A few years ago there was an article in CTT about basic service & maintenance on the old AMF Alco PA locos that showed you how to lube, oil & clean the trucks, motors, and gears. Does anyone know if that article is posted on line somewhere, or would someone be interested in copying it cor me and mailing it to me? Let me know how much it would cost. Thanks a lot.
-Brian in Bflo.
Just finished repairing mine. I have the CTT magazines from 1988 to 2000 and have not seen this article. So ditto…
I would like to know as well how to improve the Texas & Pacific 377 and 378, and Union Pacific 372, pulling power, seems the geeps operate nice but only pull a few cars.
What kind of problems are you having? Or are you doing a basic overhaul?
If memory serves, such an article ran in the Premier issue. I am not at home to check right now but can later.
My cousin recently brought out some of his dad’s old Flyer and he asked me to look at them because they haven’t run in years. I’m a HO & O Gauge guy and have no repair info or experiance on Flyer. I remember looking at that article and it had the basic info you needed to tune up the AMF Alco PA’s with pictures of how to do a basic dissassemble, cleaning & lube. I’d feel more comfortable working on his trains if I had even the most basic info on what to do. AMF is out of my comfort zone. Thanks a lot. - B in B
Rats… went home last night and I only have from '90 to 2002 CTT issues. Actually repairing these locomotives is not tough, if you have repaired HO locomotives, American Flyer is a little easier, its made to be disassembled and reassembled, as in most HO loco’s are less robust. Draw a diagram when you dissasemble. I was lucky because I had more than one locomotive. So if I got stuck during reasembly I had a guide to work from. The key is getting all the old grease out, mine sat so long it resembled candle wax. Also make sure the brushes are good and are aligned on a clean commutator shaft. The E unit is another story, good news is if the wipers and barrel are clean and make good contact, and the actuator arm is adjusted right, it will out last you and I, plenty of parts are also available just a little pricey. If you still feel uneasy about repair, look for a reputable train repair place in your area. They probably still have a few E-nut parts hanging around. Good luck and give us an update!
I found it, it was in the very first issue of CTT.
-Brian in Bflo.