on the pickups from the trucks. YES!! most locomotives on the market to-day pick up power off both trucks. dcc is alot more sensitive to disruptions of track power, whatever the cause. the power pickups on both trucks was always a good idea, with dcc it is a must!!! while in theory it is possible to run dcc off one truck, in practice one truck pickup will cause you problems eventually.
as for the replacement wheels, they are just that-wheels. athearn wheels have stub axles that the axle gears press fit on. you reuse the athearn axles and simply replace the wheels. it is very simple, twist off the wheels from the axles, twist the new ones back on. the only tool you need is an nmra guage, something you probably already have, and should get if you don't have one.
please note: some older proto2000 and stewart, and walthers diesels use athearn copycat drives, and athearn parts can be used on these engines.
as for the replacement wheels, they are just that-wheels. athearn wheels have stub axles that the axle gears press fit on. you reuse the athearn axles and simply replace the wheels. it is very simple, twist off the wheels from the axles, twist the new ones back on. the only tool you need is an nmra guage, something you probably already have, and should get if you don't have one.
please note: some older proto2000 and stewart, and walthers diesels use athearn copycat drives, and athearn parts can be used on these engines.