Can We Make This 1969 Union Pacific F7 Run? Seized Motor... 

most people would have thrown it in the garbage. u gave it new life. props

I can't believe just how lively this thing is despite everything. It runs like it's brand new.

wow!! She's back to life!!!!! Glad to see that this engine has life left!!!

And this is why you don't clean tracks with steel wool 😆. Those are such fine shavings I can't for the life me figure how it got that bad. Oh Harrison, you have two eyes. Flinging a bunch of metal shavings around without eye protection is a good way to get to one or none.

Wow! SMT fixed a seized motor! At first, I actually thought you had to replace the motor. Now that it hauls a lot, call it 'The Freightmaster'

The thing about Athearn is the ability to switch covers with the better running motor. Also F7$ and four axle geeps handle smaller radius track as good as any as you illustrated here. Nice job fixing the little shaver..)

Tape is definitely the best method of removing the metal filings from the magnet. I had that happen to a rare-earth magnet I was using to find a small metal part I dropped in the driveway. Big mistake -- I didn't find the part, but the magnet suddenly became very hairy from metal filings left by cars parked there. Tape is what finally pulled the mess off the magnet, but it was something stronger than masking tape. I'd go back in there with some packing tape (stronger adhesive than maasking tape) and remove as much of the remaining filings as possible just for the long-term health of the motor, even if it may not see a whole lot of runtime after today, given the number of engines you have :D

Harrison, one request: You've fixed so many engines that it's getting hard to search through them all looking for a specific one. Could you create playlists by model maker? I.e all the athearns, all the Bachmanns, etc.

The "Harrison Touch" prevails! That was so awesome to watch! Hauling all that freight, incredible! Great job Harrison,! 💜😊

i would trust any of my engines to you, and feel confident that it was in good hands!

You can remove the armature with no worry, just put a bolt in place allowing the bolt to to touch the magnets. This will keep the magnetism in check for as long as you need.

Perfect video to watch while eating breakfast. You timed it almost correctly for Finnish time breakfast

If SMT is working on the problem the answer is.....👉 YES !!

Congratulations on getting it back on the rails! 🎉. A suggestion would be to clean up the points where the trucks contact the frame. An important electrical contact point.

I’m pretty sure that the motor suffered some damp corrosion just from the look on the steel motor. But no other parts on the model have damage except for the rust on the contact strip and a good way to clean corrosion like that is with a dremmel with a certain attachment( I forgot what one) Great job fixing this SMT!

Thank you, Harrison, for showing the workings of these models and giving us novice enthusiasts like me some confidence to service these engines without ruining them, once again many thanks

I had an Athearn locomotive of that vintage once. The motor mounts are usually a grey rubbery material, possibly a molded RTV. I know that the magnets are sintered iron, a process of molding metal with heat and pressure, but not melting. Like Zamac, it will breakdown with time. Considering the condition of the shell, it was probably stored somewhere where it cycled through extreme cold for fifty years. I am surprised at the minimal loss of magnetic properties. I would, however, replace the magnet eventually, as once the deteriorating starts, , it will continue, though probably a a slower rate, with your TLC. Be well.

Another miracle of resurrection from Harrison! Great job!

Honestly I hope you get a play button I love watching your videos because it gives me inspiration to work on my own problem child engines

Great job repairing and restoring your UP F7! Keep up the good work and stay marked up!

When you disassemble those Athearn motors, make sure you you mark the magnet so it goes back together the right way. If the magnet is installed backwards the motor will run backwards. It's the magnet polarity that determines direction.

I just realised I have the same fiberglass pencil I used to fix my rusty athern FP45 Well great video as always

Great job. thoses Athearn blue box engins when well maintain will run for years

I have seen this before, people with home shop grinders and Metal saws etc. the shavings get everywhere. You have to use high pressure air from a compressor or canned air and blow that unit out completely. The high pressure will blow the shavings right off no issue, just do it outside and use eye protection. Rinse with electrical parts spray or contact cleaner spray and it should be squeaky clean again. The little bit you left in there will eventually destroy that motor which would be a shame as shes still a good runner. Athearn Blue box aside from outright abuse are near indestructible which is why they hold pretty good value. Thankfully they made so many that you can still get them pretty cheap. I never pass on Athearn blue box engines at shows especially the the small yellow parts pouches that many folks never used that has the glass, rails and other parts. You can easily replace the engines with basic double shaft can motors if you're really pressed for parts. Great video as always!

Great restoration, SMT! I was horrified when I saw the condition of that motor.

Great work Harrison

It's amazing how the smallest piece of metal sticks to those magnets. I was afraid all those metal shavings would have destroyed the coils. Good job!

Watching your restoration videos on old locomotives is definitely going to help with the old ones i recently got, hope to see more like this

I made some ALCATRAZ video's off of SAINT ROW 2. I am getting blame for more things going at the club, This one person wants to take my keys away from me; Now, My worker got a box she going to open 10-25th-22 I got my calendar for 2023. We need you to fix are DCC now you are so good at it.

