Just wondering, has anyone had issues with the newer Athearn GP 15-1'S ? Eight cars up a 1%, is that too much, it kinda sounds like it is slipping gears. Don't have any issues with my other units. This is the Frisco 100. Thanks in advance.
Can you see the wheels slipping? I don't believe that eight cars would be an issue up a confirmed 1% grade.
Sumpthin's amiss. Typically, the general rule of thumb is that HO diesels pull less than the prototype on level ground, and more than the prototype on upgrades. Off the cuff, I recall that the little 1500 HP GP15's of the Frisco were rated about the same as the 1500 HP GP7's on the Frisco's 2.25%-2.69% "Boston Mtn Grade", and that was 770 tons. In 1976 typical cars, that would be approximately 6-8 loaded cars. It could be that one or more of the axle gear sleeves on the Athearn has split/whatever and some of the axle sleeves are actually spinning on the axles. First thing I would do is place the engine upside down in a foam cradle and pop the bottom truck clips off and check all the axles and gear sleeves. If all the axle sleeves check out, then off with the shell and check the drive shafts for splitting/slippage and stuff like that. All of the drive components are available either from Athearn or eBay. Best of luck! Andre
I ran it today, it seems to struggle, slip a little. Last time I cleaned the track, I wiped it down with a alcohol pad. Other engines do not have a problem. Andres thought, I will look at that.
If you can rotate a wheel on an axle with your finger, then the axle gear is split. Athearn part #60024 is the replacement.
