I got a question for you guys here. I spend allot of time in the winter months upgrading older steam and GP Athearns! You would not beleive the amount of parts I have on hand. I own about 10 to 15 AHM steam engines, Berks, Mics, Hudsons, Cab forwards, 0-6-0, 0-8-0… About half of these have been remotored and regeared from NWSL kits! My question is am I just wasting my time and money? I use to remotor some of the Mantua pacifics with the helix humper motors and gear reduction kits, these were expensive to do and gave them up because of cost. I have a few Spectrum steam engines and a Athearn mic that all run really nice and are detailed very nice. The AHM one that have had a work over run nice to, but the cost of upgrades and time is getting to much! I have sold a few of the upgraded AHM steam on ebay, breaking even most of the time. I have seen and watched the Broadway LTD engines, and they seem really nice, but are they worth all the money they are asking fro them? I am considering getting rid of all my AHM steam, because most are just about worn out, like rods and gears! I am considering replacing most with the Spuctrum line and Proto line! As for choice steam which would you guys pick for running and being reliable[^]?
I havent had to mess with engines in that condition before. All I can tell you is to do what you think is best.
[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome] to the forum ICRR1964.
ICMR
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
ICMR,
Looks like I need to get out of the salvage part of modeling, it is getting to expensive to rebuild some of the older units anyway! Thanks for your thought though!
Looks like you and I got a personal interest in IC! LOL!
I do alot of salvaging and rebuilding. But I am in such dire economic straights. I buy the motor. The rest of It I have to come up with on my own. So I do alot of scrounging from non-traditional sources. I just wish decoders didn’t cost so much.
If you are thinking on getting rid of some stuff, I am accepting all donations to my cause. E-Mail me if you want to contribute.
James
I guess it depends on whether or not you enjoy making the upgrades to the trains. I know some people that to them, that IS the hobby. If you would rather put somthing on the track and run, and have the money all in one chunk, then you may be wasting your time.
I have an AHM 2-10-2 that I regeared, remotored, rewheeled, used every trick in the book. Never got it to run as well as I would like.
I love the looks of the Protos, a bit week in the pulling power. Spectrum are hit and miss. I have not had any trouble with any of mine, but I know people (in person not just on the form) who have had some problems with theirs. The good thing is Bachmann seems excellent when it comes to Warranty work.
I am not as twittered with the Broadway Limited as some others are. Sound and detail are OK but not top notch. I buy them when I can get them for cheap.
And there are always EXCEPTIONS -
Broadway limited brand new 4-8-4. Runs around really great for a while (30-40 minutes) then WHAM binds up tight. Back it up 1/4" go forward again no problem for another hour. Why? I can’t figure it out.
Proto 0-8-0 constantly stalls, it seems it is picking up power on the right from only one wheel. Haven’t figure out how to fix that either.
I’ve logged a lot of hours tinkering and puttsing with locos that should have gone to the scrap pile; some turned out ok… some I had to bury real deep so the dogs wouldn’t dig them up!. [(-D] No matter, I wasn’t in it for the economics, I just like to tinker, and for me its more fun experimenting with a $5 “find” from the local swap meet than worry about messing up a $300 brass model. [2c]
For redoing the AHM like your 2-10-2, I took a small peice of brass and made a flywheel which is almost 1.500 long and .75 in round, used a NWSL motor, hacked the frame to death, made a new motor mount, and added more electrical pickup for all wheel pickup, and said a prayer after I was done! It worked great has really good slow speed response and is not jerky at all! This loco was a major under taking, and I would hate to think how much time I put into it.
When I was freelancing, all of my steam power was either old Mantua basket cases or IHC plastic. With enough work, time, and effort, you can turn those engines into star performers and beauty queens. But the Mantua stuff takes FOREVER to rework to Spectrum or P2K standards (working with metal isn’t fast). And usually, I ended up with more money invested in an engine’s brass details than I did in the original engine!
For me, time IS a cost factor. With a family, a new house to work on, a basement to finish, and a layout to build, I can’t afford to spend a lot of time reworking engines. I made the decision several years ago to sell off my huge fleet of less expensive engines, and replace them with better, newer engines. I have a much smaller fleet of much better engines.
But…newer doesn’t have to be expensive. If I was freelancing today, or even proto modeling a few specific roads, my fleet would be made up of almost nothing by Spectrum steam. It runs well, looks great, and can be found for as little as $50 new. There’s no way I could match their performance dollar for dollar with older or “cheap” engines. I’m sure there are diesels out there that compare.
