# USA Trains Hudson Is Now A Shelf Queen



## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Some folks on here will claim that the USA Hudson is the most bullet proof engine ever made..well it's not. Here's one that wore out the drivetrain. The motor armature bushing on the wormgear end wore out allowing the armature windings to short out against the magnets. 

Charles Ro does NOT have any replacement parts in stock so now we have a $2,000.00 shelf queen.

Why didn't Ro use a ball bearing equipped motor is a good question?

Meanwhile a MTH Hudson has been called upon to fill in for the out of service USA T Hudson. 

MTH uses ball bearings in the motor & gearbox.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

It's all about the dollar. 

Plain and simple.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Bummer 
can you give us an idea of how many hours it has on it and how heavy of trains it pulled?


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

And the same person that claims this is the same person that alway says on the phone that Mike at USA always has most everthing he needs when he calls all the time after buying used stuff on ebay ....









This is probably the motor he drilled the end of to put an fly wheel on and screwed it up and had to order a new one so he told me on the phone last year. you betcha









Just another reason not to use MTH dcs in locomotives other than MTH

You becha....... 

LOL


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Marty,

I really dont think USA Trains had planned on someone completely taking apart one of there motors, putting it in a drilling chuck, and drilling out the motor shaft and then assembling the motor improperly with a HEAVY fly wheel on it,
and then exspecting it to live with a HEAVY FLY WHEEL ON IT which it wasnt designed for.

I have pictures some where around here that he sent me of the hack job i will have to try to dig them up. LOL


Thats probably the reason for the ball bearings on the MTH engines, there engineers planned on that extra HEAVY fly wheel and spec out a motor that could handle the extra weight....



So dont be fooled by the snow job. Just another reason not to do MTH DCS installs in non MTH locos







You betcha Just read between the lines You Betcha


LOL


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Chuck, very informative, I'll keep an eye on mine, although I'm sure mine doesn't have the hours that one has on it. Wonder if a maufacturer makes a compatible motor with BB's??? Maybe someone here knows???
Keep up the good work. nick jr


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## adelmo (Jan 2, 2008)

Hopefully Rayman will chime in and let us know what type of longevity his DCS custom installs are having.

Nick: Glad I didn't bid on your ebay Aristo Mallet & Pacific DCS engines.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Without taking sides, is there a possibility that that motor shaft was under (or not) lubricated? 

Chuck, how did the rest of the gearbox look? Of course there was probably grease for the gears, and that motor bearing looks like it would need to be oiled. 

Regards, Greg


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

It seems to me that by design the worm gear will be pushed off center by the gear it is driving, transmitting that force to the shaft, hence the wear on the motor housing. nick jr


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Sorry Nicholas Savatgy but your theories suck worse than you do. This is a stock non-dcs'd Hudson..in fact Dave Roberts and the KCGRS own it...if you don't believe me then just give him a call and ask him.


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## gscaleisfun (Jan 14, 2008)

Since my name has been mentioned and I have been drawn into this. The Hudson is a stock loco, Bought right after they were released. It probably has between 300-400 hours on it. It normally pulled a 6 car aristocraft heavyweight passenger train.


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Doesnt really matter, The current stystem just doent work very well in 2 rail envirement with out a lot of tricks and behind the seens happenings.

It was designed for 3 rail and that were its the best at what it does period.... You betcha LOL

And to comfirm, Yes USA is out of Hudson motors along with some other train things which are expected in a few weeks he hopes.

Hopefully WHEN the new MTH system comes out, Which by the way i was told it will be delayed again, maybe the new system can correct some of the control systems track issues hopefully ?

A couple of my Freinds went to The TCA last weekend and spoke with people from MTH about different things and each got a different answer so i guess we will have to wait and see if the main issues get resolved.

You Betcha..........










400 Hours thats great Dave









Glad to see you enjoying your loco


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Posted By Chucks_Trains on 22 Oct 2010 04:31 AM 
Sorry Nicholas Savatgy but your theories suck worse than you do. This is a stock non-dcs'd Hudson..in fact Dave Roberts and the KCGRS own it...if you don't believe me then just give him a call and ask him. 



Quote [Sorry Nicholas Savatgy but your theories suck worse than you do]


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

And need to say that USA Trains parts guru Mike is a great person who will bend over backwards to fulfill any parts order that I place with him.

You should know this more than anybody Nicholas seeing as a order of GP38's that you received about a year ago had some axle problems..or so you thought. Some axles got bumped out of the sideframes during shipping and you, in one of your druken stupors figured that the axle gears were split. So you call USA Trains and bitch about split axle gears and they send you "a whole bag of axles" free of charge when in reality all you had to do is re-seat the originals back into the sideframes. 

