I picked up one of these at an auction today - very handsome loco indeed. But, when I put it on the layout, it ran very jerkily for several inches then stopped dead as the motor whirred away inside the boiler. I can now spin the drivers with my fingers. Sounds like a gear problem for sure. I need to disassemble the engine to find & fix the problem, but I can’t figure out how to get the fool thing apart. Even the screw that holds on the leading truck doesn’t want to come off. It loosens then just spins in place.
Can anybody tell me how to get into the guts of this engine, or provide a link to a webpage that shows how?
That drive gear is a major problem with this loco model. I had one that went through two gears before it even pulled a single car. I finally traded it for a Bachmann Specturm K4 4-6-2 to use in my park display.
To disassemble this thing you will need a fine jewelers screwdriver as the screws in the bottom plate are very small. I don’t remember how many there are but it’s quite a few. I can’t remember much about it after that.
This is for the 2-8-2 but also covers the 4-6-2. BTW, my condolences on buying this Athearn clunker, a product along with the 2-8-2 where they refused to honour their warranty. Disassembly instructions follow: The boiler isn’t easy to remove but it does come off. 1) Remove the screw up through the cylinders and into the smoke box. 2) Release the cab using a small blade to release the tabs at the back wall of the cab and on the sides of the firebox near the front corners of the cab. Release the cab grab irons from the “buffing plate” 3) Remove the cab. 4) Remove the smoke box stays from the pilot deck and smoke box, remove the steps and running board from the pilot deck and above the cylinders. 5) Lift the back of the firebox end of the boiler until it clears the top of the motor. It will clear, just be firm with it, it’s a VERY tight fit. 6) With the firebox now clear of the motor, GENTLY squeeze the running boards near the motion bracket (To release another set of clips inside the boiler) and at the same time GENTLY twist the boiler to the left and slide it forward. The boiler should now slide away from the chassis and not break off what I think is a mechanical lubricator on the front right hand side of the boiler. Reverse this procedure, which is just as awkward, to reassemble the locomotive. I’ve done this to both my 2-8-2s. Be VERY careful with the motor wires, they break away from the tabs VERY easily. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You may as well do the following while it’s disassembled to improve the tracking and pulling ability:- Add lead behind the smoke box door. As steam in the 50s didn’t use the headlight in daylight, I removed the wiring for this and used the space for more lead. Fill the steam dome and sand box with lead shot. Remove the cylinders and fill them with lead shot, leaving room for the piston rod to slide in an
The attached link is for the disassembly and re-weighting of a Genesis 2-8-2, but the two engines were both made by Samhongsa and should be similar in construction.
So is the loco’s lack of pulling power due to lack of weight on the drivers or because it’s underpowered? I’ve read those items about adding weight before (I already have a 2-8-2) and decided preemptively that working with lead just isn’t my bag, baby. If the problem is just not enough traction, would a judicious application of Bullfrog Snot be as effective as stuffing lead shot into every nook and cranny?
Jim. It’s due to the poor to non-existant customer service that Athearn “provided” with both the 2-8-2 and the 4-6-2 that I have never purchased another Athearn product, no matter how useful it may be. I purchased all of mine in Canada as they were released and, as is typical in Canada, paid full list price for them, which as the time was Can$250 each. That’s Can$1000 for locos that fail, even while still packed up in their unopened retail boxes., Thanks Athearn.