Model Railroading > Ernst gears

Has anyone ever used these gears? How are they?
Thanks
ChessieX

I have a SW1500 with some in it... runs real slow (like a switcher should).... pulls good too, but I think the metal Cary body might have a lot to do with that.

Personally, I think they are too slow for use in a mainline locomotive (they max out at about 35 SMPH) and get kind of noisy at that speed.

Athearn units with Ernst gears will pull your house down the street, but it will all be low speed running. At higher speeds they start to sound like an atlas turntable (or a small coffee grinder). A friend locally has two Trainmasters able to pull 100 caol hoppers with ease.

If you do use them, don't expect to use them in a lash up with other non-Ernst units...it doesn't work. But they are great for switchers and drags.

I have several Athern F7's and an RDC w/Ernst gearing and generally like them. They DO pull and they ARE noisy, but then they become a kind of poorman's sound system! My chief problem is the wheels slipping in the axel gears but a drop of CA seems to have fixed that.

Years ago I tried a set of Ernst gears out on an Athearn sd40-2. After
putting the re-geared trucks together I quickly noticed how tight,
incredibly tight the gears were. So tight that the whole thing was
not usuable. I returned that kit and purchased another. Again the
same thing happened. Not wanting to give up I put some Pearl Drops
tooth paste into the gear boxes and ran the unit until I had a smooth
free wheeling pair of trucks. Problem solved, right. Nope as soon as
I asked the unit to pull I was entertained by a chores of clicking gears that were skipping like mad. In 2 minutes those gears were in the trash. Oh well. In all fairness maybe my local hobby shop had
simply gotten a bad batch of gears. Maybe Ernst has improved their
product,as my experience was over 10 years ago.

I used them in an old Athearn GP9(7). Since it was a yard and local engine, the slow speed was exactly what I wanted. It would pull about anything I put behind it with no difficulty. I installed them in 1982 and removed them a year and a half ago when I reworked the old workhorse with new trucks and reversing headlights and placed it into mainline service.

I still have the gears in a drawer awaiting another assignment. They are noisy at speed.

Roger

I remember (thanks to Common Sence's jogging of my memory) that I did get a duff set of gears from them, the holes were off center, amking eliptical gears, pretty hard to run that way! Traded 'em at the Whistle Stop for a new set (pre-inspected this time) and no problems after that. That WAS several yers ago and recent sets have been consistantly good. Every baker has a bad batch now and then. If they make good on it, I'll give 'em another chance.

I have used these gear sets for many years without any problems. I use them in Athearn SD9, GP9(7), and F7 units. If you are wanting to run high speed freight or passenger trains, I would not recommend them. They change the stock Athearn gear ratio from 12:1 to 36:1, and a scale 35 mph is about the top speed. However, I personally model a shortline using 1st generation diesels lugging long freights, and the slow speed/high torque combination sets the mood quite nicely. Once you re-gear the first unit, the rest become quite easy. Try a set, and if you do not like it, just re-install the original gears. Hope this helps.......and Happy Railroading!