I recently picked up one of these at a garage sale, and I tried it out on the track and the motor barely goes, and it didn’t move. I opened it up and it is belt driven! Does anyone know of a way to make this a direct drive? Or is there a way to make this old thing run as is? Or am I out my $5?
Hi miniwyo- Went to the deviantart link, saw lots of neat pictures but none of a '56 Revelle switcher.
Now, I’m not an expert on this, but I would bet money that there is a way to re-motor your switcher. You might want to post this same question over on the “technology” section, )I forget it’s real name) and I’d betcha you’ll get not only an answer, but suggestions on how to do it.
Good pictures- and good luck on your quest.
I have heard of people using orthodontic care rubber bands to fix their old Athearn RDCs. I don’t know whether Rock Springs has an orthodontist or not; if not Rawlins might. It might just be that you’re going to have to take this turkey all the way to Laramie or Cheyenne or SLC to find something that will fit.
And if you go to Cheyenne you might as well drive another hundred miles and go to Denver and pay a visit to Caboose.
It must be a Revell SW-7.
I know some people use those black bands they sell for ponytails as more durable replacements for rubber band drives. You might also look into replacement tape drive belts.
As for wasting your money, it depends on the condition, and whether your interested in vintage HO equipment. It would probably sell for more than $5 on eBay.
miniwyo wrote the following post at 12-24-2007 5:51 AM: I recently picked up one of these at a garage sale, and I tried it out on the track and the motor barely goes, and it didn’t move. I opened it up and it is belt driven! Does anyone know of a way to make this a direct drive? Or is there a way to make this old thing run as is? Or am I out my $5? |
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I had one of these engines , I replaced mine with an Athearn switcher frame and motor it was a near perfect fit .
Replacing the drive and frame with a Athearn is the way to go. You will probably never get it to run right otherwise. Look for one with a damaged body or botched paint job on ebay.
Jim
You might possibly find an O ring large enough to fit. But you’re talking 51 years old. Chances are it will take more than a rubber band to get it running right.
Ray
SteamFreak
I noticed that I do not have a assembly diagram of the Revelle SW7 at HOseeker.net. I was wondering if could email me a larger copy of this so it maybe added to the website. Need a little larger copy so the parts list is a little more legible.
Larry
http://www.hoseeker.net/revellinformation.html
l
Well, I actually remember and had one of those beasts. I was just entering college and had a small 4 by 8 layout in my room. That little engine ran really good, especially for the times, and I never had to replace the belt drive. It was a good motor.
But, after all these years, is the detailing satisfactory for you in the light of the current offerings?
Bob
Hi Larry,
The diagram isn’t mine. I just linked to Tony Cook’s site: Revell SW-7. That’s where I got an exploded diagram for the Omaha 0-6-0.
Admiitedly replacing the drive with an Athearn would give you a nice running engine. However, part of the thrill of the OLD HO bargin is getting her back running as stock and getting to show her off to your buddies…“Yeah that the old Revell SW7, Made 'em back in the 50’s. check out the old rubber band drive. Don’t run bad and I picked it up for $5” (Implying, of course, that not only do you have an encyclopediactic knowlege of the history of Ho motive power, but you also have the eye for a bargin and instincts of an Arab trader.
With that in mind, let’s see if we can get the old girl up and running. “motor turns over real slow” doesn’t sound promising, but you might get lucky. Remove the motor and hook it up with some tests leads. Still turn over slow? If it runs ok now look for dirty or corroded contacts in the pick ups (after all this time they’re probably dirty anyway, so if they’ll need cleaning .) If motor still runs slowly clean and lubricate bearings. turn the motor by hand, checking for binding. The commutator is probably also dirty. clean gently with a pencil eraser till the copper plates are shiny. (don’t use emery paper). Make sure you clean the dirt and eraser crud out. Check the motor brushes. Are they ok or worn out? iIf worn out, you’re going to have to fit some from another motor or scrap the motor. Have the graphite pieces of the brush become detached from their brass arms? Sometimes these can be fixed by resoldering. Are the brushes oil soaked (they usually are).? Clean them with alcohol or lighter fluid. In extreme cases burn the oil off by baking them in your oven at low heat (under 200 degrees and while the wife is out shopping xmas sales.
Now hook up the motor to test leads again. Hopefully it will run better. Check amperage draw on meter. Should draw less than .5
JBB’s advice on separating the actual motor out for a cleaning sounds like the place to start.
One of these engines, lettered UP, was the power for my first train set. That was a good running engine, and it put in many many miles. I finally sold mine in running condition when I made the decision that it would be WWI era steam for my HO. I recall that the “belt” did break once and was replaced with a rubber “O” ring that my Dad tracked down in some hardware store. The belt would slip sometimes, and if I set the transformer throttle real low, the motor would run without the locomotive moving… like a real diesel at idle. That was really neat “on board sound” at the time!
It was a nice memory to look at that parts page again! Thanks.
Bill
check out any “Good” electronics store for belt O-Rings. If there is an electronics repair house, ask them for O-Rings.
Walthers MIGHT, check their parts area.
The alternative is to replace it with gears, NWSL can do things.
HD has a large supply of O Rings. Bring your belt and match it. Buy some extra they’re cheap.
That probably wasn’t the belt slipping, since these were equipped with a clutch which is visible in the diagram. I too believe that just plunking the shell on an Athearn chassis is throwing in the towel. I’m sure it can be tweaked to run well, and it is a conversation piece.
I had one of those Revell switchers in the 1960s, and had forgotten that I did use my orthdontic rubber bands as replacement parts.
If I remember correctly, Con-Cor ended up with the dies for the Revell SW-7 and made their own power unit for it. You could try to contract Con-Cor and see if they still have parts.
Rick
You set a few bells aringing: I think you’re right! However …
… when Con-Cor moved from Chickytown to Tucson twenty or so years ago I would bet that Jim C. discarded most of the spare parts for those old, out-of-production offerings. Still it might be worth a try.
If I remember correctly I have a unit that has a gear drive from the motor to the drive shaft that ran between the trucks. I’m sure that it is Revell. I’ll see if I can find it to confirm my memory. The gears were all plastic. I have no idea of the exact vintage. I had two but the commutator plates came off on one unit.
I just located the unit. It is Revell. There is a gear on the motor shaft that turns a gear that is part of the truck worm gear shaft. It looks like a 1/1 ratio. There is a universal drive shaft that runs to the front truck worm shaft. The motor is mounted on the rear truck and pivots with it. There is a heavy metal weight over the front truck. There is no band drive in this unit.
I hope this can help someone.
Doug
at that rate I would buy an old athearn… 8-D