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+--- Thread: Bowser C630 Alco engines (/showthread.php?tid=4557)
Bowser C630 Alco engines - eric halpin - 11-10-2011
Do any of you have any comments from observations on the recent Bowser Executive line of the Alco C630 engines? Besides being a wonderfully detailed engine, I understand the motors are a bit noisey! Will additonial gear lube quite them down?
Eric
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - Sumpter250 - 11-11-2011
Bowser will be at Trainfest, I'll see if I can get an answer from them about the motor noise.
Pete
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - GCook - 11-19-2011
I have two of these fine detailed engines. Look great.
Now down side. They are so noisy that you can't hear the sound card over the noise of the gears and motors.
Have run them for 2 hrs to see if will become quiet, no luck yet.
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - eric halpin - 11-19-2011
Graeme,
I have an opportunity to acquire one from a friend out west who ordered three and he also wasn't happy with the motor/gear noise. Hopefully extra lube may be the answer!
Eric
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - Sumpter250 - 11-20-2011
The folks at Bowser weren't much help....I tried.
Use oil on the motor shaft, grease on the gears.
Check for a universal coupling that may be a bit "off centered"
I have quieted down old Athearns by running them with "Clorox Soft Scrub" ( the bleach free one ) for several minutes. it helps "wear down the rough edges". Thoroughly clean, dry, and lube the gears when the "break-in period" is done.
That made noticeable improvement in those older engines.
There's also the possibility that the body shell is "resonating to the gear vibrations". Sometimes some foam rubber inside the shell can help reduce that noise source, and help tighten up the body to frame contact.
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - eric halpin - 11-20-2011
Thanks for the sound noise tips. Will pull off the shell and take a look.
Eric
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - sailormatlac - 01-01-2012
So far, 5 of these engine ran on our club layout. Two of them had gear misaligned that needed some tweaking. Others ran fine, some with a little more gear noise than other. They didn't have time to break in though.
Matt
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - eric halpin - 01-02-2012
Matt,
I have not as yet dismantled the 630s to see what is going on inside. Was the gearing misalignment relatively easy to see without taking the decoder, etc off? Thx for your input.
Eric
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - Polekat62 - 01-05-2012
I have just recently acquired 2 Bowser C630 BC Rail. They run very smooth and they do have a slight gear noise when rounding a curve which seems to becoming less as they wear in. The details are the best. My one complaint is that on my BC Rail units which have two pair of Ditchlights each,the ditchlights are ever so faint. I have read on other forums of the same issue and someone had mentioned of a Bowser C630 lighting upgrade. I,m hoping someone or maybe Bowser will come out with instructions for the lighting upgrade.Overall it is a great engine and the Soundtraxx Tsunami Sound is awesome. I,ve probably got about 30 hrs on each one, and they run ever so good together when in a consist. Hope this info helps.
Dale
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - eric halpin - 01-05-2012
Dale,
Yes, the head lights are also the pits. Very very faint.
Eric
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - sailormatlac - 08-14-2012
Eric,
Sorry to answer this late, I didn't check this topic lately. It was quite a straight forward process to realign the gear. A few minutes. We suspect the QC wasn't very good.
Matt
Re: Bowser C630 Alco engines - eric halpin - 10-01-2012
Thx for your reply and info. The engine is quite reasonable sounding now after more operating time. I shall take a look at the gearing as you suggest anyway.
Eric