Anybody have them. I have some but they always derail whereas other loco’s I run run perfectly. If anybody has any how did you solve the derailment problem?
I had a MP E9 at one time. Had the same problem with it. I added some weight to it and that took care of the problem. Also make sure the wheels are in gauge and make doubly sure that your track is. A four axle locomotive will go over minor track problems with no problems, whereas a 6 axle unit will object to them every time.
I’ve never had a derailment problem with them, my problem has been that they’re noisy as heck. There’s a lot of slop in the truck gearing, and no matter how well they’re lubricated or tuned they grind a lot. I have an old Roco built Atlas SD24 with the same gearing and the same issues. The Roco 4 wheel Sharks & FA’s with the same gearing are fine.
I would first check the wheel wipers and make sure they are seated behind the wheels. It’s very difficult to reassemble the trucks without the wipers popping out of place, which will restrict the wheelset’s lateral movement in curves. Then make sure they are in gauge, and tight on the axles and hubs. I hope this helps.
I do not have any issues with mine (E8) although it has a Rivarossi shell, maybe that makes a difference [:D]
I had a friend who had a set that always derailed in the exact same spot. I investigated and discovered a tiny kink in the rail. It was entering a curve so I just relaid the curve. I added a tiny easement so the kink couldn’t come back with expansion of the rails, and it has worked fine ever since.
Another thing to check would be for dips or bumps in one rail or another. There was one place on another friends layout where certain locomotives (not MPs in this case) would always derail on a curve to the outside. The track gauge was fine, but I discovered a dip in the outside rail. It was ever so slight but just enough to alow the locos to climb and jump. I fixed it by 1. loosening the trucks on the locomotives to track better and 2. adding a shim under the ties on the outside to raise it up ever so slightly.
Thank U for ur advice I really have tried everything incluing relaying the track & nothing works. Since I have more then one & they all derail it must be some reason & not all of them would have the wheels out of gauge. Just very frustrating not being able to run them
Thanks I will try that again & hope it brings some success
Where & how did U add the xtra weight?
There’s a set of six axle blomberg sideframes that fit on an athearn six axle trucks that’s made by A-Line. The SD-40-2 happens to have a truck wheelbase which is only 6" longer than the E-7/8/9’s 43’ and can be used to repower one. I’m not sure it was for a Model Power unit but how different can E8/9 body shells be?
All you need is to replace the wheels with 36" ones from NWSL.
http://walthers.com/exec/productinfo/116-29300
http://nwsl.com/Catalog/pg091-cat7-03-v0503.pdf
spbed wrote:
“Anybody have them. I have some but they always derail whereas other loco’s I run run perfectly. If anybody has any how did you solve the derailment problem?”
Swaping Athearn SD trucks for the MP ones would be tough. Totaly different bolster set up (MP on the top):
And here is a shot of my E8:
You don’t swap the athearn trucks for the model power ones. You swap in the whole athearn SD chassis.
Pathfinder wrote:
“Swaping Athearn SD trucks for the MP ones would be tough. Totaly different bolster set up (MP on the top):”
Make sure the metal wheel rims haven’t come loose from the plastic wheel hub. I’ve had this happen on the Sharks and FA’s I had. The E units have the same wheels. Repair is take off teh sideframe clean up the wheel hub and tire and acc them back together.
-------------- Ken McCorry
It’s a good idea as there is only the 6" difference (43’ vs 43’6") in the prototype wheelbase but the reality of the models is somewhat different as can be seen in the photo comparing the SD40-2 to the MP E8. The front center axles are aligned and the difference on the rear truck is quite noticeable, and the fuel tank would need quite a bit of milling as well.
Thanks & understand what U R saying & soory to say that is not the case
Nice job on the E8, Pathfinder! CP got more than their daily requirement of iron (grab, that is).
I don’t think there’s any need for such a radical solution as swapping the chassis. I have 2 of these, and they never derail, even on an iffy test track with 18" radii. Something may be restricting the lateral movement of the axles, or the pickup wires or some other foreign object might be interfering with the truck’s ability to swivel. NWSL makes replacement wheelsets, which might improve tracking.
Spbed, where do they derail? Curves? Switches?
I used weight strips from an old Tyco locomotive to add weight to my MP E9. There was some space between the chassis and the body so I added four weight strips to each side of the chassis. This mede the loco almost 1/2 lb heavier.
Thanks for the kind words. Painting was done by a friend/custom painter in Victoria, I just did the detail work. And thanks for the note on the NWSL wheels, mine are looking a little worn on the tread and could do with a nice new set.
Thank U I will try fishing wts or something like that. I presume that resolved the problem also
Yes, the problem with mine was simply a lack of weight. The front truck wouldn’t reide steady and had a nasty habit of cllimbing in curves and turnouts. After the weight was added, the problem went away.
Swapping the chasis on an MP E9 with an Athearn SD40-2 would also require changing the trucks, as 40-2s have HTC trucks while E9s have older A1A trucks with leaf springs.