Had one of our train guys over here with a Lionel Atlantic like new in a box that he picked up yrs ago.
But it ran like crap out on his and my layout.
So took it apart to see what can be done with it.
One thing that was bad was the motor block was the only thing picking up power of the track with large cast wheels. When we did run it, it wobble all over from side to side of rails on straight tracks.
The Pony trucks had plastic wheel and would lift off the track very easy as well as the Trailing truck doing the same thing. Other thing was the trailing truck also had the connecting bar attached to it and that hooks on to the tender. This would would pull the trailing tuck off the rails with over a few car on a curve.
With a little work this could be a great little branch line Pass. Eng.
1.) To start with. We changed out the pony plastic truck wheel to metal wheels and adjusted the down ward spring tension to them.
2.) Took off the Tender connecting bar off of the trailing truck and add a bracket with some wt. to it.
3.) Build a bracket to mount a LGB hook coupler to the frame on the Eng. under the cab.
4.) Install split bushing for both drive axles due to no bushing on the Eng. plastic block and add 14 oz. of buck shot in a container to the motor block.
5.) Installed Bachmann Small metal rolling stock wheel on the tender and add brass wiper to the inside of the wheels for add track power picks. Install LGB red and green Plugs for jumper from the tender to Eng.
Also added 12 oz of buck shot for more wt.
6.) Add a back up light to the tender and install warm white LED’s to Eng. head and tender.
7.) Finish it out with Couplers on both ends and detailing it a little, like pull ropes for the whistle and bell.
This is the way it looks now and runs very smooth and will pull 4 Hwt Aristo pass with two Refer on head end with no problem.
Still got to get a engineer and fireman for it yet.
