Motor repair

[FJ and G]

In Sept04 CTT. Fairly nice issue.

The motors not addressed--can-style and modern--are the type I have. Author says these are complex to fix/explain and beyond the scope of the article.

Question: Have modern motors become so reliable that, if maintained and run correctly, there is no real need to repair them, and further, if repair is necessary, might it not be cheaper just to replace them?

Also, Scout motors, entombed in Bakelite, are nigh impossible to repair. Buddy has one and it conked out. Advice given: replace it.

Dave V

[Anonymous]

Dave;

Basically, you have hit it on the head. New can-style motors
are too intricate for the normal home operator to be able to
repair/rebuild. Add to that, the replacement motors are not
all that expensive. It is easier, faster and more economical
to just remove and replace the defective motor. Most newer
can-style motors are brushless, so the only wear is going
to be at the shaft/case points. Usually the design engineers
set things up so that wear is minimized. Not like having to
rebuild those old open-frame tinplate motors. They are easy
to do, but they still require maintenance on a periodic scale.

[brianel027]

Dave, such is the way of the hobby now. The old reliable open-frame motors do have their benefits, but so do the DC can motors. Sure, you do "fix" the DC can motors, you replace them. But they are smooth and use less current to operate.

But I may be able to offer an idea on the "Scout" motor, provided it is not really really shot. Yes, those things are a pain to take apart. And yes, the Scouts are prone to accidental reversing because of the mechanical cam reverse mechanism. But I have noticed that much of the accidental "reversing" of the Scouts has to do with the low clearance between the bottom of the loco and the center rail pickups. The Scouts tend to "clunk" and "bang" when they go over any uneven track like UC tracks and turnouts.

So what I have done is removed the roller pickups from the loco itself, running a feeder wire with a male/female disconnect (stuffed into the locomotive cab) to the tender where I mounted new ceter rail roller pickups. This has eliminated the "clunking" of the engine when running over turnouts and has practically eliminated the accidental reversing.

Granted, the Scouts aren't worth a lot of aggrivation. BUT my above repair is a simple one that is also cost effective. And when considering a low expense loco for a child's very first layout, the Scouts are good candidates. I found my little fix makes the Scouts run much better so the kids don't get too frustrated, thus turning them away from the hobby.

Plus, nothing like taking a cheap Scout tender, giving it a new coat of flat black and then putting some SpongeBob Square Pants stickers on the sides to entice the interest of the kids... you save a load of money doing this yourself! No royalties, yet for the youngsters, the effect is no less the same.

[eZAK]

While on the subject, Has anyone ever had a can motor go bad or need maintenance?
And i not talking about lubing gears.

[choochin3]

I have a Lionel Quicksilver Express Alco.The motor went bad and then fried the electronic E unit. New motor costs $8.00 New E Unit $25.00.Was operating with an old Marx transformer with no circuit breaker.Hard learned lesson learned.Now I use a new Lionel ZW. Equipped with very reliable circuit breakers!!!

[FJ and G]

choochin3,

Hope others will read your response and prevent this from happening. Hard lesson learned. Doesn't mean old ZW is bad, however, just that it has its limitations and must be protected with suitable circuit breakers.

eZak,

Never had one go bad, usually gears go first. Choochin3 mentions a new motor costing just $8. Sounds like he got a good bargain. Same with the E-unit. Someone wanted to charge me twice that (I won't name names).

Brian,

Always informative posts. Wonder if a Scout can get a TMCC upgrade? The upgrade would probably be worth more than the Scout. Not for me but for a friend who got his as a kid in 1953. Maybe a smoke fluid conversion as well. Would be for sentimental value, realizing it would be stupid to do for reasons other than that.

I'm thinking the whole operations (if it could be done), might cost around $400 incl. professional installation.

dav