what are some good ways to quiet a athearn bb engine?
Whack it with a hammer?[(-D]
Sorry. I couldn’t resist the temptation to be a wise acre.
I think re motoring is the only idea I have come across. My Roundhouse BoBo makes quite a raquette as well. Would like to here if anyone has achieved this “quiet” you talk of.
Gidday, Are they really that noisy?? Perhaps I must be going deaf.
Cheers, the Bear.
YES!!! mine grinds around turns and makes an aful raquet at high(er) speeds.
Once upon a time, when Athearn BB diesels were just about the only choice for us budget minded modelers (teen-agers), there were some “accepted” methods of taming the beast:
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- Remove the trucks from the frame (might I suggest taking many digital photos at each stage of the disassembly process to provide a guide for when it comes time for reassembly). I cannot recall if you have to start disassembling the trucks to remove them from the frame, but if so be aware of the following; the wheel sets are composed of half axels pressed into a plastic gear with bronze bushings that nest into metal brackets for electrical pick-up. These wheel set gears in turn mesh into gears that transfer power from the worm gears at the top. The worm gears have small thrust washers at the end that have nasty habit of going MIA so make sure you put them in a safe place.
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- After disassembly clean all of the gears with a plastic safe cleaner.
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- Carefully inspect each plastic gear for any small bits of flash. Take your time doing this and be VERY gentle removing any flash that you find.
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- Reassemble the trucks, placing a small amount of tooth polish (notice this is POLISH not Paste) on the gears as you do so. Also, as your are replacing the trucks in the frame check the bolster (where the truck contacts the frame) for any paint or other foreign matter that may interfere with electrical pick up and remove same.
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- Run the engine, varying speed and direction. This process burnishes the plastic gears, helping them to mesh better.
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- Repeat the tear down process, and re-clean everything THOROGHLY! As you reassemble the wheel sets make sure the gear is centered and that the wheels are in gauge with an NMRA gauge. Place a small amount of plastic compatible grease on each gear as you reassemble. You do not have to completely cover the entire gear; one small dollop on each will spread during running. Less is more here so don’t over-do. Also remember to replace that thrust washer
Gidday, I would then suggest that it is not a motor problem but how long has it been since the gears have been cleaned , inspected, and relubed? The gear set may have picked up some grit, there could even be some plastic flash still on a gear.
Cheers,the Bear.
i bought it today and de-bured the gears and cleand/oiled/lubed everything up
Sakel,
My posts still have to get moderator approval, so I guess you can disregard my rather lengthy reply. Sounds like you already went through the process. The only other thing I might suggest is look for flash/binding in the universals.
Gidday Chris, You might say lengthy, I’d say concise, and very worth while. [tup]
Cheers,the Bear.
Here I go again pulling things apart. [%-)]
It might just be the transfer of sound thru the shell. I used to take some of the foam that came as filler to keep the locos from sliding around and but a piece in the top of the shell and also remotor them with the Helix Humper motor they are sold here in Alliance, Ohio from Robs Trains. Very good motor and uses all the atheran parts to reinstall. You might have to experiment with the foam to get it to quiet the sound transfer, also I weighted my atherans with shot bebes and glued them in the top of the shells it also helped with the noise. Jim.
Hi!
I’ve owned literally dozens of the BB locos since the 1960s. They were THE low lost reliable loco for the average MR, and I really liked them. In the last ten years I sold them all, and “upgraded” to the P2Ks, Atlas, BLI, and so forth.
But on quieting the BBs, I have to ask “why”? Assuming they are properly lubed and w/o mechanical difficulty, their light “growling” is a free sound effect that can be enjoyed. Think about it, do you really like a loco that makes no noise at all?
i halfway agree. i have several rtr unit and would like to try to get this unit down to that level.
Run it with out the shell first, as stated the shell it self maybe 1/2 the racket.
Here is the link you might want to look at.
http://www.mcor-nmra.org/Publications/Articles/Athearn_TuneUp.html
Cuda Ken
I think that some of the sound comes from the motor-to-frame contact, enhanced by the screws that attach through the frame. The body shell makes and excellent ‘speaker’ for increasing the volume of the ‘growl’. I’m going to try, at a fellow modelers suggestion, using double sided tape or silicone caulk to attach the motor. That should also lower the motor and level the drive shaft, which can also be a cause of noise…
I’m also always looking for recomendations and advice in this area.
Len S
- For the units with the plastic universal joints in the drive shaft, you could replace them with flexible rubber tubing.
- Check the worm gear in the truck housing (the one that connects to the drive shaft to the motor), for forward and backward slop. If it slides back and forth (thrusting with torq) put a washer on it to reduce that motion.
- Replace the wheel sets with nickel-silver ones.
It is funny looking at this now. Thinking of all the things we used to do to get our engines to run silently, and now we add sound systems.
I also sold all my bb Atherans and now run mostly Kato and a few Atlas. The Katos are so quiet all you hear is the metal wheels on the rolling stock, hence sound in about half of the locos. But thats just what I like, everyone has their own preference and price range. After I remotored and weighted my bb locos they were also quiet and powerful, I had about 40 of them at one time.I experimented alot with them and when I sold them the buyers wanted to know how I did it. Just pop the shell and see was the reply, there was some noise but not the unmistakable growl out of the box sound. There is a lot of info on here you just have to try your luck and see what works for you. Jim.
Another item to watch for with Athearn BB’s is the motor alignment. The motor consists of two pieces of plastic separated by the magnets in either a “gold” or gray enclosure. One plastic piece holds the brushes and a motor bearing, the other has just a bearing. The whole motor is held together by the metal clips that hold the brush springs in place (top & bottom). Sometimes, the plastic ends are mis-aligned.
What I do is take the shell off, loosen the motor from the frame, and run the engine against an obstruction (like a bumper) making the wheels spin. Then grasp the plastic motor ends and give little twists in one direction or the other. What you are looking for is a “sweet spot” where the motor noise drops significantly and motor speed should increase slightly. This “sweet spot” is when the motor bearings are perfectly aligned. When you find it, stop the motor and epoxy the motor ends to the center magnet section. This should hold the motor as you want it. Re-secure it to the frame, and off you go.
Paul A. Cutler III
Thancks for all the replies and great information. It turns out that the motor was grinding on the shell. Some padding and here I go!!