well its a ebay athern rs3 (my first ho scale) I was quite impressed,nice detail ,ran very good .(on are holiday enlonggated circle village on30 display).Got me all excited to build a layout ,clearing a 16 x13 room,ordered track an such,got a bunch of has been rolling stock off ebay …but the little rs 3 got me excited,think Ill get another…hope they stay good runners …oh well wifes calling …bye Jerry
Glad you enjoy your first loco!
Some things to look out for with the Athearn RS3.
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The stamped steel pickup pieces that the wheel-bearings rest in are a bit too far apart. Over time the bearing can slip between the steel pickup and the plastic gear tower housing and come out of true.
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The stamped steel piece that transmits electricity to the frame is chemically treated from the factory to be a not-so-good conductor. I suggest you either use fine grit sandpaper to clean it up or run wires directly from that side of the truck to the PC board. I had to do this on all my Athearn RS3s.
3, In reverse, I haveextra gear noise in all my units. I hope this goes away with time.
They are beautiful models, but they lack for me in those areas. Just something to look out for.
David B
David, great info!
Are there other units that have this same setup that we should be aware of?
Not that I am aware of.
It just seams that Athearn is trying to take their old drives look more prototypical in terms of appearence.
One solution they came across was also cost effective; chemical blackening. The downside is that 2 chemically blackened stamped steel pieces pressed together for electrical conductivity (as is the case in all Athearn non-Genesis truck assemblies) is a bad idea. That is one reason I soldered wires to the stamped steel joints (front and back trucks. I was getting intermittant electrical pickup and this absolutely cured it.
Also, with all Athearn light boards, I remove the little black cap thingies and solder all the wires directly to the tabs. I have had too many customers with loose connections…loose connections is bad for a locomotive. The Locomotives run beautifully when the connections are soldered rather than pressed on.
David B
Big Jerr, you have a PM.
Cuda Ken
Wow, he has a Prime Minister? Man, I’ve been wanting one of those! Perhaps I Might find one in the back of Popular Mechanics?
Just for us noobs, what is a PM? Prime Mover?
Thanks,
Doug
PM = Private Message
private message…for those on the inside[:D]
good for you! i remember my first set… a life-like…i think it was called the diesel thunder. i got it when i was nine. anyway, i hope you really enjoy the hobby!- Mike 
I still remember my first set. I got it in 1964. It was an O Scale Marx set with E8 A & B units, 3 cars and caboose. It seems our first sets are always the most memorable. I was only 4 and remember it clearly.
BIG JERR- Glad to hear of your enthusiasm in wanting to build a layout. They can bring endless joy. A word of cation though. Make sure you do your research before going out and just buying a bunch of stuff that looks cool. I don’t know your level of experience, but this is a common mistake newer modelers make.
There are different code and types of track that won’t work together. Pick an era you wish to model and concentrate on buying trains and buildings that would have been used in that era.
(you wouldn’t see an AC4400 pulling a string of wooden box cars or a 4-4-0 pulling enclosed car haulers[;)])
Refrain from impulse buying. A bit of research can keep you from wasting a bunch of money in the long run. And above all, HAVE FUN![:)]
Yeah, there’s nothing more exciting than your first “anything”; locomotive, passenger car set, string of hoppers or logging cars. Enjoy your hobby! And if you’re new to the forums, WELCOME!
I can think of a thing or two that are more memorable than my first loco!![:-,]
You can remember THAT far back???[:D]
Glad to hear about another model railroader. I’ve always had preference for the RS-3, my second favorite loco after the F-7’s
Mainetrains [banghead]
Yea!!! That far back is a breeze - I just can’t remember what I did this morning!![:P]
thanks to all ,been reading here for some time and love the pictures people post .so I got a plan more or less ,atlas free ware ,its around room with a pennisala in middle (was going to have helix there but cause of 24’ radus was tite deleted it) double main instead ,one side of 13 x16 room tobe senic main the other side industry/town, senic on 12to18’ benchwork industry side on 24to30" benchwork. 24’ min try for 27 just cant figure how to get larger than 24 with the atlas program…we well see …Jerry
I believe RTS has a flex track tool. Try that for larger radius.
Aah yes, my first loco…the Tyco Silver Streak. Wore out about a month later. My second, a Life Like GP38-2. Made me realise there was a whole world of model trains out there.
David B.,
There may be a fix for your noisy Athearn RS-3, provided it’s in the motor.
Try taking the Athearn motor in hand while it’s running (preferably up against a bumper) and twist the two ends away from each other (perpendicular to the rail). If the sound gets worse, twist it the other way. It seems the motor molds are getting loose in tolerances or something, and it can cause the Athearn motors to grind. But if you get it in the “sweet spot”, the motor can run very quietly (and it surprised the heck out of me).
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven