Athearn SD40-2 [ jerky ]

Triplex

Active Member
I know that 40" is about what, 3-4 feet? I could go with some flex track around the curve, and make it as wide as I really want it.
My point is: Selecting a radius larger than any of your equipment needs means that you can fit less layout in your space.
 

sfrr

New Member
Great you got a new hobby supplier =) (spelling =/)


Ahhh, well yes, but then again I can always make awitching on the inside, and maybe a 3 track mainline around the table
 

Tommybza

New Member
Back to the missing gear subject , I got 6 replaced the missing one and the other one that looked chewed up a littel . put it back in and it runs great . so I have a systen that is fine for now here is the picture of the box shy the gear .I do not think any one swaped out any parts .they just forgot to put in in .could have been produced on a monday friday .payday or even after lunch Do they still have liquid lunch breaks or are they Disco nap's
Tommy
 

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brakie

Active Member
Interesting..Glad you got it running..

BTW..The reason I feel that engine was tampered with before you bought it is because I seen it before when I was working part time in a hobby shop.
 

Jim Krause

Active Member
Was this SD40 one of the latest release that are DCC ready or an older one (possibly 10 years) that has been sitting on the dealers shelf?
 

Tommybza

New Member
I did look closely at the box and it seemed to be new .the corners were in good condition and the foam that held it into place was fine.the box it was sold in is blue with a picture on it ,and the hoby store is new in the last year ,nothing looks to be older than a year old . now when and who he got his stock from I have no Idea .it could be a pre DDC ?
I do not notice any DDC hook ups,
now to add to the mix here I think i could be under powered .this is what i have so far .
less than one mile of track in 1/87 then 12 switches 6 blocks
A tech 4 mrc 280
1 controller
2 selectors
athearn SD-40-2
atlas classic Rs-3
walthers trainline gp-9m
I notice a twitch in the locos when i want to change tracks
it seems like a lot for a 59 dollar power unit ?
thanks .
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I notice a twitch in the locos when i want to change tracks it seems like a lot for a 59 dollar power unit ?
thanks .

If you get a twitch in the "locos" when you change tracks, the problem is most likely with the track and not the locos. One loco having a problem, but not the other might be the loco problem, but both having a problem in the same place is probably a track problem. You didn't mention what kind of switches you were using for those #4's. I'm going to guess that you have Atlas Snap Switches.
 

Tommybza

New Member
yes that is what they are .
grunt suggestions ? welcome
I really would like to get this going as smooth as can be. in the fall i want to lay foam foam and start the real fun
please advise.
Tommy
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Atlas Snap Switches are better than Tyco or other toy switches because they are made of nickle-silver instead of steel. On the other hand, if you inspect them closely, the design is identicle to the toy units. The guard rails are too wide. The switch relies entirely on contact between the points and the closure rail for electrical pick up. The smallest piece of dirt or corrosion between the point and the closure rails renders the switch dead until you get the locomotive past the frog. Atlas Custom Line has a metal frog that can be wired up to be live allowing the locomotive to only have to deal with dead points. Most locomotives will bridge the dead points and pick up power from the frog before they stall. The Custom Line still has the sheet metal points that tend to lay over with the weight of a locomotive and drop the locomotives into the gravel. The best switches are Micro-Engineeringor and B-K ,but M-E does not make anything smaller than a #6 switch, and B-K is so busy making O scale switch kits that he seldom has time for ho. The other choices are Walthers/Shinohara (code 83 Shinohara is marketed in this country as Walthers, code 100 is sold as Shinohara.) The Shinohara are pretty good. They have a brass slider bar under the points to give the points a second place to pick up power from. Unfortunately they are also a bit "fiddly" and the brass bar is sometimes hard to get to make a good contact. Probably the best choice is Peco, which has a spring to make the points make a good connection in whichever direction they go. Peco does not offer their switches identified by number however. They offer "shorts", "mediums", and "longs." The shorts are probably similar to #4s, mediums are probably similar to #6s, and longs are probably close to a #8, but if you lay them on top of actual 4s, 6s, and 8s there are differences.
 
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