I have two locomotives with issues. First is a Micro Ace C62 steam locomotive that doesn’t run smooth and it keeps stopping on tracks where other locomotives have no problem. I have cleaned the wheels and have lubricated it, but it has not improved. The second one is an old Rivarossi Big Boy. The locomotive use to only like to run backwards and when it goes forwards it looks like the gears bind up. Now the only thing it does is sit there with the head light on.
If anyone has any suggestions they will be appreciated.
I’m not familier with the Micro Ace locomotive but it sounds like an electrical pick up problem. One solution may be to replace with stock tender trucks with those from Bachmann or Kato, which offer all-wheel pickup. I have fixed a couple of old Minitrix steamers with similar issues in the manner.
As for the big boy, it could be any number of things. Perhaps a piece of ballast in the gears? Are the wheel’s properly quartered? When you apply power, can you hear the motor hum at all? You could try removing the motor from the locomotive and applying power to it to see if it runs at all. Generaly, just as I would when trying o repair a PC, I would try to attempt the least invasive solution first.
I looked at the tender has all wheel pick-up. Would it still be a good to swap out the trucks for a Kato set? Is there another way to help with the electrical pick up?
As for the Big Boy the motor is humming and the gears are clear from derby. If its a problem with the gears themselves how would I go about fixing it?
Sorry to double post but, after I put the trucks back on the tender I notice the contacts for the tender were not touching. So one locomotive fixed one to go.
Glad to hear you got one going. As for the bg boy, I would check the drivers and mak sure they are properly quartered first. If divers are ot of quarter, it can cause the binding issues you described.
I don’t know anything about Rivarossi N gauge but I have over a dozen HO articulateds and they are not standard quartering, Rivarossi used their own Rivarossi angle. As best as I can remember the Rivarossi Theta is 89° for HO articulateds.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
Easy on fooling with the drivers on N Scale steam locomotives especially the older ones because those are finicky beast… If quartering needs done it can be done very carefully by hand.
Better idea would be make sure the rods is not pushed against the wheels or the piston to ensure its not bent and causing a bind.