259E Question

[Fred Bear]

Howdy, I bought a 259E off Ebay, nice engine, but has one of the little screws that hold the drive arms to the wheels. It all came out, but I cannot seem to locate one of those little birds. Anyone have an idea on this one? Thing ran like a dream a few laps around the track, then it crapped itself once that little screw broke. One of the wheels is turning freely on the axle, I think that's what created the problem in the first place. Anyone have a way to fix this or have access to one of those little screws? Best Regards, Jake

[1688torpedo]

Hello Jake!   Contact Jeff Kane at the Train Tender Website & he should have the parts you need to get your 259E going again. You probably should get another Wheel for your Engine if the old one is loose as that means the Diameter of the hole in the center of the wheel is now larger than the Diameter of the Axle that goes through it & would most likely come loose again if you tried to glue or fix it some other way. Hope this helps. Take Care.

[lionelsoni]

Someone check me on this:  I think the front screw is 257-46N and the rear screw 257-39.

You may be able to fix the loose wheel by slightly upsetting the end of the axle.  One way to do this is to make a few diagonal grooves with a pair of wire cutters, but don't go overboard--make a few and try the wheel on.

[Fred Bear]

Thanks all, I'll check and see if I can find this baby now that I have a starting point. Thanks Bob for the wheel advice. Respectfully, Jake

[phillyreading]

Make sure the side rails are installed correctly or the wheels may bind up.  The 259E is like the 249E it has gears to connect the two wheels on the locomotive and side rods(for show), one set of rods is down and the other set is up when parked.  If one set of wheels turns freely you may have a broken or missing gear somewhere, NOT 100% certain on the 259E, I suspect that you have a faulty 259E!

I have a 249E and both wheels have gears on them and turn from the motor.

Lee F.

 

[lionelsoni]

Lee, I assume the loose wheel is on the side without the gears and is, as he said, turning on the axle.

[phillyreading]

Bob, I guess I didn't read it correctly the first time.  Any way that is something that I have not encountered with any of my post war or pre war locomotives.   I have a 249E and two 224's, one post war and one pre war but never had a wheel get loose on the axle.  Have experianced bad traction and dirty wheels.

Maybe ruffing up the axle will work.   I don't recommend soldering as this is a moving part.

Lee F.

 

[Anonymous]

If wheel is loose it is either going bad or has been pulled off before. Using the diagonal cutters on the axle works, as does cross peening with a hammer, or if the metal of the wheel is good, you can tap the metal and make the hole smaller, but best way would be to replace wheel.