Any Electric train gurus ?

-
RPM

RPM

Superior Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Messages
3,024
Reaction score
20
Location
Meridian, Idaho
First off I dont know squat about electric trains. My grandfather used to always have a electric train set running around his Christmas tree. I loved it as I grew up watching it each Christmas. Well he as long since passed. I found the train set in my relatives storage. I have it now. I wanted to put it around my tree this year for Christmas. So I dug it all out. Seems the track is well... old. I found dates on the set which should be around 1972. I went to the local hobby shop and found out the set is the standard HO series. They had new track I could buy (the kind that has its own base so it can run on anything) I bought enough peices to make a oval around the tree, curves and two straights. I bought a new power supply as well.
I snapped all the track together and dug out one of the old engines and put it on the track.... nothing. I had to run the "throttle" to over half speed before it started to move. Then its slow. I put the throttle to max speed and it will move along ok.. but not near as fast as I think it should. Next... I only have two straights of track the rest are curved. When the engine hits the straights it sparks on the track and slows way down.. sometimes even stops.
I notice it leaves carbon on the track where it sparks. Does this need cleaned? I have checked all connections. The only thing I have been told is that the Engine is old school and prob thats the best it will do. I know my kids loved seeing the train go around. They loved the story behind it to. So if anyone can give me some pointers of what the heck I am doing that would be great. I also need to know about maintenace on the engines... can wd-40 be used ? I have one that is pretty gummed up from sitting. Another that is a steam engine chug chug type that doesnt like forward but loves reverse... I think a worm gear is stripped or worn. The main engine will go around.. it just fights the straights. Help ?

-RPM
 
Dust and dirt is probably your problem Remove the cab and useing contact cleaner give the works a thural cleaning then use WD40 on the moveing parts sldo clean the connections between the curved track and the straight track.The hobby shop where you got the new track should have helped you out
Make sure the ground wheel and center track slider is clean
good luck and Merry Christmas
Roscoe
 
Thanks ! Is there a specific contact cleaner ? Or just standard electrical contact cleaner? Also.. clean the track with contact cleaner ? Also... what is a center track slider ?? Like I said.. I have no clue on this.

-RPM
 
:worthles:
He has HO gauge (Half of O) which only has two rails thous no center track slider. Give the wheels a good cleaning so their nice and shiny. Then clean the motor (should be able to because I don't think they had sealed motors back in '72) & lube it all up. Run it around the track for awhile to break it in because it hasn't been used in so long. It should gradually improve over time. Makein sure to oil the bearings on all the cars will also help out. Also make sure all the track connections are good. Light machine oil such as 3 in 1 Oil is good to uses. Radio Shack has the cleaner your looking for. Its for electronics. You can clean the rails with a scotch brite pad but DON'T, DON'T use steel wool on anything as little pieces of that can get in the motor and foul things up big time. Then just wipe the tracks down with WD-40 on a rag.

I personally am into the old Lionel's (O gauge) from the '40s-'60s. I used to have HO but they are so delicate and I didn't have much fun with them.

P.M. me if you have any more questions and ill try to help you out.
 

Attachments

  • P1010683.jpg
    113 KB · Views: 93
67valiant 100 said:
Thanks but its nowhere near finnish because ever sense I got my Valiant I haven't done much with it (back burner project). :(
Click to expand...
i worked at a hobbyshop for a while and i dont think i ever seen one finished lol theres always something else heck that kind reminds me of these cars anyway great setup you got there
 
You can take some steel wool to the track and wheels to make sure they are clean and making good contact, same with the brushes in the motors. Like 67valiant100 said, they are small and delicate, but not very complicated. One other thing that helps is to squeeze the little clips that hold the track together with some needlenose before you put it together so that they are very tight. The sparks are most likely where the engine loses contact with the track coming out of or going into a turn.

Clean them up and lube them up and they should move pretty fast.
 
Don't take anything apart yet and don't use steel wool. To clean the track, you can use a large flat pencil eraser. You can use a small pencil eraser on the locos wheels. The reason it will not run well is because the wheels on the loco are dirty. It take more power to run through dirt than it does to run clean wheels. Model railroading is another of my hobbies. Much like cars, you tackle the simplest of things first before you start snatchin stuff apart. You said you had new track, right? It probably won't hurt to clean that too because you have no idea how long it has sat on the shelf.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top