I’ve always been told the gears are the real problem of why these guys are so loud. Anyone have any success with remotoring? Better results with the Pearl Drops (or some other agent) gear polish? These require both? Thanks- Mike
I found the source of the noise to be excess “play” in the driveshaft couplings. Some styrene shims in the female component seemed to work well at lessening the noise.
Wayne
I have an old MP E8. Re-motor? Why? The motors in these things are HUGE! They take up the entire width of the shell. They have great traction too.
Very very noisy.
As noted, the motor is not the source of the noise.
I don’t have any Model Power E units but I do have a 1970’s vintage Atlas GP40 that made a horrendous amount of a roaring noise seemingly from the rear truck and periodically it would throw the rear driveshaft. The problem turned out to be to much slack in the drive shaft couplings between the motor and the rear gear tower. I simply put a small wad of crumpled up shop towel in each of the female couplings and the noise went away completely and now the unit runs like brand new. I wouldn’t be surprised if the problem you’re experiencing is similar. I have had the same problem with a couple of Model Power F units that my nephew had. They were ‘fixed’ in the same way (that’s where I got the idea to use it on the Atlas) and they ran almost completely silent after that. The only sound we could hear from them was the whir of the motors as they ran laps around his layout.
Wayne, that’s a mighty fine looking set of Es you have there. The "newer versions were less noisy - one of mine is a quiet as a P2K. Lubing the couplings and bearings helped but I think I’ll try the JW method and shim some of the slack.
Pictured here are two undecorated 1970s Model Power E7s with those “monster motors”. I sidelined them 5 years ago after I went “ga-ga” with the P2K E-units and was impressed with their detailing, pulling power, and smooth running.
After seeing Doc’s beautifuly detailed units on his post, I’m now planning to perform the drive train solution recommended above. Then detailing, and paint refinishing at least one of these units into the Seaboard Coast Line’s ex SAL mint green"split scheme".
These model power brutes have good muscle, but I wonder how they’ll perform with DCC/Sound? I’ll perform a stall current test on them after, hopefully, quieting down their drive trains.
The Model Power E’s are some of my favorite locomotives. They were all made by ROCO and share parts with the early Atlas FP7s (and the MP shark and FA). These units actually look very nice, and in some ways, the nose looks better than the Rivarossi version-- and the contours even seem better than some early Proto units-- put an early proto E7 next to an early proto E8 and note the differences around the windshields. Then put them next to an early Proto E6 and see yet another variation. None of them seems exactly right. Roco E’s can run quietly and smoothly, and when they are properly tuned and lubed, they are so free-wheeling that they will out-coast any other locomotive. The truck design, although it looks really dubious, is also flexible in just the right ways so that these models track well. It doesn’t look as well-engineered as a contemporary Athearn unit, but it all just happens to work out. One big issue with them is zinc rot. If you are tuning one, take the whole mechanism apart-- Be careful with the plastic parts; they get brittle as they age. Be very careful of the gearbox covers-- the snap tabs on them break off very easily. If they do, it’s not the end of the world; you can fashion a metal clip or use metal duct tape to hold the gearbox shut (once everything is degreased). Strip all oil and grease off the metal frame and truck sides (easy way to do this is just run them through the dishwasher, but don’t expose them to heated dry), and paint with a good spray paint like Rustoleum (except the electrical contact areas). Lightly grease the contact areas with dielectric grease (from an automotive supply house). Your locomotive will be happier after this treatment-- the frames can be very weak around the flywheel, and you don’t need rot making it worse. Before you paint consider drilling and tapping holes for a proper grounding screw and for a front coupler. Mounting a rear coupler gets tricky, and I’ve always opted for a truck mount. To do this, I carve off much of the original coupler bo