I recently acquired a Gem camelback brass engine. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t run so well (although wasn’t expected to run at all). After some reading, it seems that there is a relatively small list of basic things to check and do:
wheel oxidation - clean with Brite Boy
connectivity to motor - clean and polish
drive train resistance - expose bearings to clean/grease and oil connections
motor maintenance - clean brush/commutators, oil bearing/pads, adjust brush tension
motor strength - replace
I can use an ohm meter to measure the resistance from the track to the motor connections, but how can I evaluate the drive train resistance to know it is clean/oiled enough and not binding? How freely should the frame roll without the motor installed?
I’ve notices that either too little/much brush tension causes the motor to slow, so adjust and clean it to maximize motor speed. But how would I know if the magnets have weakened or that the motor is past it’s prime? In other words, is a replacement motor likely to be any stronger?
I’d like to hear what is missing from my list,
of any web-sites on the topic of steam engine cleaning maintenance, and
the the experience of other who have be through this before?
As a modeler who by necessity–considering the railroad I model–has a 95% brass steam fleet, I can offer you some suggestions.
Wheels: If they are oxidized, take off MOST–but not all of it with a Brite Boy or some other very fine-grained abrasive. Notice, I said FINE-grained. Thereafter, clean the wheels with either alcohol or a liquid track cleaner. The nicke silver on the wheel treads is only a coating, and as it wears, it exposes the raw brass underneath, which oxidizes very quickly during running.
Gears: Disassemble the gearbox completely, clean with a toothbrush and liquid soap. When dry, re-lube with gear grease (I use LaBelle, which is plastic compatable). While you’ve got the gearbox disassembled, push the mechanism back and forth on a glass plate, or some other polished surface. If there are any hangups in the main or eccentric rods, a drop of VERY light oil on the end of a toothpick should serve to lubricate things up. The drivers should ideally roll with very little friction.
Motor: That’s the tricky part, with open frame motors. I generally clean my motors with alcohol and a soft toothbrush–using the toothbrush while the motor is running to clean both the brushes and the commutator. If the motor is running weak, then it’s time to either replace the magnet or look for a good can motor that will fit into the mechanism. I have several locomotives with older open-frame motors, and a good yearly cleaning has given them new life for quite a few years. But when they wear out, I usually replace them with a comparable can motor from NWSL.
One thing about a brass steamer: Consider it a scaled down prototype, and prototypical steamers tended to go into the shop after a lot of use. Do the same with your brass. At least on
Tom is right on the money, but I think he ment while the gear box is removed from the model, roll it across a piece of glass or a smooth surface to see if there is any binding in the side rods. Also keep in mind that many of the vintage oils/greases tended to leave a varnish as they dried up over the decades since the model was produced. I also remotor if the open frame shows any evidence of poor running or noisy operation. I normal use coreless motors I get thru a supplier that sells on ebay. NWSL motors are ok, but to me they are not as good as the Sagami’s they replaced. Most appear to be relabled Mashmia’s and I have found the quality isnt always as good. The Maxon coreless motors I have been using are super smooth and draw little to no amperage. If you feel getting the old engine running is not up your alley, there are many guys that work with older brass. I do all the tuneups/remotors for the local hobby shop here in town as well as take care of guys engines in the local club. Shoot me an email if you need further help or need to ask specific questions. Cheers Mike T
i found at least one problem: the wheels do no turn smoothly.
the wheel axles go through blocks that can move up and down in the frame. there is a spring attached to the frame pushing downward. The springs prevent the blocks from sliding completely into the frames, flush with the bottom of the frame. There is a bottom plate that hold/presses the block into the frame.
When screwed into place, the plate presses the blocks into the frame removing any travel available. When the plate is attached, it looks like the geared axle binds and does not turn smoothly.
Should there be spacers that prevent the plate from compressing the blocks into the frames?
I found that the one axle, the one with the gear, did not turn smoothly. This was determine by compressing the axle block for each axles individually, and finally by disconnecting the axle from the side rods.
When I measured both the distance between the wheels and the width of the frame, I found that the geared axle width was the most narrow and that the frame was the most wide. However, since both the bottom and top of the frame around this axle were open so that the motor can mate with the gear, it was easy enough to compress the sides of the frames to provide greater clearance so that the wheels turned freely. The engine will now run, although very noisily, and I hope with a little more work, can be tuned to run well.
Based on this experience, I feel much more comfortable working on brass engines. I realize that you just need to be patient and find the problem. Once the problem is found, the solution may be obvious.