My IHC/Mehano 2-10-2 used to make a sort of squeaking or creaking sound when it came to a stop very slowly. Especially when pulling a load. After awhile it just went away…
Now my new IHC 4-6-4 is making a creaking/groaning sound as it comes to a stop. I’ve tried lubing everything possible but it won’t go away.
Here are some short videos of the 4-6-4 making the noise…
Any chance it is the motor bearings? I have three IHCs myself (2 2-8-0s and a 4-8-2)that run smooth and quiet but the motor doesn’t look to be of a high quality. I’ve had inexpensive motors get vibrations like that at certain RPMs when the bearings wear. Have you tried a tiny drop of light oil on the motor bearings themselves? You’ll need to get inside the beast, of course…
I oiled the motor bearings twice. Didn’t help. The sound is only at very low speed and mainly when starting or stopping under load. Because of that I thought it might be coming from the worm gear but I have oiled the bearings and put Labelle grease on the teeth as well. I’ve oiled the axle shafts and even put some “Rail Zip” conductive oil on the back of the wheels in case the pickups were the problem. I also put a dab of oil in each of the drive shaft cups.
It’s not in the tender. It makes the same noise with the tender disconnected.
I thought it might be the wipers on the back of the driving wheels so I put some more Rail Zip on them and it still does it. I also oiled all the driving rods and valve gear. Still there…
It doesn’t do it when you first start it “cold”. Only after a few laps pulling a load does it start. And only at very slow speeds.
The loco is only about a month old. It runs well but is a bit “tighter” going forward. Maybe it just needs to be broken in a bit more.
I am still leaning towards the plastic worm gear. The noise is sort of the creaking sound you get when you have movement in a tight fitting plastic joint. I guess the next step might be a total disassembly and inspection of the worm gear…
Sometimes you get a chatter from the gearing on sudden deceleration, or when the engine is running downhill, when the worm is acting as a brake and is pushed against the opposite bearing. It doesn’t look like you’re stopping it fast enough for momentum to be a factor. Let me know what you find if you break it down. If the worm were in that tight I think the starting voltage would be fairly high.
BTW, I like the 'sploded views in your photo gallery. What type of motor is that in the Big Boy remotoring diagram?
Many years ago I re-powered a Big Boy with 2 Mashima motors. Someone was asking how to install 2 motors in a Big Boy so I posted the diagram to show him.
When pulling a heavy load, you could sometimes get one set of drivers to spin before the other set. This could happen from a start, or even when in motion. …Very Cool…
Sounds like something rubbing to me. Never heard an itty bitty bearing like in these models make a noise like that. Motor bearings I have ever had go dry squealed a lot higher pitch. I do not think it is in the motor to wheels drivetrain, unless a plastic driveshaft is rubbing on the body (I do not know how these IHC models are made). Have you checked brake shoes, sander lines, steam cylinder rod & guides, pilot wheels & axles, a driver rubbing the frame, everything you can find? Anything that moves can make noise.
I have a P2K Berk that was making a lot WORSE screech rounding curves in one direction only and I could not find it for the longest kind of time. Turned out it was the loco to tender walkboard just barely touching on the edge for a moment.
Hang in there and you will find it. It may quit on it’s own. At least it doesn’t sound like a geartrain in self destruct mode.
I just fixed a Bach GP35 that was doing the same thing. Ran fine cold, made the same exact noise when it warmed up. Pulled the motor and wrapped a layer of black electrical tape around it (just one layer) making sure there was tape anywhere the motor touched the frame. Put the moter back in the frame and it runs smooth and quite now. Some kind of motor to frame vibration in mine. Had an open frame motored Mantua Mike that did the same thing. You may also want to check that the worm gear and/or drive shaft couplers are not slipping and spinning on there metal shafts. Those also can make a vibrating noise.
Could be the wheels/axles since you don’t mention lubing them. Could be the towbar, wire insulation rubbing on rotating surfaces, or plastic flashing vibrating like a reed at a certain time.
I would let it go for several more hours to see if it wears-in. It doesn’t sound like a serious problem to me.
Glad to have found a relevant thread for this… I like good housekeeping on a forum.
I was just wondering if it’s normal to hear a significant gear noise with these IHC locos?.
I have both the President’s Choice 4-6-4 and 4-8-2, and it seems both of them give off a distinct gear noise, almost like you’re hearing a fairly audible vibration somewhere. With the Hudson, it actually sounds more like a growl, and it’s a little frightening to listen to.
I think it is something rubbing against something else…like the back of a wheel agains the frame, or something like that. However, the humming or growling sounds like vibrations and that would come from the motor and its possibly loose or slightly off-balance flywheel(s).
The only IHC engine I own is an old-timer 4-4-0, and the axle gear was off-center so that it ground against the worm once per driver revolution. Fortunately the seller was able to give me a replacement set of drivers to correct it. Other than a defect like that, I’ve always heard that they are very quiet locos.
In my case, it’s definitely not the drivers… i can clearly hear a grinding noise come from the motor itself, or maybe the gears connecting to the motor. Strangely enough, now it is only noticeable when running the locomotive in reverse.
While I am at it, does anyone have the drawings for the IHC 4-6-4 or the proper disassembly instructions?
There are 3 screws to remove on the bottom to get the boiler and cab shell off. One is just under the pilot truck and the other 2 are at the corners under the cab. It is the same as the 2-10-2 and I had the shell off it many times in my efforts to install a decoder. Finally had success but put it in the tender.
It’s actually one under the pilot truck, one under the drivers and one under the cab. I’ve already had the shell off a couple times, as well. In fact, it wasn’t until I took it off and then put it back the first time that i noticed to sound that was concerning me, so I thought it was something I did.
For now, I’m going to leave it on, while I’m trying to fit the Precision cab on, and then will have to figure out how to wire the Bachmann tender to the IHC engine and add a decoder at the same time.
I have the President’s Choice Hudson built by Mehano.
I read your post at work today and went home, turned my Hudson upside down, removed the slot screw under the pilot truck and the 2 small Phillips at the corners under the cab and the whole shell came off. Not sure what version you have.
In any event one of the screws under the drivers secures the gear housing.
Now that the shell is off I will put in that decoder.
Never mind… I was thinking about the screw in the middle of the drivers, but I meant the one on the other corner of the cab. So the screw pattern is the same for mine, as well, with two on each corner of the cab, and one under the pilot trucks.
The next step for me is assembling the Precision Scale vestibule cab and fitting onto the locomotive. After that I will look into smaller details (one of the air reservoirs on my Hudson seems to have least a small segment), and fitting/wiring the Bachmann Hicken tender onto the locomotive.
