Hi everyone!
I have just purchased an Atlas FP7 made in Austria. Out of the box it sounded like heck. I took the motor out and tried it outside of the chassis and the vibration and noise was ridiculous! Next step was to very carefully deposit the motor into the garbage can! I had a replacement motor that I bought years ago which fit nicely into the Atlas frame, and the drive couplers actually fit the motor shafts. The motor is labelled “MRC-24 Hi-torque motor”. The original Atlas flywheel fit the new motor shaft.
I would like to add a second flywheel because the original does not seem to be very substantial. I have looked at NSWL flywheels and their #406-6 would seem to fit the motor shaft and fit into the frame. My question is what components do I use to connect the NSWL flywheel to the rear truck. The NSWL website shows the #406-6 with a 5/16" dia. hole on the output side of the flywheel. What do I put into that hole that will let me to use a dogbone drive shaft to run to the rear truck? Also, is the MRC motor powerful enough to make the loco perform properly?
I have spent 2 days searching the NWSL web site trying to answer my first question.
Thanks as always for any advice you can give.
Dave
How long is the shaft coming out of the motor? The hole in the flywheel is to clear any size NWSL universal coupling and doesn’t grip anything, so there needs to be enough shaft from the motor to go through the flywheel and into a universal cup.
The Atlas FP7 uses 2mm shafts, so you need either the 492-6 coupling or the 489-6 coupling. The 492-6 will be the easiest to use, since you don’t have to cut your own metal shafts.
I can’t find any info on the MRC-24 motor. Since it’s labelled “hi-torque”, I’m guessing it will be powerful enough. The original Roco motor only had average torque, and smaller modern motors are equal or even quite a bit more powerful.
Hi Darth Santa Fe
The motor shaft projects 3/8". It is not long enough to go through a flywheel and then allow for a drive coupling to be attached.
Thanks for your recomendations on the couplings. I had figured that the 489-6 would work. Perhaps I will have to forgo the second flywheel for now and see how it works.
Dave
You could try going with a smaller flywheel or even taking the flywheel off.
If the shaft won’t go through, I think it will be best to leave the additional flywheel off. The single Atlas flywheel may not be all that heavy, but it’s all that’s necessary for smooth running.
I tend to agree. Too much flywheel weight can cause problems with stopping distance. I have a Proto 2000 PA1 with an Athearn drive. There are two very large flywheels in it and it tends to coast a long way even low speeds.
Thanks guys for your input. I think I was wrong when I said the shaft was not long enough to go through the second flywheel and then allow a coupling to be attached. I have ordered a mid size flywheel from NWSL as well as a coupling kit to see if I can make it work. I will let you know the results.
Thanks for the advice on having too much weight in the flywheels. Apparently bigger is not necessarily better.
Dave