Hello team - looking for some guidance in making a starter set diesel (specifically, the blue M&StL RS-3 from the recent RTR super freight set) into something a bit more powerful and useful. We have an assortment of diesels that are higher end and more powerful, but this one has sentimental value for my son as it was his first set--I'd like to see it compete a bit better with the bigger boys on the layout.
www.lionel.com/Products/Finder/ProductDetail.cfm?ProductNumber=6-30155
This RS-3 is a single engine and it seems to be geared very high... it runs fast but doesn't do as well at slower speeds. It's also very lightweight, so I get wheel spin when I have 10-12 cars behind it. Does a good enough job for what starter engines are supposed to do, but not much more.
Ideally, I'd like to replace the single motor with a matched set of dual motors to add a little more weight and power. I'm probably electronics savvy enough to do such a straightforward job myself, but would most likely have my LHS guy do it just to be sure it's done right.
So my question for the experts is, where to begin? What parts do I need and from where should I purchase?
