I have an older AHM Rivarossi 4-6-6-4challenger that needs to be re powered. Dose anyone have any ideas? I would also like to add more electrical pickups to it.
Does it have the typical AHM pizza cutter flanges? or is it one of the later models with more universal , modern flanges? If you’ll only be running on code 100 track, then won’t really matter, but limits your choices if you do have shorter rail heights to consider.
HHmmm…
guess I’m lucky, running code 100. I believe its the older ver. Blue and yellow box. But thanks for the info.
Not familiar with the AHM challenger. I have an AHM Berkshire, all plastic. It has an unusual drive system with the motor mounted in the cab, driving a long shaft going to a vertical driveshaft. It’s only a three pole motor, but after cleaning and relubing everything it moves OK, pulls a long string of cars. I added as much lead as I could pack into the boiler and that improved everything. Does your motor still run?
And here is a view of the insides. You can see the lead ballast and the unusual drive arrangement.
My challenger is similar. the motor is enclosed. I had installed a decoder and the motor seems to draw to much current. However I’m not vary happy with my Digitrax decoders. Where you put your lead is where I put my decoder. But that may change.
Look for an article in MR probably mid 70s for installing a sagami can motor on each set of drivers. You may need to move the decoder to the tender
Hmm. You might consider putting the decoder in the tender to leave room for ballast in the engine. I’d get an ammeter and measure the motor current draw under worst case, locomotive restrained from moving and drivers slipping at full throttle. If the current draw is less than the rating on the decoder, its OK. If not, you can drop the current draw by replacing the Alnico motor magnets with neodymium super magnets. That oughta be easier than finding a motor that fits in that rather odd location.
No problem, just wanted to know you’d sized things up. Nothing like putting a lot of work into something then finding it wobbles a bit going down your handspiked code 55 main[:(]
But if you’re running code 100, then you’re good.
For adding wipers, Tichy offers .010" phosphorbronze wire that makes a nice springy wiper. Cut-off a small piece of PCB tie material and solder a preformed wiper to one side along with a wire lead. The other side can be soldered, but also epoxied, screwed, or glued, to a suitable mounting location. Easy to customize, they’re also cheap and easy to make.
Don’t have a pic handy of a loco wiper, but here’s a pic of an install for car lighting.
Thanks Mike, I’ll look into this. It sounds like a plan. I tride to make a set from KD draft box springs. Did not work well. I like your idea. Thanks 
Yeah, that method works if the reach needed is short.
With these, you’re limited by the length of material, so 6" is more than enough for any app[;)] You’re better off keeping as short as possible, but the Tichy stuff does both take a set like spring wire and also has a nice springage even just as wire without the need to wind a coil.
Tichy also makes thicker versions of the same wire, but that produces more drag. They tend to be more durable as the tradeoff.
I replaced the motor in one of my Rivarossi’s (may have been a berksire, but I did one on the Y6B 2-8-8-2) with a Cannon can motor and a pc of flex tubing. It worked great and would do it again. As for the DCC conversion, I put a Soundtrax Tsunami in the tender of my Big Boy and added LED’s to the front and back. This was a later version with small flanges and a can motor. The wheel pickups is the biggest problem with these locos, so put as many wipers as you can on it.
-Bob
Thanks, I’m sure this will work. I saved a screen shot of your pickups for ref. Thanks
Do you have any info on the canon motor you used?
This motor might be a good fit - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-Precision-Iron-Core-Motor-Canon-DN26-HO-Train-2mm-Shaft-DC-Motor-/281136629173
Looking at Canon’s spec sheet, the speed and torque should be a good fit for the AHM/RR Challenger. I think it’s 3-pole, but even Canon’s 3-pole motors run as smooth, quiet and powerful as the high end 5-pole motors. I have a Stewart switcher powered by a Canon DN22 and never had a problem with it!
I don’t have the engine any more but I believe it was a Canon EN22 and they are available on Ebay ususally for about $10-$15. The smaller DN22 was not strong enough and is still in my parts box. You will have to do some mods to get the motor mounted but it is worth it. I think I used some flex tubing for the coupling (model airplane fuel line works) Good luck.
-Bob