I bought a couple of Proto2000 locomotives a few years ago but they have remained boxed while other work/life issues took precedence; now that I have opened them and placed them on track, they both have some sort of sharp jam regularly occurring in the final drive (bogie) units whereby every few inches of travel along the track at speed there is a snapping noise and a jerk, or at low speed the unit locks up and freezes instantly. By running with the hood off (one is a BL2 and the other a Phase III GP9) I can feel at the point of the jam the driveshaft system cog up tight before the pressure releases with a snap inside one of the bogies.
Looking at the GP9 first, I have started pulling it apart but haven’t worked out how to pull the bogie itself out of the frame yet - the accompanying instructin sheet’s parts diagram shows that a ‘worm retainer clip’ should come off but I wasn’t able to shift it, using as much (little) force as I was game to apply to it.
Before going any further I thought I better check whether anyone has some sage advice, or also whether it might be an idea to try some lubrication. The instructions indicated regular lubrication was necessary only if the unit is in constant use and that overlubrication would be a problem, so given it doesn’t say that initial lubrication is required before use (and the unit doesn’t look like it is lacking in lubrication out of the box) I haven’t attempted this yet.
What you have there is a case of cracked drive axle gears. Contact Walther’s (they own all the Life-Like/Proto stuff now) and they’ll send you replacement gears. In a pinch, the drive axles from an Athearn F unit are a direct drop-in replacement. That’s what I did for my P2K GP30. It runs smooth as a swiss watch now.
Thanks. At least I know what to expect now when open it up.
Any ideas/advice on how to get the worm gear retainer clip off without breaking it, or should I need to order a couple of those as well when contact Walthers. (I doubt that the units would be a warranty claim given the age, regardless of the lack of use)
To replace the axles, you only need to remove the bottom plate. You can do this without even taking the shell off the loco. It’s a snap-fit, as I recall. I think you just pry open the end and it comes off easily.
Walthers sent me axles, no questions asked. I bought a pair of P2K GP-9’s from M.B. Klein at one of their “blowout” prices, $40 each. I’m sure they’d been on the shelf for several years. One had the problem right away, so I just asked for enough axles for both engines, and they sent them. Walthers is run by train people, not venture capitalists. They make good products, and when there are problems they try to make good. It’s a business model seldom seen these days, unfortunately.
Yes, thanks so much! I have levered off the two bogie bottom plates using a couple of jeweler’s screwdrivers and found that three of the four axles have cracked gears. That is so strange - if I had been using the unit then I could understand a defect may present itself after some time, but not even out of the box!?
No, it is not strange. The gears don’t crack from being used too much. They crack with shrinkage over time. One common factor I often hear is that the loco was not used for some time. It’s even possible that they might last longer if they are used on a daily basis.
Yea, the cracked gear issue was a problem with some Life-Like locomotives a few years ago. Thankfully, it’s a fairly easy and inexpensive fix. I’d love to hear a good explanation as to why so many gears came cracked:
Were they manufactured incorrectly?
Was there a defect in the material?
Was an inferior material used?
When did they crack? Was it during the manufacturing process or was it the stress on the part when power was applied to the locomotive?
I’ve never heard anyone mention why the problem occurred.
I’ve had good luck with the life time warrantee — both before Walthers acquired LL and afterwards. Time was better spent working on layout instead of repairing locos.
I have received a prompt response from Walthers about this axle problem. It was a manufacturing defect on one type of axle only, #584408, found in a certain age of these models - BL’s, E8’s, F3’s, FA1 & FA2, GP’s - 7, 9-II, 9-III, 18, 20, 30 and 60 - the problem would manifest basically straight out of the box, even if never run, and if a unit hasn’t split then it is fine for life, so Walthers will replace the split ones (only) as under warranty.
The part was remanufactured some years ago to remove the fault so does not occur in any other models.