I have an American Flyer 302 Atlantic. The two little wheels on the drawbar between the tender and loco de-rail often. The screw that attachs the drawbar to the engine is quite long. Should there be a spring on that screw to put a little downward pressure on the drawbar and wheels?
If not, is there a way I can get the two wheels to stay on the track better?
Earl
Is the screw too tight? If the screw is too tight it will not allow the draw bar to move a little during going thru a curve, you may have to put a longer screw in there with a washer or two in the middle between the draw bar and engine mounting.
No spring was used by American Flyer company.
Lee F.
Thank you for the reply. The screw is a shoulder bolt and has about 3/8" of shoulder for the drawbar to float on. The drawbar is not pinched under the screw. The drawbar turns freely.
Earl
Sometimes it just needs a little more free space to manuver with. I have the same A.F. engine and tender at home.
I usually run my two 4-6-2 pacific style A.F. engines, a 295 & a 283.
Lee F.
Maybe you can just take the wheels off of the bar if nothing else, I looked at my steam loco a # 21160 and it has the same problem, thought it was a # 302 as I have been to many train shows and have seen several 302’s. If the rest of the engine stays on track those wheels are for appearance mainly on model trains, on the real locomotive those wheels help support the weight of the cab and firebox.
Lee F.
Earl
First, thank you for restoring a bit of AF heritage.
As far as the trucks derailing, ensure the wheel width is correct, the axle is straight and spins freely and true.
Did you rewire the loco / tender wiring:and if you did, did you use super flex wire? I rewired a loco once and did not use superflex and the loco / tender connection was just stiff enough to derail the tender. Once I changed out the wire with no other mods it worked fine. Is it derailing in general or in a specific location on the track?
Good luck
Jim
The wiring is all original. I did take a crack at rejuvenating the smoke unit, but I was unsuccessful. The smoke unit was filled with a yellow-orange wax-like substance plus a grey substance that looked like plumber’s putty. I tried soaking the whick in paint thinner, but the wax wouldn’t budge. I discarded the old wick and unwound the nichrome wire. I first tried some insullation from my attic to use as a wick. I gave up on that idea because the insulation wouldn’t hold together while I rewound the nichrome wire. I then pulled some strands from some rope and wound the insullation around that. The nichrome wire was OK. I read about 47 ohms through the wire. I soaked the wick in smoke fluid but the smoke still doesn’t work. I will work some more on it at a later date.
Back to the wheels. After I wrote this thread, I ran my American Flyer engine for about an hour and it never de-railed once. I was running it fairly slow. I ran the engine a little faster later on and the wheels de-railed again, so I think the wheels might be sensitive to train speed.
Earl
Earl,
Check your tracl for level, and all the pins are where theyare to be. As far as the wick, contact Doug at Port Lines Hobby and get a new one, $7.50 I think. Make sure the truck wheels are runnning true.
Jim