sorry, but I am at the end of my rope here - going crazy !! I have a con-cor (rivarossi) 4-6-4 loco (split frame) loco that I pulled apart (i know…idiot…) and now having so much trouble putting the wheels back in.
I understand that the holes have to line up, but trying to get them all in a line is proving very difficult to say the least. I have even tried pulling the wheels apart and putting one side on, then trying to put the other, but either the little square brass pieces move, or the gears move a tooth or too.
Surely… there MUST be a tried and true method to putting these wheels back in - can someone be so VERY kind as to advise. I have googled for the last two hours and cannot find anything anywhere with pictures or links to do this.
That said, the drivers have to be set 90 degrees apart, usually with the left side leading. Without a quartering jig, or a lathe with an indexing fixture, getting this exact can be a royal PITA.
What it sounds like is that you have some sort of interference between the frame halves, find that first, then put the drivers back on. Line up one side so that the main connecting rod is horizontal and level. Keep this level, put a piece of tape across the drivers to maintain it, and flip the locomotive over. On this side, point all the connecting rod eccentrics towards the bottom of the locomotive. This will get you in the ballpark on quartering. As you add each part of the valve gear, roll the locomotive on a piece of track to ensure that nothing binds.
Some recommend using a piece of glass as a roll test plate, as any bind will show up on a really smooth surface. I’ve never needed that, but I have tested a finished kitbashed O scale 2-8-0 that way.
Hope this helps. Another suggestion, is use this unit for a static display and replace the whole thing. Sorry, but I’ve done that with more than a few oddballs I have had over the years.
thanks for the reply. It is a ‘southern’ loco - in N Scale.
What i did to get around the issue (and yet to test), is pull the wheels apart completely. I noticed the middle wheel has a square ‘peg’ hole - (only after putting this on one end and realising it goes in the middle…). and there are two ‘marks’ on all the wheels - so I set the middle one to the bottom. I then put the next wheel on - lining the two holes up and when they are split in half, they are so much easier to manipulate. Once it was where it should be, I turned the loco over and aligned the other side of the wheel at 90 degrees. Repeated procedure for last wheel and it looks ok so far.
Putting all the connectors and stuff on now - so will know soon. big reminder to self not to do this again !
Seeing as how the drivers are keyed, this should make life a bit easier on the re-assemble. I learned the hard way back in the Stone Age (my teens) when I too a Mantua/Tyco Pacific apart, all the way down to the axles. This is when I learned about quartering. The hard way.
For the next (unfortunate) person like me - if you pull the wheels apart, it makes is so much easier - although still fiddly. Also, I used a 9v battery to ‘slowly’ turn the motor over to ensure no binding occurred.
The 9v battery trick works well especially with the smaller scales and modern motors. I have been tuning my drives lately, preparing to go to DCC, where decoders are VERY sensitive to over-amperage situations.
Most of my drives are Weaver or Central Locomotive Works, the peak amperage there is around 4.5 amps. (remember this is O scale, even modern Pittman motors have a substantial amp draw) Of late, I have been monitoring the amperage as well as voltage to get the mechanisms as smooth as possible, in order to keep the life of the decoders as long as I can.
I’m glad that it is working out for you. Next up, find a basket case and rebuild it! Some really good bargains can be had if you look at the parts bins, under the table, and other less-than-perfect items. Plus, it gives one practice!
That would be cool