I am going to guess that NWSL is a good places to deal with, am I right? I called them today and spoke with a nice young lady that could not help with my questions. So here are my questions, hope someone here can help.
I am looking to to replaces the steel wheels and my motors in my BL 2’s. Do you think NWSL will have the needed parts? It seems the stock BL 2 motors are well worn out. One is DCC and I have to set CV 2 to 30 so it moves on speed step 1. So I am guessing it is shoot. I hope to be able to reuse the stock drive train and motor mount with out fiddling with them. They look like old Athearn Blue Box stuff. Same with the wheels. Pretty much looking for a Hemi Crate engine, drain the oil and coolant from the old engine and drop in the new one. (OK, I am Cuda Ken after all) [8D]
Next is a other Monon question. Seems Atlas is making a C 420 Ph B Monon engine. Here is a link.
I have heard nothing but good about Atlas, but have yet to buy one. If I can get one from K-10 Models trains I will buy it. Will the stock LED’s work with a Digitrax DH 163 or will I need to add resistors?
Man, I don’t know, I just received one of their tools, The True Sander, and it is a piece of junk to say the least. The sad thing is that I have owned one in the past and it was beautifully made. The aluminum sanding block looks like it was machined by a blind person, I tried to tighten the angle guide down and the threaded inserts pulled right out. I have yet to check it with a square, but I have my doubts that it is even square and true. This is a very basic tool to manufacture and the one I got is basically worthless.
I have read that NWSL was sold and I wonder if the new owners have very tight quality control. I think I’ll try and call them tomorrow.
good luck, must have been the same nice lady i talked with. very pleasant person with absolutely no knowledge of model railroading. kind of like a catechism class. all she could do was read from the book. took my order, took my money, mailed me a catalog instead of the parts. since nwsl has been taken over it seems like the lights are on but nobody is home. great shades of the penn central merger. perhaps they will get things sorted out soon. as they are now they would not survive if they had any serious competition.
as for atlas, good choice. atlas geeps are the backbone of my diesel fleet. they are like the energizer bunny. just keep going and going. some are well over 10 years old and still run like a swiss watch. i don’t think you can go wrong with kato either.
NWSL wheel sets will work - You need the one for Athearn engines(just need to know if the wheels have flush or pointed ends) - the bad news is Walthers is out of stock! Jay Bee wheels sets are another option, but Walthers only has the flush 40" ones in stock right now!
I ordered two sets of replacement locomotive wheels from NWSL to fit the P2K BL2 (and Athearn) and it took nearly six months to get them. These are something that you would think is so common that they would have an adequate supply on hand, but they apparently didn’t have any and I had to wait for them to be made.
They improved the running qualities of one BL2 immensely, but the second one has other problems that make it run worse with the NWSL wheels.
The same wheels that fit Athearn locomotives (except Genesis and Blue Box with metal sideframes) fit all P2K locomotives – 44 inch with the half axle.
They won’t fit ALL P2K loco’s, just the older ones with the Athearn knock off trucks. The newer Proto engines have a different truck design. The E units have the Athearn split axel design but with smaller wheels.
Last time I needed those wheel set parts (not long ago), Walthers had plenty of updated replacements for sale. I have lots(40? 50?) of older Proto diesels (3 are BL2’s) and all the older 4 wheel road engine wheelsets are the same or interchange from what I have seen.
As for motors, Alliance - Helix Humper brand has nice can motor replacements that drop right into Proto and Athearn units. Prices are good, performance is great.
Sheldon, thanks for the name, I just did a keyword search and found there web site. They even listed a replacement motor for the BL 2. 2 things I don’t like is you have to remove metal from the chassis and glue the motor to the mounts.
Have you used there motors?
Little history of the Proto engines, first Proto 2000’s made was F-2’s, they where around 1985 and shortly there after the BL 2 about a year later. So they are a round 23 years old.
Ken, as I remember, the BL-2 came out first, LL made a big deal about how the BL-2 broke all the endurance records in a test somebody ran in Chicago, (you can do a search of the MR magazine index for the article). Next, I believe was the GP-18 with the flapping shutters, next I think was the E-8 and then the FA with it’s flapping shutters and rotating cooling fan.
The wheels you need are the 42" not 44" as someone else mentioned. Try Caboose Hobbies. They may still have some of them in stock, (it’s a huge store) from either NWSL or Jaybee. You need the “flush end” for the BL-2. Actually you can even use the “blunt end” and the “pointed end” type and just grind down the end of the axle with a Dremel untill it’s flush with the face of the wheel, (it doesn’t have to be pretty as it will be covered by the sideframe), The “pointed end” type were used on the Athearn RDC and Hustler. The “blunt end” were used on most of the other BB units. The BL-2 axle extends past the face of the wheel too, but only about half as much as the Athearn, NWSL & Jaybee, so an unmodified “blunt end” or “pointed end” may rub against the sideframe.
If you can’t get a LL replacement motor from Walthers, the Athearn 4-axle motor (shorter flywheel) should drop in without any mods, as the LL motor was a clone of the Athearn, otherwise you can do as others have suggested, but some grinding will likely be required. If you want to go with the Athearn motor, I’ve got a ton of them you can have for the cost of shipping, PM me. Jay.
Ken, I have used them in all my old Athearn covered wagons and my Athearn RDC’s. They run great. You do no have to glue the mounts, the motor comes glued to a bracket that goes right into the Athearn style rubber mounts. You do have to grind the frame slightly.
As for all this about 44" vs 42", etc, everyone I know has put “GP7” wheelsets in their BL2’s with no problems. After using a micrometer on Athearn, various Proto, and NWSL wheel sets I found none of the diameters accurate, nor did they effect operation, appearance or coupler height, etc.
Well, the BL 2 just let the smoke out of the DH 123! [:(] Guess I knew it was going to happen. I will follow later and let you folks know what I do next, besides start collecting stamps with trains on them.