# Waddling Atlantic



## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I recently bought two old non running Lionel Atlantics . One I turned into a consolidation, using an Aristo Mikado. The second I'm trying to make into a good runner.

Following the tips on George Schreyer's site, I tied down the motor, shimmed the gearbox cover, added weight, and added 18 points of power pickup. It runs well and pulls well but it waddles from side to side as it runs--quite a bit. I made sure the wheels were exactly aligned, and I tried swapping out one axle/wheel set for a second axle/wheel set from the other Atlantic. Still waddles. I'm hesitant to swap out both wheelsets\s because the gear on one of the extra axles is a little bit chewed up


Any ideas why or how to fix?


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's the engine in question. If I can't fix it. I'm thinking of maybe just making a second consolidation


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*One idea...Is to put a coil spring on the pony trucks that will put presser on it and little more wt in the front end or boiler.. This will keep it streight and not going back and forth down the tracks.. The Pony will slow it down in the waddling. Like the real eng did.*


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Check your back to back gauge, sometimes this causes a movement side to side between the rails... Too narrow, and the loco hunts from side to side. Too wide, and the loco can ride up out of the rails. (I had this happen on my Northern, but it was tight gauge Aristo track... another story!). 

Another possibility is the wheels are really not true, do they run true? Put it on it's back and look for wobble in the drivers. 

Regards, Greg


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I expect one drive axel is a little bit ahead of the other. Look REAL close.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I have an Atlantic, you sync them as close as you can get them, but the gear on the axle engages a worm on the motor shaft, so close is all you get. 

There is enough slop in the rods that you do not get binding. 

Regards, Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks all. Monkeying with the pilot and trailing trucks seems to have helped some. Part of the problem may be the trailing truck--I wanted a metal wheel in there for additional power pickup and the closest in size that I had at hand was from the trailing truck of an aristo pacific--much too small. I'm working on finding a replacement metal wheel. 

The Atlantic as Greg said has 2 drive axles. Each has a big gear on it, and then the motor has two brass worm gears--that's it. The wheels are as aligned as they can get. Despite the waddle, it runs well--pulls very well and crawls very well. It will pull four heavyweights up the horribly unprototypical 5% grade I have been unable to engineer away, although I only did it once or twice.



Why did Lionel abandon large scale? The Atlantic could have been an excellent engine with a few small changes. It's a really nice size--it looks good on eight foot curves, it has the look of mainline, standard gage stock without the huge overhang. It's the same niche aristo is aiming for with its consolidation. And why do they hang onto molds and tooling without using them? It's a puzzle.

Another puzzle--why did Lionel specifically copy the PRR E6, then not issue it with PRR lettering? Bizarre. 


Anyway, for future reference here are the changes I made, mostly the same as on George's page


Added @3 lbs of weight
added lgb plunger pistons for power pickup on drive wheels

Shimmed gearbox cover to stop rocking 

replaced plastic pilot wheels with pilot wheels from bachman annie, used brass tube as bushing for power pickup

replaced trailing truck wheelset with metal wheelset from aristo pacific, used aristo bushings for power pickup

Added AML ball bearing wheels to tender


Bunch of cosmetic stuff


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## Robbie Hanson (Jan 4, 2008)

Those pilot wheels are DEFINITELY from an older Aristo Pacific, not a Bachmann Annie. 

Looks nice--good luck avoiding the gear shred mine had back in the day!


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Robbie Hanson on 15 Jul 2009 05:32 AM 
Those pilot wheels are DEFINITELY from an older Aristo Pacific, not a Bachmann Annie. 

Looks nice--good luck avoiding the gear shred mine had back in the day! 
Yes, I know they are--the picture I posted shows version 1. those wheels didn't work s I used the wheels from the Annie. I used epoxy to fill in the spokes. I'll post a picture when the thing is lettered and done


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