I purchased the original Walthers 130’ TT, the non-DCC version. Recently I began having a problem with it getting stuck while rotating. It travels a fairly consistent distance before sticking which tells me there is likely a piece of debris in the internal mechanism which is preventing the gears from rotating properly. It seems to me I need to open it up and clean it out. There is one screw which seems to be holding the cover in place but the plastic assembly appears to be rather delicate and might easily break. I can’t tell whether the parts are glued or snapped together.
There was another thread that dealt with maintenance on the 90’ DCC version which I am guessing has a similar assembly. If anyone has done maintenance that required them to open up either version of the TT and can give me some advice on how to proceed, I would appreciate it.
GRRRRrrrrrr! I typed a long response and got a server error. At least they could add, “tough luck!”
It should be pried apart with a thin sharp blade if there are no tabs. I have only done this once, and it was five years ago. It was quite straightforward, even for a clumsy non-handy guy like me. I wouldn’t back off the screw until it became evident it wasn’t to keep the innards in place.
Once you open it, the cleaning process is straightforward…a brush, toothpick, dentist’s pick…compressed air carefully controlled.
I cleaned my TT, when I was operating it on the last layout, prior to every use. If it was only the next day, okay, I didn’t. If three or more days went by, I took the two minutes and saved myself grief, is the way I looked at it. Even so, I was amazed at the crud inside my final drive after only a year and a half. I suspect yours will be a head-scratcher as well. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a bad gear, cleaning it will have it back in business.
-Crandell
Been there. Done that. I’ve started to type my replies on the word processing software and then copy and paste them into the reply. That way if I get a server error, I don’t have to retype.
Thanks for the tips. I’m going to give it a shot tomorrow. I’ve recently commenced operations on the layout but have been using the five fingered turntable up until now.