Kato RS11

[sirenwerks]

Picked up a trio of Kato produced Atlas RS11 real cheap. Don't know what the run like so I'm wondering what's required to improve their running and if anyone has worked on them cosmetically. I was thinking of turning them into RS18.

[Catt]

They are  KATO locomotives.Nuff said?

[jjb62556]

I have made a few into RS18 using the brass corners by Eric.  The older Kato RS-11 run fine....my need a good cleaning and light lube job. I found that polishing the trucks where they contact the frame help electrical contact greatly.

[sirenwerks]

I didn't find the RS18 conversion parts on his site, I was thinking of these [/http://www.shapeways.com/model/2543937/rs18-hood-end-n-scale-1-160.html?li=search-results-1&materialId=61

[jjb62556]

I can't bring that site up

[jjb62556]

Found the site...Those look great...should make the job a lot easier...What roads are you looking to do? I see he makes ends for the RS-10 also. Let us know how they work.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think you're gonna need some of the MTL pilot conversion kits to fill in the gap teeth too.

[strummer]

They are  KATO locomotives.Nuff said?

+1  I have 4, and all run beautifully...and look great too! MT#1150(?) conversion is easy to do, and greatly improves the look...

Mark in Oregon

[Power Stroke]

I have 6 of them, and the only weak spot I have found is that the wipers are somewhat fragile.  They can be a PITA to place when rebuilding a truck, so be patient.
As all of mine were purchased used off ebay, I have found that over time the wipers have lost contact with the wheels. As stated, a good cleaning, and lube are basically all that's needed.
I love mine!

[sirenwerks]

How about the wheels?  The flanges look huge and they look like they'd ride the spike heads of Atlas code 55; and the wheels need to blackened.  Has anyone swapped out the trucks completely, maybe using Kato RS2 trucks?  I got them for $10 bucks each, so putting some money into them is reasonable.

[mmagliaro]

+1 on the pilot conversion.  REALLY makes it look better.

I have one of the those early Kato-built Atlas RS-11's.  I guess I'm the outlier here, but I thought it
needed help.  It is quiet and smooth-running, but it is geared crazy-fast -
nothing like the other early Kato engines like the F3's that I have.

I also found it to be annoyingly stall-prone, so I got some extra non-traction-tire wheels and replaced
the TT wheels with those so it has 8 wheels of pickup instead of 6.  I gave up some pulling power, but
it was worth it.

If you can find an original 1st-generation Kato F3 motor to swap in there, that will slow it down nicely.
I couldn't, so I ground/reamed (read: lots of work) and put an old Lifelike diesel motor in it.
Slowed it down a lot.  (Be careful, not all Kato motors are the same.  The venerable "GM-5" is not
the original F3 motor).

You can also swap in gears and wheels from the Kato GP50 to get some more speed reduction (the early
F3 gears and wheels aren't available anymore, but those would work too).

Here's a thread on all the fooling around I did with this RS-11 years ago:
http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=40563

[sirenwerks]

Thanks for the input, Max.  I'm a little confused by the Atlas string... you ended up with a loco with GP50 trucks and an original F3 motor?  The GP50 trucks I can order but considering finding a suitable F3 donor is slim, any after market products that could work?  Or I do have three Atlas B40-8s and 2 SD35 with no purpose in life right now....  I have a handful of GP30 as well.  And would newer Kato F motors work, or are they not as worthy?

[mmagliaro]

Thanks for the input, Max.  I'm a little confused by the Atlas string... you ended up with a loco with GP50 trucks and an original F3 motor?  The GP50 trucks I can order but considering finding a suitable F3 donor is slim, any after market products that could work?  Or I do have three Atlas B40-8s and 2 SD35 with no purpose in life right now....  I have a handful of GP30 as well.  And would newer Kato F motors work, or are they not as worthy?

