I have one from my youth. Postwar I think or prewar, not sure. Any way, it makes much noise and at times the chain and bucket moves, but often stops. I removed the motor, cleaned the commutator and brushes. Lubed where I should, but still, when it runs it is slow and stops...the last time, it started to smoke. When it does run, it is very slow. Is there anything I can do, or is it a "hangar queen"? Thanks,
Having the motor armature and field wired in parallel instead of the correct series connection could cause that sort of behavior.
Bob Nelson
Not sure I understand. What would I need to do to make that determination? I checked the wiring visible underneath and it appears correct.
There should be a single wire going to one of the motor brushes. There should be a single wire going from the other brush to the motor's field winding. And there should be a single wire going away from the other end of the field winding.
Thanks. I'll look.
It's wired correctly. Maybe I need a replacement motor?
I would look for binding on the drive train.
Yes, I did that. It does seem the chain is pretty taught, however, I disconnected the worm drive from the motor shaft and let it run. Still herky-jerky motor. I'm stumped. Thanks for helping.
It wouldn't hurt to clean the commutator face and brushes, or better yet, replace the brushes and brush springs. Be sure to clean the grooves between the plates of the commutator. Clean the brush holders while you have the brushes out. If it still doesn't run right, I would check the resistance of each coil of the armature. All three should be real close to each other, if one is way off, the armature may need to be rewound or replaced.
Even if you have done some or all of the above, I would try them again before buying a "new" motor.
Good luck,
J White
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month