I have an HO die-cast NW-2 model that I rebuilt an Athern frame-motor-truck setup for. I Love the model, I rebuilt it from scratch, detailed, tuned, painted, and installed a decoder in it. Currently it can pull 85 HO train cars around the clubs flat but curving (34" radius) layout. Best of all, it will still slip instead of stalling at full power! My only complaint is that the Athern wheels (probably 15+ years old) get dirty easily as their porous nature seems to collect dirt really well. I am wondering, if I replace the wheels with a more to scale, smoother set, will I lose traction? Has anyone upgraded an older Athern and what have you noticed about the pulling power?
I’ve always wondered the same thing. I’ve never used any NWSL replacement wheelsets, and this concern is always what stops me. Pickup and low speed performance are definite pluses, but the roughness of the sintered steel wheels seems to be better for traction than polished nickel silver.
Let the opinions roll!
Nelson
I just replaced the ‘sintered’ iron wheels on an Athearn SW7 with NWSL N/S wheel sets. And yes, they are slippery and you will pull less. But the electrical pickup is so much better, and they will stay cleaner for a long time. You can always add more weight, but a real 1000 hp NW2 switcher pulling 85 cars on the mainline? - I sort of doubt it. If all you are interested in is ‘tractor pull’ competition and the ‘bragging rights’ - then maybe you should stay with the old stock Athearn wheels. I have a friend who overweights engines, and uses the sintered iron wheels for ‘performance’ contests at local NMRA meets. He had an ABA set of Cary F3’s with a Hobbytown ‘multi-drive’ that would pull wallpaper off a wall. Myself, I operate and never have more than 20-25 cars behind my switcher on yard lead. So the N/S wheels are a ‘no brainer’ for me - I do not get a thrill out watching the shower of sparks and the smell of the ozone when those sintered wheels get dirty!
Jim
I agree with all the previously mentioned plusses for changing to NS wheels. JayBee also has replacement wheels for Athearns. Yeah, you will lose some traction, but you’ll regain some of that grip as the wheels wear in. …and 85 cars is waaaay more than a switcher should be pulling, get yourself a road-switcher or two.
this brings up another question or point. several years ago I saw a tv show about locomotives where the locomotive builder engineers were talking tractive effort. They mentioned how small a surface area there is in contact between wheel and rail. Same rule applies to models. think about just how much of a wheel is in contact with the rail. so how can a sintered wheel display such seemingly different adherence capabilities? unless there is some microscopic stuff going on we can’t see!
Just look at the sintered wheels - they have a dark ‘rough’ surface compared to a nice smooth N/S wheel set.
Jim
Solid or Nickel plated 42" half-axles are direct peplacements for Athearn BB (powered) engines. Also dummies.
NWSL comes 12 per and (6 axles) & Jay Bee 8 per (4 axles). Both excellent, & superior to the Athearn.
Athearns use 40" and 42" wheels. I imagine that the NW2 requires 40" but I have been wrong before. I also have had enough JayBee Athearn replacement wheels that had a very pronounced wobble to them fresh from the package that I have sworn off them. Ric
Athearn uses 42" wheels by default on their ‘BB’ engines. EMD used 40" wheels and NWSL/JayBee offer both sizes for the modeler. I have never had a problem with Jaybee wheel sets - The NWSL wheel sets most of the time are nickel plated brass, with weathering, IIRC. Both work fine…
Jim
Well, I have no interest in tractor pulls, and an Athearn switcher couldn’t pull 85 cars even if it were made out of dark matter, but I’ll have to give new wheels a try one of these days. I’ts true that NS wheel traction improves as they break in.
The only time I’ve experienced a “shower of sparks and the smell of the ozone” has been when my old American Flyer derails. My BB steel wheels stay pretty clean just from running. [:)]
It is a diecast NW2 shell (think Cary) on an Athearn chassis. Should pull nicely, especially if the cars roll.
Brand new nominal 40" wheels in 1:1 scale are a little bigger, about 40.8" diameter. They get reprofiled (turned) on a regular basis. New SD70ACes start out with 43" wheels.
IIRC, NWSL wheels are solid nickel silver.