How long will N scale engines last

[pennsyfan1361]

How long will N scale engines last? I read on another forum from skipgear one steamer ran for 2,000 hours and the side rod wore off the crank pin and a Atlas GP15 lasted three months running 10 hours a day 7 days a week then DIED . I was wondering if most modelers stockpile parts like brushes or other parts?Are brushes universal to one maker Atlas or Kato or would brush sets for each model RS3/GP15 need their own special set. Do some modelers  set up a maintenance schedule six months or a year to extend their engines life? After reading the thread on modeling when you get older I would like to have all the engines I have now still running went I get up in years.        Rich                                                                                                                                                               P.S. I'm 47 now halfway there 

[robert3985]

I've run lotsa engines for a long (LONG) time.  I've never had one wear out on me.  I've had 'em quit, but I've never burned up the points, wore out the rods or any of that shtuff.

I have had engines quit that had good reputations, such as one of my son's Kato GS-4's (motor died...KatoUSA fixed it for free), and some engines that just weren't good from the start (my Key PA-PB-PA lash up and all of my Hallmark Geeps and F's [cracked nylon idler gear])  I managed to fix the Hallmark Geeps and F's, but I never got my key PA's running reliably.  Finally sold 'em on eBay.

I do clean the tires on my engines periodically using my Kadee wheel cleaner, and...I make sure the rods are oiled properly on those of my engines whose drivers are actually powered by the rods coming off the geared main drivers.

Some of my brass I've had for over 30 years.  I might decide to put 'em up if Kato or Athearn decide to produce more quality steam engines that are actually better detailed (and much cheaper) than brass steam.  There's a strong rumor Kato will be offering a UP FEF-3 sometime in the first quarter of next year.  I'll be buying several to compliment my present fleet of Key brass FEF-3's and FEF-2's.

So, the answer to your question is: Who knows?

One thing for certain...I always turn my engines off before I go to bed.  If I ran nothing but one steam engine for an hour a day, seven days a week, it would take me 2,000 days before it wore out.  That's 5.48 YEARS!! As it is, I have over a hundred engines and I don't run them every day...sometimes for several weeks while I'm working on my layout. 

I'm just not gonna worry about it.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[mecgp7]

As Bob stated, most of us don't run them 24/7 so they'll last a long time. The other factor to consider is how you run them. I've seen some who run at mach 7 or who like to overload their locos with long trains that the locos struggle to pull. Both heat up motors quickly and that can't be good. I have 30 year old locos that still run well (for what they are).

I have found that NOT running locos doesn't help. I periodically try to give all my locos a brief workout. This prevents oxidation and keeps the parts lubricated.

[Brakie]

Rich,I wouldn't worry about such things.

I'm quite aware of  skipgear's torture tests and don't put much stock in them since most locomotives are ran far less then his tests.Do you run your locomotives 70 hours a week? I didn't think so.I have no real hard facts but,as a wild guess I would say maybe a locomotive sees 10 hours a month run time and that may be on the high side..

If you maintain your locomotives and run them at scale speed they should last a life time.

[reinhardtjh]

I think it was Victor that ran the torture tests, Tony (Skipgear) was just running a display layout at the hobby shop.  In any case, under "normal" circumstances an N scale locomotive ought to last a good while even if you run it every day.

  John H. Reinhardt

[Brakie]

John,You are correct..Victor runs the torture test not skipgear.

Sorry Tony..My bad.

[sizemore]

Reports of failure are kinda like the news cast at the end of the day, or access to the internet. You only hear the bad news.

The S.

[LV LOU]

I have locomotives that are over 40 years old.Other than the absolutely horrible brushes on some old Bachmann stuff that burned up,not wore out,never remember buying or changing a brush,never remember wearing out much at all. Same advice here..Don't worry about it.

[Kisatchie]

A hobby shop I used to frequent in Kenner LA (outside New Orleans), and they had a Kato Mikado running for years on their store layout. Funny, but I was there when the side rods (one on each side) wore through and the engine stopped dead. I was amazed they both went at the same time.


Hmm... Kiz and I both
went to the bathroom at
the same time once...

[DKS]

I have locomotives that are over 40 years old.Other than the absolutely horrible brushes on some old Bachmann stuff that burned up,not wore out,never remember buying or changing a brush,never remember wearing out much at all. Same advice here..Don't worry about it.

+1

Unless you're running torture tests, catastrophic failures most often happen relatively early, usually due to QC issues or very poor quality parts. Some locos may need a little ordinary service once in a while to maintain their health, such as cleaning and lubrication (particularly brass); it's otherwise something I've never worried about.

[rogergperkins]

I purchased my first n-scale engine in a set; a 2-8-2. Set was sold by Atlas in 1973-4 time frame, so that is my oldest engine, still ran the most recent time I put it on the track.
I have a couple of U-50s purchased about 1975-76 that run.
I have never just ran one to see how long it endured constant operation.  However, I expect that heat generated might be a factor in doing so. 

[GP38-2freak]

Back in the mid-90s when I my first ordered US models (Life Like GP38-2 and F40PH) arrived, some months later the thin wires for contacting broke...and the motor of the F40 smoked away...after this dilemma and some "better" models I began to order some of the most needed parts like brushes and even some motors, especially for some Kato units...well, you may think that I'm a little bit stupid  but here in germany it's a very big problem when your engine goes broken and no replacement parts available..just try to get a new undecorated body for a Kato GP38...no chance for me so it is a good idea to stockpile some of the most important parts   

[pennsyfan1361]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I was just wondering what everyone does about keeping their engines running.I have been in N scale for about 30 years and have about 260 engines mostly Atlas or Kato and back 30 years ago when the Atlas RS3 came out I  used to buy the brush sets and wonder if I still should. I've had some old bachmann die on me and other then the Katos squealing and needing the motor bearing oiled I haven't had any problems. I was just wondering what other modelers do to maintain their engines. Guess the old sayings goes if it's not broke don't fix it and the squeaky motor bearing gets the oil     Rich

[SkipGear]

The loco eating layout is now working on a Kato NW2. Leon from Kato stopped by after the WGH show this year and asked me to try a Kato loco out and see how it goes. They would repair/replace it for me if it failed. That was March 12th. Two months later it is going strong with zero maintainence.

[pnolan48]

I ran some torture tests perhaps 12 years ago with Bachmann Spectrum F-7s and Kato E-8s. Two of six F-7s quit after about 400 hours (about 160K scale miles) of continuous running due to cracked axle gears; the others did not suffer the same malady when retired for DCC (the F-7 shells over LL GP-20 mechanisms). I think the gears may have cracked whether the engines were running or just sitting in a box, so that test is probably inconclusive. One of four Katos developed a screech in about 600 hours due to a dry motor bearing--oiling it would cure it for only a few minutes. This was in Albuquerque, where things do dry out, so again inconclusive. In normal running, say 8 hours per week while I was working on the road, no other "modern" diesel ever quit. My first-gen diesels from 40 years ago usually died from brush wear if they ran long enough, or motor overheating if the mechanism was binding.

The first LL 2-8-8-2s did not have a long life due to crank pin wear, as there was only one geared axle per engine. I believe Victor Miranda and the late LongTrain Bob found that loading them down with weight to increase their pulling power shortened life even further. But I was horrible about even simple maintenance.

I think others have found that, with basic maintenance, most every modern engine, and a few old ones, will run a very long time.