with the track as compared to my other locos?

I also cut the commutator springs 2-3 coils. Clean the frame and plate on top of the truck. The hard wiring will help a lot with electrical pick up. Also a little Labelle lubricant to the worm and gears may help the slow speed Phil

[Mike9476]

Thanks guys! I will try to carve out some time to work on the unit this weekend and let you know if it helps. I want to get it working right before I let my son know we have it. Otherwise he'd want to run it right now and that wouldn't work well