I'm considering buying a pair of old Athearn locomotives, both needing truck clips and drive belts for about $20. On one, it also needs couplers as they're missing, which I'll change to Kadee, the other I'll leave with the horn couplers already on it so it can be used with older rolling stock. Seller also says they might need the drive shafts straightened. A pack of drive belts, which has enough belts for 5 locomotives is about $4-5. A truck clip is $3, totaling out to $12 for all I'll need. An air horn, which on the locomotive missing the couplers, is missing, is only a dollar or two. Couplers are $5 a set, or I might just stick to the original horn couplers, as Athearn's old horn couplers are $5 for three sets. Are these hard to fix? If I can get these to run, will all these parts added come out to less than two good condition locomotives?
I would definitely pass on these. There are much better bargains out there! Never heard of any Athearn locomotives using drive belts. Do you mean drive shafts?
Athearn used rubber band drives very early on, and they were not great runners even new. They would have to be at least 40 years old or so. If you're really up for tinkering with old mechanisms, you might enjoy it, otherwise look for an Athearn drive that uses a more modern design.
Yeah, these are real old. For $20, I wouldn't bother. If they were 5 or less a piece, then for sure do it.
It's $19 or Best Offer plus about $10 shipping. I was already planning on offering $10 for them. Would that be reasonable, or should I offer less? The guy already reduced them from $25, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's desperate to rid himself of them. So it wouldn't suprise me if I threw out a number that's less than than half the Buy It Now price, and he'd accept it.
If you want to do this simply because you love a challenge, then why not. But for any other reasons, I think this is definitely not worth it. Certainly don't buy any horn-hook couplers. Get Kadees or equivalents. The horn-hooks tend to disengage all too easily.
HiF drive Athearn (rubber band) had no truck clips. If the bands are broken, the trucks fall off. Supposed to. Athearn was out of belts last time, so I bought a bag of coloured hair bands the same size, and they work better.
I would offer less. If they were working with all parts maybe $20 with shipping assuming no train shows nearby
