Ok, I just got an old Proto 2000 FA2… I really like the Alco diesels, like the FA, PA etc. and was wanting to put a Alco type Tsunami decoder into one. So I get this engine, new in the box (blue box not older brown box) and try it out. It’s very noisy, so I check the gears, and sure enough at least a couple are cracked. So I replace all of them with brand new Athearn gears, and try it now… Well, it’s still very loud. Way too loud for a sound decoder and generally it sounds like a coffee grinder any any appreciable speed.
So what should I do with it? I’ve heard these are old designs based off Athearn engines, so is it basically just going to be this loud and there is nothing that will change that? Or is something defective about this engine and another one will run quieter?
Really, I don’t have a lot of options for an Alco type engine. I model NYC, so the Proto PAs are hard to find, the only RS3 I’ve ever seen was one of the Athearn RTR, and those are pretty loud as well in my opinion. So, I guess I may have to just go with EMD type diesels…
As far as NYC diesels, the Proto 2000 Alco S1s are very nice. However, you will need to isolate the motor from the frame before installing a decoder in one. The detailing on these is terrific and it has very good low speed response.
You also may want to look at Stewart. They have Baldwin VO-660s and VO-1000s:
Their EMD F-units are terrific, too.
The only downside to Stewart locomotives is they aren’t quite as nicely detailed as the Protos. But, if you want an excellent runner and puller, the Stewart locomotives with the Canon or Buehler drives in them are second to none. Here’s a direct link to their diesel web page:
I have about a dozen Protos p1k and p2k combined and none sound like coffee grinders. I would recheck gear mesh and see if they need readjusting and possibly deburring of flash or possibly running in with some mild abrasive like toothpaste to smooth the gear teeth. I can’t offer anything beyond that because I haven’t had any issues with mine but I’m sure someone else will add to the post with more specifics for you. J.R.
There’s an old method of breaking the Athearn gears in, using Pearl Drops tooth paste instead of grease and running the loco in each direction for 30 minutes, then wash everything and reinstall the gears with some fresh lube (Labell 103). That should quiet it down quite a bit. You could also change the motor to a can type, like a Mashima (A-Line). Of course none of this will make them sound like a Kato or Atlas, but you can rduce the noise by about 50%… You might be able to replace the older Proto truck with newer Proto U-Boat trucks. Some of the noise also comes from the older style drive line as well.
This hobby is called model railroading, so some modelling effort may be reqired to get what you want.
Sounds like the unit could need some lube, or the trucks need to be cleaned. Worst case scenario is that one of the wires to the commutator is loose.
I’ve had three P2K units sound like a coffe grinder, a GP9 needed lube, an SD9s needed it’s trucks cleaned out, and another SD9 had a wire on the commutator come loose. The latter of them needed a motor replacement, the other ones were fairly simple.
Atlas makes also makes RS3s, which look to be pretty well detailed.Kato made some under the Atlas name several years ago. They run well, but the detail isn’t that great.
Lubricate the motor bearings and the worm gears at both ends of their drive shafts and see if that doesn’t quieten it down. Also go back and double-check the new gears you installed to make sure they are properly seated, meshed, and lubricated.
I have close to 20 P1K and P2K locomotives and have never had one make the slightest noise except the tell-tale thumping noise when gears cracked on a BL-2.
Well, I’ll look at the gear areas and see if anything stands out. The engine seems to be lubed just fine. I’ll just have to run it awhile and see if anything changes. But honestly this is the second FA I’ve had, and while the first one wasn’t this bad, it definitely wasn’t quiet either. It ended up having gear problems and other things as well.
I’m not real impressed with these older model Proto 2000s at the moment.
I like my Athearn RTR RS-3s. I don’t find them to be all that noisy, but I don’t know about installing sound in them. There’s probably someone on the forum who has already done one.
