mpc era GG1 questions

If you have one I would replace the rear trailing wheels and axles. Even the CC GG1 that came out in 2009 had bad rear wheels. If the gears go bad you can replace them with brass.

Rob

I have had no problems with the nylon gears, but I did have problems with the front and trailing wheels, even on the PWC and CC reissues with going through 022 and 072 switches.

I replaced all the needle point wheels and axles with postwar ones. Now I have no issues. 

The original nylon gears can last a long time if treated properly, and if the original alignment was correct.  Keep properly lubed, avoid jackrabbit starts and rapid direction changes, keep the load reasonable.

hello guys and gals.........

Also the early MPC GG1's had a hole in bottom of the gear boxes near the roller pick-ups are and the grease will leak out when running. I had a #8850 penn central GG1 and it had metal gears but with hole in gear boxes.  It was a smooth runner though.  The later versions # 8150,18303,18000 had metal gears and NO holes in gear boxes.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011,623

Tiffany

Hmm I have 2 PC GG1s without holes in the gearbox. I bought them new. Maybe they made the switch sometime during production.

The wheel swap is easy, postwar type wheels and axles will pop right into the trucks and then your wobble free.

My biggest gripe here is the lack of coil couplers, which means the magnetic plate knuckles they were equipped with caused the coupler shanks to stick way out past where they were on the original PW jobs.. Not too big of an issue, if your handy. I stripped the couplers out of the pilots and resoldered them back to the original location for a PW GG1.  The whole set-up can be made to work by bending the actuation shank for the couplers, and -BOOM-  you're GTG, and lookin' right !

I can't remember the excat issue off the top of my head, but Ed Boyle did a great article in his Collector's Galley a few years back on the modern GG1s, telling the pros and cons of each.