02-09-2012, 02:00 PM
Great topic, Reinhard. I have gotten to the point that the only locos I will buy is Atlas precisely because of the noise issues. All my Atlas locos run smooth and quiet. My Proto2Ks are hit and miss, some are close to the Atlas models, others are quite bad. As an example, I have two P2K GP60s, both bought from the same store at the same time. One of them runs like a champ, the other is noisy like an Athearn. The 2 Kato SDs I have run good, with only slightly more noise than the Atlas models. The Athearn RTRs, while running fine, make alot of noise.
I had always attributed the noise to the gear boxes, hadn't considered the wheel issue. S2-fiddie's thoughts could be right on the money. The way the loco weight is supported from chassis to truck to bearing to wheel just may be the culprit.
My layout is 1/4" plywood with 2" foam, and cork roadbed on that. It does seem that the layout materials contribute to the noise problem, but again, the Atlas locos are beautifully quite, Kato is okay, and Athearn RTR is pretty much unacceptable.
I hope others will chime in on this thread with ideas.
I had always attributed the noise to the gear boxes, hadn't considered the wheel issue. S2-fiddie's thoughts could be right on the money. The way the loco weight is supported from chassis to truck to bearing to wheel just may be the culprit.
My layout is 1/4" plywood with 2" foam, and cork roadbed on that. It does seem that the layout materials contribute to the noise problem, but again, the Atlas locos are beautifully quite, Kato is okay, and Athearn RTR is pretty much unacceptable.
I hope others will chime in on this thread with ideas.