Picked up an old AF Atlantic loco/caboose- Needs repair

[vsmith]

Hello All,

Picked up an old American Flyer 4-4-2 loco and tender last weekend, its been damaged and I dont know if it is operable. The engine is in fair to poor condition I bought it so i could get familiar with AF train innards, it has the old style "spear" couplers from the 1950's. The front truck of the tender has come off but looks like it can be reattached easily. Some of the wires that plug into the back of the engine have been broken and will need replacing. and the smokebox cover is missing. The caboose is missing wheels but otherwise good condition.

So my questions are...

What should i be doing to see if this can be repaired or reused?

Can I use a HO dc powerpack to test it? or will this damage it.

Should I even be bothering with it?

I know this is a very common engine and have considered if it might be less hastle to get another one that in good operating condition, so dont pull any punches..i need to know if its worth it, Thanks...

[Dr.Fu-Manchu]

The [}:)] Doctor is in !!! First ! Unless the items were dunked in water for years and rusted solid, they can be fixed and reused. Second, Don't use an H.O. power pack, use an A.C. Transformer. Third, There is a place called Hobby Surplus that stocks American
Flyer parts. They a web site:www.TrainRepairParts.com The parts catalog is 14 pages
they also offer A.F. repair manuals. Fourth, There are people looking for A.F. items, you
can fix them and resell them. Best of luck and I hope my humble information was of
help.

Till My Next Missive, I Remain The Humble, Yet Strangly [}:)] Doctor !!!

[ben10ben]

Using a DC power pack to test it will not harm it at all.

To test it, hook up wires to your power pack, and crank the voltage up to somewhere between 3/4 and full. Touch one to one of the metal wheels on the front tender truck, and the other wire to one of the metal wheels(opposite side) of the other tender truck. If you head buzzing from the engine or tender, that's a good sign. If it starts to turn, or the motor growls as if trying to turn, this is also a good sign. If you get nothing, look for a switch on top of the engine or on the bottom of the tender. Flip it, and try again. You should now hear a click and either a buzz or the sound of the motor(or both). If still nothing, you probably have a loose wire somewhere.

Now, on to getting it to run. If you are at least getting a buzz, you know that you have some life in it. Cycle the power on, the off,(with the tender sitting upright) and you should see some signs of life from the motor. If you still have nothing, continue to cycle the power on and off, while still keeping the tender upright. Listen for a faint click as you remove power, and wait for this before you give it more power. You might also want to try a tap on the top of the tender a few times. If you try this and still get nothing, it's likely another loose wire. Again, this is easy to detect and correct.

Finally, if you do get life from the motor, you need to give it a little bit of attention. Lube the exposed end of the shaft in the cab in its litte brass bearing(there may be an oil wick, apply oil generously to this). Put a drop of oil behind each wheel, and on each side rod linkage pivot point. 3-in-1 oil works fine for this. Remove the grease plate on the bottom with the one screw holding it on, and apply a generous gob of vaseline to the eposed worm gear. This should all get you in good running shape.