I have a question for you guys. I have B&O Electric Engine. It technically was my first train although my North Western Electric was officially first. I can get it restored but here are the problems.
Missing Decals(rails)
Does not run(sometimes will produce sparks)
It is old and worn out and I am worried it won’t work.
Should I just get its decals restored and keep it as a collectors item(its around twenty years old-at most). Or should I try and get it running again and show it off?
Who made it? It may be very possible to restore it, especially if it’s HO scale.
You say it will make sparks sometimes. How dirty are the wheels? Even a small amount of dirt or tarnish on the wheels will block electrical current, and if it’s real bad, it won’t run at all.
I think Bachman made it. I got this as a gift when I was young. The guy who gave it to me had it for at least eight years.I have owned it for at least five. It is HO. And it won’t run whatsoever.The wheels are metal,not stainless steel.But if they are rusted I can go buy a pair of stainless for five bucks so I am not too worried with that. I’ll get back to you on if its Bachman.
But are the wheels dirty (I’ve almost never seen HO wheels rust)? If so, they can be cleaned easily enough. All you need as alcohol and a paper towel, or a Walthers Bright Boy. And if it’s Bachmann, the motor may need a little clean-up if it’s been sitting a while. I’m guessing all it really needs is a simple cleaning to get it running again.
The old Athearn sintered iron wheels rust in storage.
Where? Stainless steel wheels for model trains are not a normal production item. Most models have unique to the manufacturer wheels, and are not interchangable. Some companies such as NWSL make wheels that fit different models, but they are not $5-. Here is a typical example:
Ok thanks! I didn’t mean stainless. But my LHS carrys some variety of wheels. I know they have plastic, but that won’t work for a engine(no electrical current through plastic). I think they may have some metal wheels.
Thanks for the help!
-Caleb
A Bachmann loco from the late 1980s is not a collectors item. It may have sentimental value–and that is fine—but that’s all.
I wonder, is your engine custom painted? Bachmann never sold any electrics in B&O, and they always printed lettering rather than using decals (like most all manufacturers).
Does it look something like this?