Locomotive Wheels jam
- Thread starter Traindude
- Start date
Some really good rock and roll?
Sorry, couldn't resist. I've had several locomotives over the years that have had these problems and it almost always has to do with the gears in the gear tower. A little microscopic piece of ballast or some foreign material usually locks things up.
Sorry, couldn't resist. I've had several locomotives over the years that have had these problems and it almost always has to do with the gears in the gear tower. A little microscopic piece of ballast or some foreign material usually locks things up.
N
nachoman
What kind of loco and what scale are you talking about? If it is a steamer, my bet is on a driver out of quarter.
Kevin
Kevin
Dead on. Steam locomotives can bind if wheels are out of quarter...you'd be able to see it if one side sort of jumps once per driver revolution.
The other thing could be that the piston/cylinder alignment is off. I had a brass hudson which would occasionally bind as the piston popped out of the cylinder and then didn't go back in. That particular import was known for many of its sisters ending their careers when the valve gears were ripped off...I suspect that this is how it happened. The real problem was that the cylinder saddle had a little play in it...and needed to be slided back all the way and tightened down...no more binding.
Yeah, steam locos are just a bunch of parts lookin' for a way to make trouble. :twisted:
:-D:-DAlso look for gear mesh too tight or too loose, crosshead(s) jammed in their guides, and bent rods or valve gear. I repaired one loco whose rods both interfered with one another and also caught on the driver counterweights.
But, as Kevin asks, what's the loco and who's the manufacturer?
Wayne
Sounds like this is the older version of the 2-8-0, not the Spectrum, as the Spectrum is a belt drive. Unless you're comfortable tearing down your loco, your best bet is to return it to Bachmann. They will either repair or replace it, under the warranty.
Wayne
Wayne
N
nachoman
Unless you have extensiely weathered it or custom detailed it - send it back to bachmann and they will send you a new one. If you are attached to that particular one, I don't know if they repair them or just replace them. I have heard nothing but good things about bachmann's customer service.
Kevin
Kevin
Ah, is that jamming or not running? If there's a worm gear in there, the wheels won't turn when it's pushed.
Another source of jam is valve gear, especially the little bits in Walschaerts, which may flip out of position when the loco is upside down and not fall back into place.
If the loco was running, it's probably not driver quartering unless a wheel has slipped.
Another source of jam is valve gear, especially the little bits in Walschaerts, which may flip out of position when the loco is upside down and not fall back into place.
If the loco was running, it's probably not driver quartering unless a wheel has slipped.
Hmm...I was blessed with having a problem on my old Bachmann Plus 2-8-0...I don't remember what went wrong...but they replaced it with a Spectrum model for $30...and my Bachmann Plus engine had been modified. I also recall spending $30 for a GS-4 replacement....and $30 or $45 for a new J to replace the one where I lost an axle. In all of those cases...I'd lost parts which is why they cost me money...but if it is intact...they'll fix it for free. Their service department is awesome.
I have decided to go to O Scale in stead of HO Scale. Because of Some of HO The Bodies of the Locos are made of plastic. At least Backmann's are. Does anybody know a copany that makes HO Scale that is diecast? In the O scale Lionel makes some of their desel engines out of diecast.
Actually...I strongly prefer plastic to diecast or brass...and I own all three.
There are HO manufacturers...such as Bowser. O scale is a very different animal from HO. Very different. Especially Lionel and the 3-rail stuff (don't ever post on a O scale forum the biggest 3-rail question...which is better, MTH or Lionel...fires will rage)
There are HO manufacturers...such as Bowser. O scale is a very different animal from HO. Very different. Especially Lionel and the 3-rail stuff (don't ever post on a O scale forum the biggest 3-rail question...which is better, MTH or Lionel...fires will rage)
Bowser offers diecast steamers, but they come as kits. Not too difficult to build, but a little more work to modify than plastic. Here's a Bowser NYC K-11 Pacific, which has been modified a bit.
Wayne
Wayne
Bachmann will probably fix it for free. I have one of those...and it is wonderful whether pulling 40 cars or just sitting in my china cabinet.