I just bought a new (Old) engine at a train show this past week.
It is a small Athearn switcher (I want to say it’s a CW-7, but that does not seem right and I am at work right now). I bought it because of the colors and because it is a switcher/transfer type engine. It’s has the Ann Arbor name but it’s in the DT&I orange and black.
Anyway, the engine runs fine, but I wanted to know the best way to break it in.
This particular switcher has been sitting in a box for many years and I am guessing it could use a little something around the wheels and the worm.
I’d recommend checking the gearing for any existing grease - if there is some and it’s still soft, you can keep it in there. Just put a drop of oil on both motor bearings and the worm gear bearings on the trucks to enable these to turn freely - I’ve noticed some big improvements in slow speed running through oiling the bearings. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the advice, I guess I would be surprised to see wear as this thing has never seen a track. (At least, I don’t think it has) At first glance, the wheels are spotless. Its detail parts were still a sealed small brown envelope which included the horn couplers. I have already put on some Kaydee’s in place of those.
I have heard some people talk of running new engines for a period of time, Is this a good idea?