All I know is that NWSL stuff is dam near bulletproof and will outlast almost everything that comes stock. I’ve heard of people buying a brand-spanking new engine, pulling the original motor out and replacing it with the NWSL kit simply because it results in a better performing and more reliable engine. So I dont think your wasting you time.
ICRR,
Apparently you’re the type of talented modeler that’s becoming scarce nowadays in our “throw it away” society. It’s great that you have the talent to take worn or mediocre quality locomotives and turn them into real performers.
You’ve made a realistic assesment. Just as with most prototype transportation companies, if the cost of rebuilding a vehicle equals or exceeds 50% of its current market value (adjusting for inflation) then its not worth it. Exceptions would be if it bears some other type of value such as rarity or collectibility, or sentimental.
I had considered fixing up some of my older Tyco and Bachmann equipment but then realized it was cheaper to replace them with Athearn or MDC rolling stock. I got rid of most of them and the ones that remain are now use as “Airbruish Paint Testers”. Yet, I’ve saved one Tyco flat car and am “sweetening it up” as a freelance SCL M.O.W car since it was a present from my late father.
[:)][#welcome]
If you have any power drive unites for an Mantua 2-8-2 let me no,I mess around with the old unites allso,just because I find it fun,Its kind of cool to make an old engine run and look good!![^]
JIM
I also enjoy buying old locos and getting them to run well - most spectacular so far would have to be the old Mainline (Mainline were made by Kader, the owners of Bachmann - some old Mainline moulds are still in use as Bachmann Branchline) “Warship” that I bought a a pile of parts in the original box. Both axle gears on the power truck were split (fixed them with CA glue due to spares being unavailable) and some wiring was loose. After a bit of reassembly and soldering it now runs like new. It also has neat headcode lighting that Bachmann haven’t managed to fit on their new version of the loco, despite their version having a far better drive unit.
I have spent some time and money too on other not so high quality brands. I have one AHM GP-18 that has a motor in it that cost twice the price of the engine, it also has been custom painted and decaled for SP, along with new power trucks (AHM) from an engine with body damage. Now what I have is much more time and money than it’s worth in an Old AHM.
I have spent some cash on regearing kitts for my Athearn BB units, that seem to be money well spent because they run great and pull much better.
For the most part you may look at as I do; I just like to tinker and make improvements. #1 reason You are a modeler!!! so enjoy
I will probably never get out the salvage business, just glad I am seeing more of us out there. I have a few friends who either gave away all their salvage or pitched it. Two of theses friends go out and buy high dollar loco’s and RTR units that need nothing done to operate, one of my buddy’s had a first generation BLTD mic that died, he rufused to get it fixed, so I bought it from him for $50 and brought it home and fixed it! He was so mad when I showed him that a broken wire was all that was wrong with it, he wanted it back so I sold it to him for $75, figured my time was worth something, he did not see it that way, his offer of $40 did not cut it for me, so I sold the unit on ebay and made a pretty penny! I do allot of repair work on the older loco’s for friends and my LHS, he gets backed up sometimes, as long as the parts and up grades are there, I guess I will do it!
Glad to see there are allot of use tinkers out there, changed my mind seeing more of you out there! Someone elses junk is another mans gold! Right?
Yeah, well, to me, one of the most satisfying ways to learn what mistakes not to make is to take a little austrian-made switcher full of dog hair, carpet lint and dust that won’t even spark and make it into a well-oiled working model.
Since I’m low on cash, I need to find cheap ways to go about things and, since I refuse to submit to DCC, my real expenses are time and talent.
So if any are interested in handing off “junk” engines, please e-mail me. I’ll be glad to take them off your hands or cover costs. I’ve already converted one little diesel into a “Scoot”
SMS
I was Given a DCC System I have purchased some decoders. But I am still debating if I want to use it or not.
It is fun and heart warming to take something that everyone else thinks is junk and polish it into a gem! Just don’t let them know how much money and time you put into it! LOLOLOLOL!
I don’t think you are foolish at all. I get great enjoyment from knowing I have saved a bundle of money and nobody knows the difference. I only buy broken stuff on E Bay and piece things together. I have 28 GG-1’s and have an average of $16.00 in each one. People often sya. How can you afford all those?". I just smile.
i will be starting to repair some of my older ihc and a few other engines with in the nexted 6 months. soon as i get some money and parts.
I’d rather overhaul my old engines than spend more money on new ones. Nearly all of my engines are well-used, and/or someone else’s junk that I’ve repaired.
One brand of engines I don’t mess with are Tyco. Sorry folks, the drives in those things are garbage. I will, however, take the RF16 and F unit shells off…and drop them onto Bachmann F unit (not Spectrum) drives.