Atlas 0-6-0

I sent mine back to Atlas O a few months ago with a request to install a new tether - which I think would improve its operation. They did not have the part.

MELGAR

The plug on the tether on my engine used to loosen up on my O42 curves.  I knew it was loose when the sound cut out.  I made matters much worse by removing the plug with needle nose pliers.  It cracked the plug; now the engine doesn't run.

I'm not surprised Atlas doesn't have the tether.  They didn't respond to my email requests two years ago.  I talked to one of their people at the Springfield show (also a couple of years ago) and I felt like I was bothering him.  I got the impression Atlas had no intention of supporting this product.  I hope I'm wrong, but that's the way appeared to me.

John

You may need to consider a substitute tether arrangement.

Tethers are an interesting point to consider related to an upgrade.   I did a couple of EOB upgrades with 8/and 10 pin male/female  cord ends.   Weaver  0-4-0   tender, right in picture.  You can modify the locomotive to permanently mount the female end.  After-market tethers are available from ERR, available on the Sunset Third Rail website.  

I use the MTH 10-pin tethers, they make a MUCH neater installation and they're a lot more compact than that connector.  You can use either the straight tether or the 90 degree model.  The matching locomotive connector normally fits right into a Weaver.  It also gives you a couple extra wires...

Mike CT, and Gunrunner, thanks for the feedback.  I will check the ERR website for an 8 pin tether to replace the Atlas tether.  I lack the skill to make this upgrade, but I know a technician who may be able to help me.

John

GRJ,

I like this model a lot. One problem is that the OEM tether is very rigid and inflexible. Mine is OK on O-54. Can you fabricate a revised tether for this locomotive? Mine is running well otherwise.

MELGAR

Mine is terrible. It won't run on through my 036 fastrack S curves, the speaker died within like a week or two of getting it and it had a bind in the running gear, I had to cut most of it off one side of the engine. 

I doubt that mine would run well on O-36. The tether is too inflexible. Mine tends to slightly lift the outside wheels of the front tender truck on O-54, but not enough to derail.

MELGAR

Having a super flexible tether is the Holy Grail, still looking for it.

Correction: I said I'd look for an 8 pin tether, but my memory faded after a couple of years.  It actually has 14 pins!

I also had a problem with MTH "wireless" tethers loosening on my O42 curves.  A friend told me he solved the problem by securing the tether with a black twist tie.  He was right.  I installed twist ties and I no longer have a problem.

14 pins?  I'd count again, I've never seen any tether with more than 10 pins!

Quote:

"...it had a bind in the running gear, I had to cut most of it off one side of the engine."

You cut the running gear? As in severed portions of it until it ran to suit you??

That's a rather radical approach to addressing a rod bind.

Andre

 Is it possible to run with a tether with less pins. Not that familiar with this engine. I know it has EOB.  You must have a tach reader, lighting,  perhaps an antenna wire, and the front coil coupler as well going through the tether. I ran one once. Nice runner. You could add an ERR board and eliminate the tach reader. The lights could be wired to track voltage. As fun as the ft. coil coupler is in switching moves. You could substitute a Kadee. If the antenna is in the engine. You could put the antenna in the tender shell and insulate it from the chassis. A lot of money and work to fix a tether. You just don’t have the option of purchasing a factory Atlas part.  But by using less pins you maybe able to use an MTH 10 pin and rout it in a more manageable user friendly  way.

I still want to see this 14 pin tether, I've worked on a lot of locomotives, 10 pins is as many as I've seen.

Lighting was always on, often with conversions, there was no provision for  headlight control, or front coupler.  i.e.  10 pin wiring. 

John, i was pretty confident 14 was correct, but I did as you asked and counted again.  It is 14!  Perhaps one of the other owners of this engine can confirm it.

Dave C, thanks for your comments.  I'm not capable of doing the conversion, but your suggestions make sense.  I'll run them by my technician friend.

John

Sounds like someone has worked on this one and added some function, I can't believe that's stock.

I'm the second owner, so anything is possible.  The installation, however, looks factory to me.  I don't see any hint of modifications.

Hard to say.  I can't even imagine what they would have needed 14 pins for, seems like massive overkill for anything remotely like this locomotive.  Unless someone else has the same locomotive and has the same tether, I'd still say it's an aftermarket mod.

I was interested in one of these a while back. Still would buy if the price was right. A friend sent me some pics. when I inquired about how it ran and the complaints I had read about the tether. Looks to be at least 12 by looking at the spacing in the wiring. Looking at Mike CT’s post which shows 8. You need 2 for the coil coupler. Not sure if the lighting is controlled by the EOB or where the antenna is located.

The factory tether has a big honking long white connector on the tender side.  There are two bundles of wires in tubing that come from the locomotive.  One bundle runs on each side of the drawbar.  It is a b**ch to get that connector plugged in.  Fourteen wires sounds right.

If Atlas ran a separate wire for each of the plug-in positions on the EOB in the tender, then there are wires for:

center rail, outside rail, motor brush 1, motor brush 2, flywheel sensor (3 wires) = 7 wires

headlight (2 wires), front coupler (2 wires), smoke unit and fan (3 wires) = 7 wires

I didn't like the performance with EOB so I changed mine to ERR boards.  Yes, Atlas could have combined the grounds to save wires but it looks like they didn't do that.

The tender shell is the TMCC antenna as it comes from the factory.  There is no antenna in the locomotive.

With ERR, this is one sweet running switcher.  The gear ratio is 25 to 1 so it really is smooth at low switching speeds.

WOW, I'm glad I never ran across one of these, that's super UGLY!  It's obvious that Atlas didn't do much thinking about usability.  I have only seen a handful of Atlas steam, mostly I see the Atlas diesels.

I'll stick to my Legacy B6, zero tether wires and VERY smooth low speed running.  Oh, did I mention it also had great sound?

I found a picture, hard to believe they actually did a hack job like this!

Learn something every day, even if some of it is really ugly!

Trainlover9943 posted:

Mine is terrible. It won't run on through my 036 fastrack S curves, the speaker died within like a week or two of getting it and it had a bind in the running gear, I had to cut most of it off one side of the engine. 

Yes, all/most of the above, and more. I sold it (w/full disclosure) to a friend who likes it - as a road engine (!) only, because that's all it will do well, or at least competently. And - the #3 driver was inaccurate.

My engine ran very well until I screwed it up.   That makes my mistake (cracking the tether plug) even more aggravating!

Some of the problem with O36 operation might be that all drivers are flanged (and the middle pair has rubber tires, which prevent skidding.)  Most 6-wheel switchers have a blind middle axle and rubber tires on the LAST pair of wheels.  Obviously this was intended as a scale model.  Perhaps it was only rated for wide-radius track.