Athearn SW7 disassembly, can this antique be saved

[@w.rustylane5650]

I spent nearly $400.00 on changing out wheel sets and couplers on about 100 pieces of rolling stock. I changed the wheels from plastic to metal (after all, trains have metal wheels) & body mounted Kaydee couplers. I also took the time to weather each piece of rolling stock. Took me several months to complete the project. I also changed out all the incandescent lighting on coaches to LED lighting and changed out the headlamps of locomotives to LED's as well along with proper ballast resistors. I used mini full wave bridge rectifiers, LED strip lighting (the ones that can be cut apart at every 3rd LED & have the ballast - current limiting resistors - already on the LED strips). I also used 3200uF capacitors for flicker free lighting. I even lit up an old REA (Railway Express Agency) coach by making my own wheel pickups out of some scrap copper I salvaged from an old computer. The LED strip lighting is 12 volt DC and I think I used about 12 LED's per coach. I used bright white LED's but they turned out to be too bright, so I painted each LED with yellow acrylic paint and now they look period correct with yellow lighting. I also changed out all coal loads to real coal. I had a big lump of bituminous coal I went after with a hammer (outside of course) and smashed it into HO scale. I also brought each piece of rolling stock up to NMRA standard weight for each piece of rolling stock. Cheers from eastern TN

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

My apology for the late response. Thank you for sharing your hobby adventure. I'm very impressed with your skill and tenacity. Painting the LEDs to get period correct lighting was a great idea. Your rolling stock is in top shape meeting NMRA weights, outstanding couplers, steel wheels and fabrication of electrical contacts for your REA coach. Very impressive. Thanks again for sharing your efforts. You must be very proud.

[@farmerdave7965]

You got me yelling at my video screen.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Hi. I am always open to criticism. I am honest about my amateur status in the hobby. I simply try to share my efforts, good or bad, while spending time participating in it. The channel is not for everyone but I hope I didn't put you off by this one episode. I call the channel FunWithHOScale"STUFF" because I venture into many tangential subjects that may appeal to you more. At any rate, it was nice of you to provide me with this reply and thank you for taking your time to view one of my videos. Regards.

[@johnbanicki7232]

Looking forward to watching the rebuild. Thanks for sharing.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Thanks for your kind comment. I do appreciate that you spent time watching. Regards.

[@WWIIREBEL]

I've restored many of these older Athearn switchers. I'm so happy that they are easy to restore , considering parts are still widely available.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Thank you for the response. Good to hear that you have also restored locos. It was a joy to me that I was able to do this because I've never attempted this before. My plan for the service yard is to run DCC only so I intend to attempt another challenge by adding DCC to this same model. Should be interesting whether I succeed or fail. ;-)

[@XBOXShawn12thman]

Wow ... I just came across this video .... Subscribed!!!

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@itsnotfunanymore]

I was also yelling at my screen. This is the most common and robust and they are built to last forever. That motor mount was soft originally. You need a new mount. The motors usually use two mounts but the switcher only uses one. The reason it wasn't running is the fact that your wheels are so oxidized there is no way any power is going to make it to the motor. You need a fiberglass pencil.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

That is great advice. I used a fine file to clean the wheels and you are correct that the wheels badly needed that. I've never heard of a fiberglass pencil so I just looked it up. Very helpful information. Thanks.

[@kerryrock9248]

This engine is actually a SW7. I have about three or four of them from Pennsey to Chessie. The cab is incorrect for the SW1500 along with the front radiators. I can see where someone might get the design wrong. This engine will work well with your Pennsylvania RR layout! Have fun!

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Thank you for sharing that information. My introduction on this video states it is an SW1500 switcher but because I realized my mistake before I posted the video, I included in white lettered text to correct the identification of the model at that time. What amazed me was that Athearn originally sold this model as a SW1500, which is what threw me off until I checked it's appearance against some reference materials I have. Check this post by Da Stumer on trains.com (cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/289567/3364189.aspx#:~:text=What%20Athearn%20originally%20sold%20as,was%20one%20of%20those%20cases.) You need to scroll down on that page to see his post. Thanks again for your helpful response. I enjoy reading these and I appreciate your kindness to help. Regards.

