Atlas/Kato RS-3

[peteski]

Do like I do. Don't read the annoying posts. Nobody's forcing you to read them, let alone answer them.


Hmm... I read everything
I can...

Good advice Kiz. Thanks.

[John]

I learned not to post questions on this forum? This one is only for elite modelers.

Martin Myers

Yea - you got that right .. and I am learning I am getting really tired of some of the bull ***** they bring with them ...

[central.vermont]

Guess it's time for one of these now. 

Jon

[strummer]

Oh please! I can relate to the way Bryan feels. I think that we all at some point just get tired of what we perceive as "stupid questions posted by lazy people who aren't even willing to do even the slightest amount of research before asking the forum for help".

Did not intend to or realize I was asking a "stupid question".

I guess the best thing for the likes of myself to do is just sign off and/or look elsewhere.

Mark in Oregon

[Kisatchie]

Did not intend to or realize I was asking a "stupid question".

I guess the best thing for the likes of myself to do is just sign off and/or look elsewhere.

Mark in Oregon

Don't leave. See the PM I sent you.


Hmm... I bet Kiz is asking
for money...

[central.vermont]

Strummer,

I do have some what of a solution for you. I have some of the old RS-11's that were Kato/Atlas and did not want the traction tires on them any more. I found out that the old Kato axle sets from their GP-38 and GP50 replaced them perfectly. The added bonus with the new axles is  that they are Code 55 friendly! The only draw back to this is trying to find someone with these parts axles that is in inventory. Now you can still get the GP50 trucks from Kato and rob the axles out of them. You actually can use every thing in the new GP50 truck and just swap the side frames. That is what I did on two of my RS11's.
Hope you find this info useful.

Jon

[Dave V]

 

Guys, relax.  It's just a train forum.  Questions are okay.  Manufacturer-specific questions are more likely to be answered correctly if asked directly of the manufacturer, but it's also good to share the results of your query with the group.  That said, a little Google goes a long way.

Not sure why tempers are so flared up right now, but let's all take a breather and let the mods moderate.  We pride ourselves in our modeling, but learning and teaching are also a huge part of what makes the Railwire special.

[bbussey]

I re-read Mark's post, and I see that I over-reacted a bit.  His initial query isn't in the same category as the other posts I referenced.  I don't retract what I wrote.  But I do apologize to Mark for directing it toward him, as his query was posted after he had done some initial legwork.

Mark, my first sentence still applies to your situation, although not in the tone it was directed toward you - contact the Atlas parts department and they will supply you with the proper replacement or substitute parts.  You can call or email the parts department.

[peteski]

Did not intend to or realize I was asking a "stupid question".

I guess the best thing for the likes of myself to do is just sign off and/or look elsewhere.

Mark in Oregon

Mark,
my statement was made in-general, not specifically towards you. I was simply agreeing with Bryan that lately there seemed to a trend for people to ask for help without showing that they have even attempted to help themselves first. You , judging by your initial post in this thread, have done quite a bit of research about the traction tire and only then you asked the Railwire community for help.

This is one of those instances where a written communication has failed (on my part).  It was my fault for not being clear enough in my post that it didn't specifically point to you.  Sorry! 

[strummer]

Strummer,

I do have some what of a solution for you. I have some of the old RS-11's that were Kato/Atlas and did not want the traction tires on them any more. I found out that the old Kato axle sets from their GP-38 and GP50 replaced them perfectly. The added bonus with the new axles is  that they are Code 55 friendly! The only draw back to this is trying to find someone with these parts axles that is in inventory. Now you can still get the GP50 trucks from Kato and rob the axles out of them. You actually can use every thing in the new GP50 truck and just swap the side frames. That is what I did on two of my RS11's.
Hope you find this info useful.

Jon

Thank you, Jon, that is most useful.

Mark in Oregon

[strummer]

Bbussy/Peteski

No worries; I was a bit surprised at first,but I do appreciate your reconsideration. Thanks.

Now, back to my initial question: is it best to remove the trucks to replace the wheel sets, or can I do this with the trucks still "attached"?

Mark in Oregon

[bbussey]

You should be able to snap the plastic truck frame off to replace the wheelsets without having to disassemble any Atlas RS3 model, whether the original Kato-made model tooled in Japan or the current model tooled in China.

[BCR 570]

With due respect to Bryan, this was not purely a manufacturer-specific question because other companies offer replacement wheels for this model.  The Atlas/Kato RS-3 has been around long enough that it has actually gone htrough several wheel offerings, from wheels with traction tires, to blackened wheels, to low profile wheels.

You have two options:

1. Contact Atlas Parts for the newer wheels.  They still stock some parts for this locomotive, although their stocks are dwindling with the passage of time.

2. Source the Northwest Short Line replacement wheel sets for these locomotives, which is what I did.


And do not hesitate to ask questions - our hobby hours are precious and few and answers can often be had here more quickly than elsewhere.


Tim

[strummer]

You should be able to snap the plastic truck frame off to replace the wheelsets without having to disassemble any Atlas RS3 model, whether the original Kato-made model tooled in Japan or the current model tooled in China.

Now that's some good news; thanks.

Mark in Oregon

[peteski]

You should be able to snap the plastic truck frame off to replace the wheelsets without having to disassemble any Atlas RS3 model, whether the original Kato-made model tooled in Japan or the current model tooled in China.

I don't think that this will work on the original Kato-made trucks. In those trucks, the internal metal frames are only held by the plastic sideframe assembly. If you somehow remove it while the truck is still in the locomotive, the rest of the truck will totally fall apart.

This thread did reminded me that when these models were new I bought bunch of extra trucks. That way, I could have extra wheels without traction tires. I just took the spare trucks apart and then pulled the wheels off the plastic axles. Using those extra wheels I replaced the traction tire wheels in my RS-3s and RS-11s. I still have several leftover wheels with traction tire grooves in them.