Fast Forward... Slow Reverse - 8868 Amtrak Budd Car

[casconi]

Hello,
I have an 8868 Amtrak Budd Car. When I run the engine in forward, it runs smooth and does take much power. When thrown in the reverse it runs much slow an requires a little more juice. Can an anyone explain this problem?

Chris

[thor]

Its not unusual for a loco to run better in one direction than another. At least one explanation is the way the gearing is made, the amount of play between the gear and its spindle or the gears and their teeth. You'll hear terms like 'backlash' which is what thats about. Unless manufactured with much greater precision than normal, all these mechanisms will have such variables but its quite normal and usually nothing to be worried about.

However, having said that, I'm sure there are other explanations and perhaps electrical reasons which might be something to be more concerned about.

[lionelsoni]

I don't know what kind of motor this has; but I will guess that the motor is vertical with a worm directly on the motor shaft. Turning one direction, the worm pulls the armature out of the motor and, in the other direction, pushes it into the motor. The motor should have thrust bearings to take this load in either direction. A possible cause for what you're experiencing is that one of the thrust bearings is bad or even completely missing.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Chris! It may need just a Good cleaning & possible replacement of the Brushes for the Commutator. If it runs slow then it may mean that one of the springs on the Brushplate is not strong enough to press the brush against the Commutator for maximum current flow which sounds like the cause of your problem which is causing the motor to run slow in one direction & not the other. Take it to a Lionel Service Center and they should be able to help you out if you do not feel confident of tackling this on your own. Take Care.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Chris, check the brushes on that motor. Sometimes they can wear at an angle if they are run in one direction repeatedly. If you find that to be the case, replace them or try to square them up, and make sure they don't fit too sloppily into the brass housings on the motor. They need to be able to move vertically, but not laterally.

[casconi]

Great! Thanks for the advice.

Chris