[@Christiane069]

All the wheels and gears need to be cleaned and lubricated. There are many sites that show how to do it. Good clean wheels goes a long way. The broken motor support pieces can be replaced, Athern and others makes the parts.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Fortunately the motor works fine and it appears that the fine file I used did remove the crud from the wheels. Yes, I've watched several methods to clean wheels. Thanks for your advice.

[@Christiane069]

Thanks for the feedback. I am having a good time communication with you. I have a small 8" drill press witch allows me to take a part the wheels from the gears, and put them in the chuck, witch make cleaning the wheels easy and throughout. I found this technique on line. No need to re-invent the wheels as "they" say. Finally, I saw on line a way to improve the power pick-up by installing small rigid wire on the inside of the wheels. I have about 25 locomotives to improve from the early 1980's when I started to be interested in the hobby for witch I recently went back to.@@FunWithHOScaleStuff

[@mike9repeating]

Nice fix

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Well, hopefully at the end of Episode 3 the poor old thing will run again 🤞

[@mobahartenholm9289]

Hello, just finding your chanel, my name Rainer, live in Germany and Im collector of h0 stuff since 45 years. During the last weeks i "felt realy in love " to american diesels, espacialy shunters or switchers. So Im exausting every information I can find to learn everything. Your video is very special for me, because I feel, that you will give all of your experiences and knowledge you made in lifetime into the maintanace oft this loco. So Im now a subscriver of your chanel and hope to see much more videos. I will restart my layout in this year, I had to rest for medical reasons. But now Im fit again. Regards and greetings from northern Germany Rainer cu

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

@@mobahartenholm9289 I hope to do another locomotive repair in the future. I'm happy that you enjoyed the repair episodes.

[@markh4531]

Very interesting.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

I'm glad you liked it. Thank you.

[@sidetraxx779]

Hi! I am half way through the video and it is refreshing and frustrating at the same time watching. Refreshing that you have no expierence in Athearn Blue Box Loco maintenance and yet frustrating that you've got no expierence working on Athearn Blue Box Locos. These are the most common old locos to work on. In some areas you are dismantling too far. Truck and motor is an example.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

I recall that my motivation was to address everything that might be wrong. I saw dismantling the model to be an interesting challenge and I thought it would be a good topic to share with others. You're right. I'm without experience.. but then the only way I know of to gain that is by doing it. ;-) I hope your frustration doesn't put you off viewing my antics. I try in each video to share whatever I learn and I benefit by the advice I get from folks like you. Thanks for viewing that video and commenting. Regards.

[@johnschultz9023]

Can't turn them because of the worm gear on the shaft.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Thank you for taking time to reply. Your model railroad interlocking plant is outstanding. ;-)

[@michaelhband]

👍👍👍❤❤❤🚂🚂🚂

[@MartinSBrown-tp9ji]

This model has been taken apart many times on You Tube and fixed. Enough already.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Well, that said.. thank you for taking time to respond. It may be a popular KZbin topic but I wouldn't know. I'm new to KZbin and new to model railroading. It was, for me, a challenge to do and I enjoyed the time spent doing it. By the way, I share my activity and have zero interest in profiting from it so you are not going to see some sort of commercialization in anything I present. Not for profit. For my own fun. :-)

[@leod7454]

Not bad... half hour video to do a 5 minute job.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Thank you for taking time to comment. Yes, I move slowly :-) The important aspect of my videos to me is that if a young budding model railroader should happen upon one of them, they will hopefully be both entertained and have an inspiration to try their own hand at the hobby. Too many elder curmudgeons and not enough youth is letting this great hobby die off.

[@paulflak2823]

Looking for help with a athern sw1500 saved from a dump. The locomotive runs in the opposite direction of all others I have. Suggestions please/

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Is it a DC or DCC controlled locomotive?

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

If you have a DC controlled loco, look at www.mcor-nmra.org/Publications/Articles/Athearn_TuneUp.php and about 3/4 down in the discussion is a easy to understand image of the wiring diagram and a statement regarding the case that a loco runs backward. I hope this helps.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

By the way, thank you for your comment. I enjoy reading them.. good or bad.

[@PapaMav]

Sounds like the motor magnet(s) got reversed

[@johnschultz9023]

Yes!!!