I bought a beater 681 turbine with loose wobbly drive wheels. Is this a common problem with this model?
Roger
I have seen it quite a few times. Usually on the rear set with the worm. You can fix it with epoxy but i would replace the worm while your at it. Then fill the wheel holes with epoxy and quarter it. If you dont have wheel cups and a press it will be almost impossible to properly quarter the loco by hand. New chassis are on ebay all the time for cheap. Happens on berks too, although seemingly less frequently.
I believe its caused by kids slamming them from forward and reverse too quickly and snapping the axles back and forth against the bearings. Good luck!
Roger,
Before using expoxy, I’d try to find new wheels. Jeff at The Train Tender should be able to supply those. Many of us deal with Jeff, and he is a great guy. His phone number is on his site:
Depends which wheels.
I have a 681 and I have found the 6-8-6 configuration along with the twelve wheel tender really tough to run. The leading and trailing trucks are wobbly and just don’t track very well. Navigating a switch is always a thrill.
I don’t know if this characteristic of these or not, but the trucks are really all over the place.
If you are refering to the drive wheels - I would expect that is not a characteristic of any engine.
If you want to get new wheels i would certainly second the recommendation for Mr. Kane. If you call him sunshine he might give you a deal!
I am confused. Are the wheels crooked or loose on their axles, or are the axles wiggling around in their bearings? Also, is it just one set of wheels, or all of them?
Its the rear drive wheel and the front drive wheel, both on the same side. The two wheels with flanges. There is no slop in the bearings. I have bought from Jeff before. Great guy.
Roger
In order to replace the flanged wheels, I beleive you will need to remove the blind wheels that are next to each one. So, if you are purchasing new wheels, you may want to buy the blind ones as well. My Hobby Horse wheel cups are cut in the appropriate places to clear the overlapping places.