Years ago when I purchased a bunch of LL Geeps, my LHS guy sold me a few packages of the Athearn replacement gears and said that someday I will need them.
Today, I was running a consist of two P2K GP9 locos and the lead loco was thumping like crazy. I had noticed that before, but today it was pronounced. I took off the cover plates on the two trucks and took out the wheelsets. Using my Optivisor for a closer look, I discovered that 3 out of 4 wheelsets had cracked gears. In fact the the split was straight through both the gear and the shaft that it was molded onto. I had never seen that before. I wound up replacing all four gears, and that Geep is a smooth, silent runner now.
There is a great photo of a cracked, split, gear on this web site. It is around the 5th photo down the page and is shown with a red arrow pointing to it. Click on the icon below.
At our club we have had to replace so many cracked gears on old LifeLike Proto locomotives that I broke down and bought 10 packages of the Athearn gears so we’d have enough, and they are almost all used up.
It used to be said that the cracks were too small to be seen in most cases. Admittedly, I used an Optivisor to view the gears close up, but they were cracked from end to end, and the crack, actually a split, could be easily seen. The one that wasn’t cracked was very difficult to separate the split axle wheels to remove the gear. But the wheelsets with the cracked gears were extremely easy to separate. That’s a real telltale sign.
I just bought a bunmch of the Athearn gears, and I repalce my Proto ones when I have them apart to put decoders and LEDs in, even if they are still running fine. They WILL crack, if they are from that particualr era, and all of my Geeps are.
One thing to note, you do NOT push the wheels in as far as they go, the gauge will be too narrow. Each stub axle only goes part way in, the gear should ideally be cenetered. Use an NMRA gauge to check.
Some clarification for readers who may not be aware of this issue…
The cracked gear issue applies to runs of gp9’s, and all gps really, from way back in the Life-Like era, Like Rich noted, generally identified by the locomotives being shpped with a light blue, squarish box. Not the more modern grey, recangular shaped boxes, which is about the time Walthers purchased Life-Like and began correcting the problem. Those runs of gp’s, and any new runs from Walthers, are free of cracked gears.
Rich, your gears probably became more severely cracked from heavier use and stress by running them after you first noticed a slight thump.
I just replace all of the gears on any New-Old-Stock Life-Like unit that has the Athearn-cloned trucks. They will all eventually crack.
This issue has been around so long now that I would think most units bought second hand probably have had the gears replaced by now.
Walthers has long been aware of the issue with that older generatio of P2K locomotives and from time to time have offered replacement wheelsets of their own
They are not currently available from Walthers but check your LHS as many of them have maintained a stock for their customers. By the way should you purchase an older P2K engine that is “new in the box” there is another issue – the grease on the gears is likely solidified into an almost rock-like hardness and will need to be removed. Might as well do the wheels at the same time. Not to mention the horn hook couplers that were standard issue when the engines were first brought out.
Before Walthers, Life-Like was sending out replacements for free. Unfortunately, a few people used the no questions asked policy to obtain nickel-silver wheelsets for the Athearn locos too. Walthers required proof of purchase, a little tough to come by on second or even third hand putrchases from train shows and ebay.
All of mine were new in box, despite being many years after they released them - amazing how many people buy stuff then never use it. Hard to tell which gears are which so unless it is explicitely stateted that the gears have been repalced at some point, I just do it. The Athearn ones are cheap enough, and since they are for an SD, 2 packs does 3 Geeps.
Randy, that always surprised me that Life Like sent out replacement gears for free, no questions asked. Why not have required that the old ones be sent in? That is the typical replacement policy.
All of the decoder manufacturers require that as part of their replacement policy. I have been waiting two weeks now for a replacement Tsunami decoder while the loco sits idle.
You have to wonder how many replacement gears poeple were asking for.
One thing I have not been able to get a definitive answer on
Do the replacement wheel/axle/gears, whether Athearn or Walthers/LifeLike, also work on the P2K SW type switchers? Or is that a different part? The Walthers catalog only claims it works for GP and E units and perhaps the BL2, but is silent about the SW9/SW1200
Definitely not! The P2K sw type switcher trucks use a different design. It is more similar to an Atlas truck than an Athearn truck, so the athearn replacement part discussed here will not fit. This also is the case for the S series switchers, as well as their six axle diesels.
Almost without exception, P2K used an Athearn based truck design for all of its gp, maybe f series and PA’s, and BL2 locomotives, that is why the Athearn gears fit those trucks.
If a P2K switcher or SD diesel has cracked gears, it is a fluke and not in any way related to the common P2K cracked gear issue being discussed here.
PS…google chrome does not allow me to logout after posting a reply to this blasted website any better than internet explorer did. Heading to Classic Toy trains to logout now. [8o|]