My thanks to Tom White, Boise Nampa & Owyhee, Darth Santa Fe, Cuda Ken and the others who answered my plea for help. My Akane 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone is running like a champ. I read Mark Schutzer’s seminar on brass locos & followed the disassembly instructions from Tom White. I cleaned the drive mechanism & worm gear, very lightly oiled & greased with Labelle’s & cleaned all the wheels. It runs like it just came out of the back shop. So far I have had no luck getting the 2-8-2 Mikado to run. It’s a model from NWSL. The motor & gears look brand new, wheels are clean. I did notice it only has one wire coming off the motor. It is black & connects from the loco to the top of the draw bar. I would think there should be red wire going somewhere?? So far I’m not confident enough to attempt the Samhongsa Yellowstone.
For those who are interested, I am a member of the Messabi Railroad Historical Society (MRHS). They have an excellent website at missabe.com. They have a large black & white photo gallery of all the steam locomotives operated by the D&IR, DM&N and DM&IR. For those who are into diesels, they have a large color gallery.
You can start by doing a continuity test from one rail to either side of the motor and then the other rail to the other side of the motor. Basically making sure electricity can flow from the track to the motor. Be sure and try both sides of the motor since you may not know which one goes to which rail(you may, it’s just a suggestion). If you see one side of the motor having continuity to BOTH rails, then you have a short. If you can’t get one side of the motor to the either rail then you have a break in the circuit somewhere. Don’t forget the tender likely goes to one side of the rails and so needs to be attached.
Glad you were able to get that Akane running. As I said in my original post, the drive mechanism on those locomotives is just about indestructable–those models are built like Sherman tanks, LOL!
One thing I’m doing right now with my Akanes is replacing the original magnets with rare earth magnets from Micromark. The result has been an enormous improvement in slow speed control and pulling power, along with the almost complete elimination of the ‘coffee-grinder’ noise from the open-frame motor.
Here’s a photo of the new magnets in the motor cavity. It’s not the Yellowstone, but an Akane AC-8 cab forward. However, as you can see, the mechanism is identical to the Yellowstone.
The magnets come 20 to a pack, the motors that are in the Akanes take about 10 of them.
One wire from the motors means that it has a ground side motor. Translation: the motor frame is in the circuit and tied to the loco frame when it bolts in. If you are DCC this must be changed. That is, the motor must be insulated on both sides + and - .
I don’t recall you saying in the earlier post.
Next… remove the superstructure, one screw up into the base of the stack at the front and two somewhere around the back of the cab.
Attempt to turn the motor by pushing the armature. Push it at least one whole turn of the drivers in both directions. If all is free then it’s about wiring or the motor.
I have not tried the new magnets from Micro as I have all can motors in my locos. I converted all of my old brass steamers when I went dcc six years ago. It does sound like a good idea as most failing motors from Japan are the magnets. The armature windings are seldom a problem and the brushes seem to last forever.
