I am finishing some small stuff on the OMI Turbine I got back from the painter. He installed a lighting unit then removed it. The middle Turbine Unit will run fine in a straight line. But as soon as it enters the slightest curve it stops. I can touch it to get it moving again. As you can see there is a wire off, but it still makes a connection on the other truck. There must be something loose. I can’t seem to find it. Maybe someone who is good at stuff like this can look at it for me, and also solder that small wire back on. it connects to a small brass pickup. It seems like an easy job because there isn’t a lot of wires. I will pay whatever to get it fixed.
Maybe you should take some slower reading lessions, SERIOUSLY. The wire is the least of it. It WILL run without it. The problem is something else in the unit. I HAVE been trying to get it running, without any luck. (I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CANADIAN REMARK)
It is likely that the broken wire connection means that the locomotive is only picking up from one truck instead of two. This means even the slightest discrepancy in your track entering a curve could cause wheels on one side of the truck that is still picking up current to break contact with the rail. Touching it will cause the contact to be remade.
Resoldering the wire is the obvious 1st try at improving the locomotive.
With the wire off the loco is picking up power from only one truck. This can make a big difference in running performance, such as stopping on a curve for seemingly no good reason. I have a Proto 2000 E6B that has a similar problem (it was donated). The pickups in one truck are totally gone so I ran wires from the remaining truck to the rear truck of the E7A that it’s coupled to. Now between them they pickup from nine wheels and the B unit no longer stalls out.
Just solder the wire back in place. That should fix your problem.
It isn’t that simple. have you ever seen that small brass wire. You have to completly disassemble the truck to get at it. It sits against the plastic gear box were it is attached. I am still trying to figure out how OMI got that wire soldered on like that.
There are some other things I would LOVE to say…but I wont.
I called all of them. They didn’t want to touch it. I really didn’t think that was the problem. But I guess it is. Can anyone of you do this for me? Just name the price.
One of the great things about this hobby is the opportunity to learn new skills (and buy new tools!). There are many, many different skill sets that make up constructing and maintaining a model railroad. Soldering is one of the more universal skills that is used time and time again. Soldering is not a difficult skill to learn to a reasonably proficient level. There are many threads in this and other forums on how to solder. Practice on soldering wire connections together outside your locomotive until you have the confidence to work on the locomotive directly.
The other skill that will pay many dividends for you in the hobby is learning to at least partially disassemble and reassemble locomotives. You need to do this to clean, lubricate, and maintain your fine locomotives. Again, practice on something less expensive and dear to your heart first. Disassembling your turbine unit to the point where you can easily access the connection to be soldered will make the repair much easier.
Look at this as an opportunity to grow and learn. That to me is one of the finest reasons for being in model railroading, and what keeps me interested after decades.
PM me with your approx. location in the state. I know of a guy that MIGHT be willing to assist you with this. It may take a few days for me to contact him and see if he wishes to pursue this.
It is my understanding that both gentlemen have physical disabilities which preclude the type of growth you are suggesting the pursue, Fred. IOW, they can’t…pure and simple.
If you don’t want to return the engine, Gassy, is there someone at a local electronics store, maybe even someone employed at a local Radio Shack, who does electronic type finer soldering? Is there a club nearby where someone would be willing to do the deed while-u-wait tomorrow or in the next couple of days?
Just a thought here–I saw the photo that shows the wires leading to the trucks through the frame. Can that truck be disassembled so that you can get to the small connector between the frame and the wheel? Or is that perhaps a wire that is soldered directly to the truck frame? If so, you might try getting it soldered it to the INSIDE of the truck frame rather than having that very small connection between the frame and the wheel. I’m wondering if someone at a local electronics store might be able to do it for you.
Another thought: You say that the unit runs okay straight. I’m wondering if one of the wires is perhaps touching the locomotive frame and shorting out when it goes into a curve. To my old eyes, that clearance looks really TIGHT. Also, I’m wondering if maybe with the turbine on, if there might be a connection that’s rubbing against the inside of the turbine when it goes into a curve.
Try this and see if it works: fold a little piece of insulating electrical tape on each side of the inside of the loco frame where the wires go through, and try a small strip of some insulating electrical tape on the INSIDE of the turbine casting where it fits over the motor connecting wires. It just might work. You’ve got really CLOSE clearances there,from what I can see. You just might have a stray wire rubbing against one or both of the castings. I had to do that with one of my brass steam locos–insulate the inside of the firebox above the motor where one of the connections rubbed. Brass clearances are so tight, sometimes–
Good luck. Not to add to your troubles, but that particular turbine seems to be REALLY in need of ‘tweaking’. Frankly, it’s something we fellow Brass lovers seem to have to do on occasion. Hope you get it running okay–as I told you before, that’s one HUNKER of a nice-looking Tu
I have to agree that there must be somebody local to you with enough electronics experience to handle the job. If you were in my area I would take a shot at it for you at no charge, but I’m one of those durn Canadians and kind of far away from you to boot… [;)]
I would tend to agree with Crandell, ask at Radio Shack, ask the hoby shops if they know someone who might tackle it, call in at an electronics supply place…lots of guys working in those places are very electronics savvy and might be able to do it, check with any local MRR clubs. Good luck with your trouble. Hope you can get some help nearby.
ALRIGHT, since no one will step up and volunteer, I will. Contact me off list, it doesn’t seem that big of a deal to do, send me the unit and I’ll do it. Everyone else seems to discount the fact that there MAY be another issue. It could also be possible that the brass, I’m assuming that the truck side frames are brass could be contacting the body and causing a short. This could occur on a curve as the truck rotates on the bolster.
Could well be other issues. In my mind, resoldering the wire is the logical 1st step. Hope the track you test on has similar radius and other critical characteristics.
I just wanted to provide an update on this problem. I received the unit from Mike earlier in the week. Upon closer inspection I think there may be more than one issue at work here. Yes the wire use broken from the pick up on the truck, but there also were some bare wires at the joint where the feeder wires were soldered to the motor wire and poorly insulated. It also looks like it there might possibly be a problem with the sideframes touching the main chasis and providing an intermittent short.
The problem power truck as been removed from the chassis and a new wire soldered to the small bronze phosphor pickup wire. While everything is taken apart I’ll do some minor tweaking to try and eliminate any potential sideframe/chassis shorts. Soldering the wire was easy, taken everything apart is the difficult job. The replace the pickup wire you need to remove the truck, to get at the screw that holds the truck in you need to remove the driveshaft, to remove the drive shaft you need to remove the motor. Before you know the whole thing is in pices.
A little bit more time and it should be back in order.