Wow, you did such a good job fixing the locomotive, that it not only pulled a heavy train, but it snaps the coupling on it's own power. 😆

Wow, Guts you have man.. I remember trying to service my similar locomotive. Don't ask what happened to it.. Well done..

If you ever need to remove filings or pick up track pins 😂 put a neo or strong speaker magnet into a plastic bag or even an envelope and stronger magnet will attract all the filings and they all stuck to the outside of the bag etc. Remove magnet and all drop off.

I have a Southern F series from Athern that’s probably just as old. I broke it out with my old HO stuff since my son is now almost 4 and in love with trains. The little Southern F series, my oldest HO train is still running like a top. Better than a lot of the others we’ve bought.

i bought a lot of 10 athearn blue boxes at ebay. 4 of them had similar motors but even in worse condition. the seller cleaned for the pictures the boxes of the fallen-off magnet pieces (and thats what the small metal pieces are!) and told me that he didnt saw it. one of the magnets was rotten to the half of the original size... the discount was about just 10 percent so i decided to return and take my money back. good the decision, once the magnet has started to fall apart it will continue and you cant stop it. the end of the ebay story? the seller sold it again and - surprise surprise - again without to mention the problems. even the cleaned pictures were used again...

I use high pressure air from my compressor to remove metal filings, while wearing eye protection of course. Really enjoy your channel. Trying to decide if I want to stick my foot in the deep waters that is the model train hobby.

Gotta love those old Athearn locomotives

Love the "will it run". I'd love to see you add a light to the front.

Such a amazing video and job! You should work at a repair shop! Have a good day!

For better electrical contact, solder a wire from the top tab of each truck to the long metal clip on top of the motor....I've done that with every old Athearn loco I have (those I haven't put DCC in yet). And just in case...I always test them with the shell off, because I'm a clod and I'm likely to screw something up...but still...DAMNED FINE WORK, Harrison!!!!

To cure the crappy cover boxes drill and tap it with a 2-56 screw with a KD coupler box

I use "Brake Kleen" to clean armatures and magnets, as it also displaces moisture and dries without a residue, followed by a soft toothbrush to remove any oxidation. Only caveat is it will attack some types of plastic, so you have to test it on a small part first.

This is definitely my favorite type of video you do - I’ve learned so much from watching these videos! I’ve been able to either resurrect or properly maintain my locomotives from your tips & tricks. Thank you!

9:09 I get it, it's like preventative maintenance; the whole "Fix it before it breaks" mindset(which is a good mindset to have).

You know it’s going to be a good show when you start with “What the heck?!” Lol. Awesome job.

Love it when they come back to life.

Harrison... single-handedly saving vintage model trains since... how long has it been now? And most of the time using all the original parts. And inspiring others to do the same.

great restoration as always. one testament to Athearn I noticed with model power or lifelike/phroto 2000 1000 they took their design because it works so well. the only thing that I can't stand is that piece of metal that goes between both the trucks. on my f unit I removed it and soldered a piece of wire between both and then solder that to the motor because I had an issue with mine otherwise a great drive system that has worked for generations. there is one thing different on yours versus mine the motor mount are held in with screws it vs pegs. anyway 12 cars I think I counted on level track I'm sure if it was weighted a little bit more it could haul more but that's still awesome. mine Hauls about the same also the motor is a can motor versus the open motor that you have.

Bubba heard if you added weight to a locomotive, it pulled more, so decided to add the filinigs to the motor not the shell

I got a Penn central athearn gp35 with this drive, and it runs decent even with half the drive. Reason why I say that is because I’m missing the piece with the worm gear for one side. I had to completely take it apart and reassemble everything because the trucks were falling out and parts were falling out as well.

It looked like a crime scene in there Harrison. Great job. Send me the shell&I'll detail part/weather it for ya🚂🇨🇦🙋

Yes! That a nice looking engine too! GREAT JOB!!

Another interesting save.

I love how you fix your locomotives SMT!

Keep in mind that those clips on the trucks do warp over time so be careful. My first HO scale locomotives were Athearn yellow box F7 A/B set

Great job, yet again Harrison!

excellent job harrison! (well done!!)

Looks like the magnet is slowly disengrating. I've seen that before in a motor out of a Chinese remote helicopter. Unfortunately that cannot be fixed, and you will have to replace the magnet or the motor eventually. All those bits stuck to the magnet are actually part of the magnet that have come loose. Looks like you could really use a digital multi-meter which is invaluable in checking electrical stuff, like making sure each of the armature windings are intact.

Good job. Those old Athearns are bullet proof. I've found that if they hum, they'll run with a little cleaning and oil.

Needs some lights and windows now :)

Once got an Athearn blue box PA for $30 didn’t run at first. But all it needed was a bit of cleaning up on the motor and trucks and it was running again.

Looks good! Thx for another great video!