Sorry but I don't need to steal, cheat & lie to get what I want.

So Mr. Armchair rairoader, keep that seat nice & warm esp. considering you don't have a layout to operate any trains on


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Back to the loco... 

So USAT does not have replacement motors for the Hudson? That's a little concerning. 

But, I've never heard of Hudson motor bearing failures - until now! 

Did it get periodic lubrication? Can you get to that front motor bearing easily? I was planning on buying one, so I sure would like to hear from the people who know. 

Thanks, Greg


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Posted By Chucks_Trains on 22 Oct 2010 07:28 AM 
And need to say that USA Trains parts guru Mike is a great person who will bend over backwards to fulfill any parts order that I place with him.

You should know this more than anybody Nicholas seeing as a order of GP38's that you received about a year ago had some axle problems..or so you thought. Some axles got bumped out of the sideframes during shipping and you, in one of your druken stupors figured that the axle gears were split. So you call USA Trains and bitch about split axle gears and they send you "a whole bag of axles" free of charge when in reality all you had to do is re-seat the originals back into the sideframes. 

Sorry but I don't need to steal, cheat & lie to get what I want.

So Mr. Armchair rairoader, keep that seat nice & warm esp. considering you don't have a layout to operate any trains on











Seems as if your the only one getting upset when the truth comes out, so thats on you.. Defensive mode i get.... You Betcha LOL 

Truth hurts some times man up... and stop being lead around by your nose ring and become your own man.. You betcha










You a smart guy when it come to this stuff you dont need your little buddy pulling your strings Your, your own man stand up for yourself You betcha.. LOL


And as far as the wheels are concernd you know i switch from traction tired wheels to all metal so whos been drinking now










Any ways i'l talk to you in a couple of months when you wake up again and relize you made an ERROR again as you ussually do.. you betcha LOL


Only differance this time i may not forgive you but i do understand now how backstabbers work









Take care and hopefully i will see you in KS next year










And a final comment would be stop Googleing Greg because your jealous of him and trying to come up with dirt on him.. I think you could be better than that but maybe not.... You betcha.


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## ConrailRay (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks like a Pittman motor? I bought a few similar to this last year off evil-bay with ball bearings. Might be able to swap them out, but not sure how to change out the worm gear (press fit?) 

good luck! 
-Ray


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Knock off the "personal interactions" Gentlemen. MLS is no place for them - as has been said 10,000,000,000 times before.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I just bought one, and it is used. I read the manual. It states you need to grease the gearbox every 100 hours. So this unit with 400 hours on it should have been greased 4 times. 

I know this is an old thread, but the original owner did not comment when asked about lubrication.

I'll follow the manual and report back.

It is one beautiful, heavy sucker.

Greg


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## So_Pac (Oct 15, 2015)

A few of the Hudsons my friends own start to squeak after about 15ish hours of use. I've found that the brushes on the back of the driver tires are the main culprit and a drop of Labelle 107 on the back of the driver tire usually fixes the problem. At least for another 15 hours or so. Hopefully yours doesn't have that issue because it gets annoying after a while lifting the engine upside down to oil it every few runs. USA Docksiders also have this issue occasionally but for some reason they seem to be able to go way longer between lubrication before the squeak comes back again. 

Those Hudsons are an awesome engine to see rolling down the tracks. One of the most detailed engines I've ever seen. 

Austin Goodwin
Lead Operations Instructor - Fairplex Garden Railroad


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg, 

That's true about the manual stating to grease the gearbox but says nothing about oiling the motor bushings.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep that is true also, and strange that for something that needs gearbox lubrication so frequently (as opposed to many others that never need greasing), you would think the motor bushings would need it too.


From reading this thread, and seeing your video with the worn gearbox, I'm going to be very attentive to this loco.


By the way, do you have that link to the Youtube video?



Greg


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Sorry but I'm from the old school, if it rubs on anything it needs occasional lubrication of some kind. As good as the new materials are, they still should have a medium between surfaces. 
Chuck, does Ray 4449 have any of those Pitman motors with bearings still in stock?? That was a great improvement to an excellent locomotive. thank you


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

This one?

Just a note that this is a old topic and new motors from USA Trains were available about 2 years after the initial post.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

So I saw the amps go up when the shaft rattled around in the bushing. I'd guess it was never lubed.

Was there an update to the motors? I see the video, but from the overwhelming number of positive posts, this looks like an exception.

Greg


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