I *tried* an F3 motor by borrowing one from one of my old F3's, and the engine slowed down a great deal, which
revealed that the motor was indeed quite different.  But I couldn't keep it that way because I wanted my F3 in one piece.
I tried a Kato GM-5 motor, which at the time was a bread-and-butter replacement motor they sold for a good price,
but it was not slow like the F3 motor.  Then, I ended up with an old Life-Like diesel motor, but that required a good bit
of frame grinding to fit in there.

In *addition* to that, I swapped in the truck gears from a GP50 (so I could keep the RS-11 sideframes as they were,
just with different gears inside them).  that knocked about another 10% off the speed.

I really like the engine's performance now.  It is definitely noisier.  My F3's were always rather grindy noisy
engines compared to later F units, and when I changed the gears, I seem to have "imported" that noise into
my RS-11. 

I hope that clears it up.

Oh!
I cannot remember if I had to grind the flanges for Atlas code 55.  But if I did, it would have been the minor flange
"dressing" I've had to do on some Kato and LL diesels - just run it on its back and take a little off by holding a diamond
file on the flanges as it spins while running off clip leads.    On diesels where I have had to do this, it is a quick operation
as only a little bit needs to come off to clear the ties.

[mecgp7]

If you are going to spend money on all those parts, it'd be easier to buy an current Atlas RS3 or RS1 chassis. Both fit with no modification needed.

I've been able to make these older Kato made chassis run smooth as silk. The trick is ensuring conductivity from the rails to the motor. Sounds obvious, but without flywheels you can get the jerky performance. You'll need to disassemble the entire chassis, but it is worth it. Burnish the surfaces where the motor contacts touch the frame. Burnish the areas on the bottom of the frames where the trucks make contact. I use and anti-oxidizing oil here. The trucks are where the most impact is made. Take them apart and ditch the little metal wipers. They aren't needed and I find the locos run smoother without them. If you look a the the two metal pieces that hold the axles, you'll see the "U" shaped notches where the axles fit. Close inspection will reveal flashing  right where the axles sit. Can't see it, run a small round file across them. The flash will jump right out at you. I file all the flash smooth. Clean the axles well and put some of the anti-oxidizing fluid on them. Burnish the areas where the metal parts of the trucks touch the frame. I agree with others to swap out the traction tire wheels. Put the trucks back together and the chassis. I oil the worm gears and truck gears lightly. Clean the wheels and take her for a spin.
The big thing about these chassis is that they need to be run regularly. I have had great success with these methods.
CG

[mmagliaro]

If you are going to spend money on all those parts, it'd be easier to buy an current Atlas RS3 or RS1 chassis. Both fit with no modification needed.

I've been able to make these older Kato made chassis run smooth as silk. The trick is ensuring conductivity from the rails to the motor. Sounds obvious, but without flywheels you can get the jerky performance. You'll need to disassemble the entire chassis, but it is worth it. Burnish the surfaces where the motor contacts touch the frame. Burnish the areas on the bottom of the frames where the trucks make contact. I use and anti-oxidizing oil here. The trucks are where the most impact is made. Take them apart and ditch the little metal wipers. They aren't needed and I find the locos run smoother without them. If you look a the the two metal pieces that hold the axles, you'll see the "U" shaped notches where the axles fit. Close inspection will reveal flashing  right where the axles sit. Can't see it, run a small round file across them. The flash will jump right out at you. I file all the flash smooth. Clean the axles well and put some of the anti-oxidizing fluid on them. Burnish the areas where the metal parts of the trucks touch the frame. I agree with others to swap out the traction tire wheels. Put the trucks back together and the chassis. I oil the worm gears and truck gears lightly. Clean the wheels and take her for a spin.
The big thing about these chassis is that they need to be run regularly. I have had great success with these methods.
CG

Do you mean the wipers that ride on the wheel backs?  Those aren't needed?  When those things get dirty, I lose all
pickup from those wheels, both on the F3 and the later F7.   Are these some other wipers you are talking about?
I'd really like to hear about this.  I hate those stupid wipers and I would love to get rid of them.

As for cost, well, perhaps.   But I already had the motor, the extra wheelsets were a gift, and a pair of GP50 trucks is only $17.