# Athearn locomotive or not?



## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Recently, I am able to start working on my old hobby. Been age since I had play with them. 

I got this from Ebay, from "pile" of junk locomotives for parts or restoration.

I searched for the brand name but could not find one anywhere, even inside the shell.

I am sure this one is recognizable by a mile away. I had seen motor/rubber band combination on my switcher. It was misplaced somewhere in my house. So I could not compare the brand name from my switcher and "new" locomotive.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Here's link to see much bigger photos.

http://bluenavigator.org/row.html


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Athearn Hi-F bubber rand drive...nice catch....


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Okay, it seems to be missing the "holder" to hold the trucks to the locomotive. I am trying to find it in the Ebay. Do anyone know the correct "name" of this part for the Athrean Hi-F locomotives?

Is there NOS part for this?


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Found the image of the "Assembly Instructions" -









It seems that the trucks were held up by the rubber bands, nothing else?


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

bluenavigator said:


> Found the image of the "Assembly Instructions" -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yup...you got it... :thumbsup:


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## THE TYCO MAN (Aug 23, 2011)

When you install the bands, the trucks will stay attached to the frame.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Yes, it does. I just fixed it two days ago. It is running again.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

How does it run compared to contemporary locos?


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

It works great but not sure about the noise that it could make. I can smell the electric arc right off the bat. It brought me back to my old days of running DC locomotives. Not sure if it is normal for old locomotives. I was just a kid at that time, as I was being green.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

bluenavigator said:


> I can smell the electric arc right off the bat. It brought me back to my old days of running DC locomotives.


Yes, love that smell, very nostalgic!


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

I restore several of these a year. You need to clean the contact surfaces and the communicator on the motor. The smell is usually commons from oil or grease arcing with the brushes. The day to form a sludge on the communicator. It needs to be removed. The bearings should be lightly oiled, but not on the side of the communicator. The wheels tend to corrode on these units, so they need to cleaned until they shine. Clean any old rubber band residue from the axle surfaces. 
With good contact and rubber bands, these units will run as slow as 10 SMPH. On the high end it will run just north of 200 SMPH. 
Good luck with it, 
Larry
www.llxlocomotives.com


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

That would be the commutator in the motor that needs cleaning.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Okay, will take it apart and inspect every part for cleaning.


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## Mr. SP (Jan 7, 2015)

*Athearn GP-9 with HI -F drive*

Way back in 1960 I bought one of them in Union Pacific and paid $7.95 for it.


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## mikek (Dec 29, 2013)

I like my band drive Athearns, plan to get some more working. They are so quiet and dependable. No gears to mess up, less moving parts. I get nice bands off E-bay, they are slim and black. I have some spare motors if anyone really needs one. I think the magnets get weaker as time passes...some are not powerful as others.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

That is true that the less moving parts, the better it would be. I like simplicity.


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## higgsbosonman (Nov 17, 2014)

The magnets could probably be replaced with those tiny little neodymium magnets you can pick up at hardware stores for a few bucks. They would be far stronger than the current magnets. I plan on doing some experiments with them in the future, mostly to find out if the motor will heat them past their curie point, where the magnets lose their magnetism. Those motors are what the manufacturers of DCC systems meant when you shouldn't run old DC trains on DCC tracks.


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