I have right now 4 ATHEARN GENESIS SD-70’s, three Santa Fe and one BNSF the santa fe’s were the first runs so all the detail had to be put in. When I tested them they keeped on derrailling and I came to found out that the trucks were all Warpt which meant that the wheel did not have enought play to go up and down and they ride in the air on the turn which cause it to derail. my new SD70Mac has the same problem and is the new run.
CAN ANYONE HELP ME.
HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE.
You have to replace the sideframes. This has come up several times before and is a common problem. They are available from Athearn. A lot of folks will not buy them because of this problem.
my new ac4400 rtr had the same problem as the front truck was slightly warped. the center axle on the frnt. truck did not quite have enough up and down play.my problem was if there is any gap between the rails on curves it will derail --check for a gap between the rails. i fixed that problem and now it stays on the track . hope this helps perhaps this is common to all the new athearns?
I had the same problem with my SD75M. It’s the contact strip in each sideframe. They can be removed by unsnapping the gearbox cover on the bottom of the truck, slipping the sideframes out and taking the plastic cap that holds the wire off. Then, take the contact strip out and bend it back into shape so the you can set the top on a flat surface and see that it’s straight. Then put the whole thing back together. It worked for me.[:D][:D][:D]
This has happened to everyone else. A real black eye for Athearn. I was so mad at mine they are still sitting in a box under the layout where I threw them in frustration. They have the company of some of the F3’s that refuse to pull anything.
Went back to my trusty Atlas and Stewarts.
I don’t really blame you, I just got screwed on a dash 9 from Athearns that will not run. It is headed for the trash can where it belongs, and Athearn you do not need my money either!