Q: I have a pair of Northern Pacific HO scale Proto 1000 Alco RS11 locomotives that were stored new many years ago. I got them out the other day, and as I expected, the bearings on both sides of the worm gears were frozen. I oiled them and got them spinning again, then lubed everything. Unfortunately, a loud, intermittent whine/grinding noise started coming from one truck after I replaced the worm gear cover. I took the cover off again, checked everything, put it back on, and the noise was still there. I don’t understand how replacing the cover could cause this. Can you shed any light on this? — Tim Ward
A: Troubleshooting a noisy locomotive can be tricky. Since the sound is coming from the truck, I would start by checking the drive axle gears. Some pre-2005 Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 models had issues with the gears cracking over time. One of my HO scale Proto 2000 Electro-Motive GP9 diesels had this problem.
If you discover the gears are cracked, there are a few options for replacing them. Athearn Trains (ATH60024) and A-Line (40005) offer replacement gears that will fit on some Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 axles. Walthers sells replacement geared driver assemblies as items 920-584408 and 920-584494. I wrote about using the Walthers assemblies on my GP9 in the July 2019 Model Railroader. You can watch a video of the project on Trains.com.
I also found a discussion about Proto 1000 RS11s making squealing noises on the recently relaunched Trains.com forums. One forum user suggested it could be a bad axle bearing. Another recommended applying LaBelle No. 107 oil on each side of the motor shaft bushings and on the axle ends, as well LaBelle No. 106 grease on the axle gears. It was also suggested to lubricate the worm gear bushings.
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