Great save Harrison! Looks like it had an interesting life.. lol Should run for another 60yrs now!! 😂 Good work, really enjoying your channel and all the vintage locomotives

Ez to replace the motor. Add the cab window glazing, horns and LED headlight.

thats such an amazing loco! i really love the union pacific F7’s

the myth about disturbing magnetic field originated with early alnico magnet motors that could be demagnetized and remagnetized quite easyly at room temperature by exposing to other magnetic fields (shiny light metalic looking magnets) ceramic ferite (black ones) magnets and neodinium magnets can only be magnetized and demagnetized in high temperature (above 250c) or very low temperatures (below -20c) they lose some charge with time but removing a rotor from a motor won't hurt it, unless you put it back without aligning the shaft in the middle

Seems canned air might have been helpful.....blow those parts off outside.....Great job though! Looks wonderful!

Man, that was one furry little motor…😆

Hey mate that was a ripper of a job good onya👍.

You do amazing work

I had an athearn blue box dd40 dual motor that had the same issue with the motors. One magnet was in multiple pieces! I believe the magnet started to decentigrate due to corrosion or being dropped.

kind regards from NL.

Nice work

Hot glue is good for removing metal shavings from magnets.

It looks like you have a bum magnet. Not sure what would cause it, but I don't think those are iron filings - those are pieces of the magnet spalling off and will probably continue decomposing. Time to look in the parts box for a replacement magnet. Nice repair!

In my personal opinion the old style Athearn motor was much better than the current motor with brass fly wheels, the steel fly wheels didn't come on that motor until four years later in '73 it added extra weight to it which is even better in fact they should have refined the existing motor instead of using an over long version which looks so lopsided when installed, Also the metal side frames were better than the plastic ones that would replace the metal side frames in '75

Hoping to you add lights and brighter leds. Thanks for the hands on .

That's the Athearn jet motor.

I think I would have gone for a new can motor on this one.

Compressed air would be the best bet to remove all the loose metal shavings. canned air or air compressor.

Nice save

Excellent repair Harrison. Thanks for taking us along.

This athern at the beginning of the vid looks like my varney engines, yes I know it’s a f unit but only 2 of my 10 run but one of the ones that runs is a Florida east coast loco. I can’t stop buying varneys I bought one for 1 usd recently. The only athern I have is a blue box budd rdc car that squeaks so loud. And my only Bachman spectrum smokes when it runs. Oh well, I run my steam locos most of the time anyways.

I gotta say Harrison, that is one of the more bizarre issues I've seen on any locomotive, let alone an Athearn locomotive! It's strange it also lacks the familiar dual flywheel design found on most Athearn locomotives, but then again, I'm nowhere near as familiar with the pre blue box locomotives in that department. Either way, this thing still has plenty of life left in it and they also appear to be real speedsters as well, I thought it was going to fly off the table for a minute there, lol! Great work as always Harrison!

The magnet on the engine is made from compressed iron and glue The magnet is delaminating. Harrison save tour self a headache. replace the motor

If no one can fix it. SMT Mainline can always fix it.

Time for a new motor. Your magnet is disintegrating. This is not the first time see this, and I've had this type of Athearn motor with the same magnet completely disintegrate into the same shavings.

I run o/o27 and frog snot makes it so i dont have to see the bands as it drys mostly clear. The trade off is theres a loss if traction by one freight car. I have even used it on non-banded engines (VERY thin layer) to gain traction about 2 cars more.... but also could just add tire weights or fishing lead flattened with a hammer.

What controller do you use sir. Great video as always

Older video I know but I'd open it up again and clean it out one more time. I bet some metal bits have shaken out and are attached to the magnet. I find a toothbrush or smaller but stiff paint brush will knock those metal bits off.

That was Totally Awesome. I've been watching many of your videos for quite some time now, and I can't help but ask a question, Have you ever recieved a locomotive that was so far gone that you couldn't repair it? If so, could you please make a video about it?

Hermosa locomotora

Oh $#!T, iron filings. I wasn't expecting that, but I didn't expect you having so much trouble removing the filings either. Maybe I shouldn't be an armchair technician on this, but you got it to work and that's what matters.

Absolutely amazing, Harrison! One of your best. While I’m at it, tell us about how you manage to have such good camera work? Do you hold it yourself? Use a tripod? Have a hidden friend assisting? Have always wondered because it is so good, especially in comparison with some other channels.

Impressive as always. I was wondering when I saw all that dust fly up when you tested the motor if you ever thought about getting a relatively cheap ultrasonic cleaner to clean up the parts prior to reassembly?

Spare yourself the aggravation and install a new can motor. Use silicone to set it. A-line and NWSL make excellent kits for this. Hard wire he assembly and this will run on poar with Atlas.

Athearn blue box locos run forever if you keep them lubed.

Cool video

Neat! Saying Hi Happy R/Edin thanks Harrison

Great video smt!! Can you do the union pacific dash 9 in the next video? I have been dying to see it run!

Serenity!