I need Metal wheels for an Athearn Dummy

[Chessie1973]

I just got my new CSX GP-38-2 I ordered online and come to find out it has plastic wheels instead of metal ones.

I need to find out if I can get metal wheels that will work well in this unit.

It uses a completely different style of truck from my other athearn units and I dont know if I can just put in the drive wheels from a powered GP-38-2 or not.

 

[Fred_M]

Is it a blue box or a RTR? FRED

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

This thread shows some variations of Athearn (Blue Box) trucks.

[http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=7715]

The truck in the last photo (although the side frames will be the newer "M" style) is what's on the GP-38-2.
Putting part #40019 wheel sets from a powered loco will give you the metal wheels but will create a dead short through the frame if your loco is one with two of these identical dummy trucks.
I have seen some dummy locos with the front and rear trucks though. If yours has trucks with the upper electrical pickups that are on the same side of the locomotive, these wheel sets will work and as an added bonus it will have electrical pickup for a lighting circuit.
You may need to insulate the couplers if you are using metal KDs.