RJ
"Something hidden, Go and find it. Go and look behind the ranges, Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go." The Explorers - Rudyard Kipling
http://sweetwater-photography.com/
Hi miniwyo- Went to the deviantart link, saw lots of neat pictures but none of a '56 Revelle switcher.
Now, I'm not an expert on this, but I would bet money that there is a way to re-motor your switcher. You might want to post this same question over on the "technology" section, )I forget it's real name) and I'd betcha you'll get not only an answer, but suggestions on how to do it.
Good pictures- and good luck on your quest.
I saw a peanut stand;I heard a rubber band;I saw a needle that winked it's eye;
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
It must be a Revell SW-7.
I know some people use those black bands they sell for ponytails as more durable replacements for rubber band drives. You might also look into replacement tape drive belts.
As for wasting your money, it depends on the condition, and whether your interested in vintage HO equipment. It would probably sell for more than $5 on eBay.
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
miniwyo wrote the following post at 12-24-2007 5:51 AM:
I had one of these engines , I replaced mine with an Athearn switcher frame and motor it was a near perfect fit .
Replacing the drive and frame with a Athearn is the way to go. You will probably never get it to run right otherwise. Look for one with a damaged body or botched paint job on ebay.
Jim
You might possibly find an O ring large enough to fit. But you're talking 51 years old. Chances are it will take more than a rubber band to get it running right.
Ray
SteamFreak
I noticed that I do not have a assembly diagram of the Revelle SW7 at HOseeker.net. I was wondering if could email me a larger copy of this so it maybe added to the website. Need a little larger copy so the parts list is a little more legible.
Larry
http://www.hoseeker.net/
http://www.hoseeker.net/revellinformation.html
l
Well, I actually remember and had one of those beasts. I was just entering college and had a small 4 by 8 layout in my room. That little engine ran really good, especially for the times, and I never had to replace the belt drive. It was a good motor.
But, after all these years, is the detailing satisfactory for you in the light of the current offerings?
Bob
HOSeeker wrote:SteamFreakI noticed that I do not have a assembly diagram of the Revelle SW7 at HOseeker.net. I was wondering if could email me a larger copy of this so it maybe added to the website. Need a little larger copy so the parts list is a little more legible.Larryhttp://www.hoseeker.net/http://www.hoseeker.net/revellinformation.html
Hi Larry,
The diagram isn't mine. I just linked to Tony Cook's site: Revell SW-7. That's where I got an exploded diagram for the Omaha 0-6-0.
Admiitedly replacing the drive with an Athearn would give you a nice running engine. However, part of the thrill of the OLD HO bargin is getting her back running as stock and getting to show her off to your buddies...."Yeah that the old Revell SW7, Made 'em back in the 50's. check out the old rubber band drive. Don't run bad and I picked it up for $5" (Implying, of course, that not only do you have an encyclopediactic knowlege of the history of Ho motive power, but you also have the eye for a bargin and instincts of an Arab trader.
With that in mind, let's see if we can get the old girl up and running. "motor turns over real slow" doesn't sound promising, but you might get lucky. Remove the motor and hook it up with some tests leads. Still turn over slow? If it runs ok now look for dirty or corroded contacts in the pick ups (after all this time they're probably dirty anyway, so if they'll need cleaning .) If motor still runs slowly clean and lubricate bearings. turn the motor by hand, checking for binding. The commutator is probably also dirty. clean gently with a pencil eraser till the copper plates are shiny. (don't use emery paper). Make sure you clean the dirt and eraser crud out. Check the motor brushes. Are they ok or worn out? iIf worn out, you're going to have to fit some from another motor or scrap the motor. Have the graphite pieces of the brush become detached from their brass arms? Sometimes these can be fixed by resoldering. Are the brushes oil soaked (they usually are).? Clean them with alcohol or lighter fluid. In extreme cases burn the oil off by baking them in your oven at low heat (under 200 degrees and while the wife is out shopping xmas sales.
Now hook up the motor to test leads again. Hopefully it will run better. Check amperage draw on meter. Should draw less than .5 amps running free. If it draws more, odd are you have a weak magnet. If you can find a local train repair guy who does a lot of old American Flyer work he may have the proper machine for remagnitizing the motor. Otherwise cruise the net and get some advice about replacing the magnet with new modern super magnets.
If you're lucky, you can bring the old girl back without to much $$. Otherwise throw in the towel, repower with the Athearn mechanism, and just tell your buddies, " Well you know how it is with this old stuff, sometimes the motor's just shot. But look how I repowered her. Not bad, huh?".
Good luck and have fun
JBB
JBB's advice on separating the actual motor out for a cleaning sounds like the place to start.
One of these engines, lettered UP, was the power for my first train set. That was a good running engine, and it put in many many miles. I finally sold mine in running condition when I made the decision that it would be WWI era steam for my HO. I recall that the "belt" did break once and was replaced with a rubber "O" ring that my Dad tracked down in some hardware store. The belt would slip sometimes, and if I set the transformer throttle real low, the motor would run without the locomotive moving... like a real diesel at idle. That was really neat "on board sound" at the time!
It was a nice memory to look at that parts page again! Thanks.
Bill
check out any "Good" electronics store for belt O-Rings. If there is an electronics repair house, ask them for O-Rings.
Walthers MIGHT, check their parts area.
The alternative is to replace it with gears, NWSL can do things.
Beach Bill wrote:The belt would slip sometimes, and if I set the transformer throttle real low, the motor would run without the locomotive moving... like a real diesel at idle. That was really neat "on board sound" at the time!It was a nice memory to look at that parts page again! Thanks.Bill
The belt would slip sometimes, and if I set the transformer throttle real low, the motor would run without the locomotive moving... like a real diesel at idle. That was really neat "on board sound" at the time!
That probably wasn't the belt slipping, since these were equipped with a clutch which is visible in the diagram. I too believe that just plunking the shell on an Athearn chassis is throwing in the towel. I'm sure it can be tweaked to run well, and it is a conversation piece.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
If I remember correctly, Con-Cor ended up with the dies for the Revell SW-7 and made their own power unit for it. You could try to contract Con-Cor and see if they still have parts.
Rick
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
dti406 wrote: If I remember correctly, Con-Cor ended up with the dies for the Revell SW-7 and made their own power unit for it. You could try to contract Con-Cor and see if they still have parts. Rick
If I remember correctly, Con-Cor ended up with the dies for the Revell SW-7 and made their own power unit for it. You could try to contract Con-Cor and see if they still have parts. Rick
If I remember correctly I have a unit that has a gear drive from the motor to the drive shaft that ran between the trucks. I'm sure that it is Revell. I'll see if I can find it to confirm my memory. The gears were all plastic. I have no idea of the exact vintage. I had two but the commutator plates came off on one unit.
I just located the unit. It is Revell. There is a gear on the motor shaft that turns a gear that is part of the truck worm gear shaft. It looks like a 1/1 ratio. There is a universal drive shaft that runs to the front truck worm shaft. The motor is mounted on the rear truck and pivots with it. There is a heavy metal weight over the front truck. There is no band drive in this unit.
I hope this can help someone.
Doug
Soo Line fan wrote:Replacing the drive and frame with a Athearn is the way to go. You will probably never get it to run right otherwise. Look for one with a damaged body or botched paint job on ebay.Jim
at that rate I would buy an old athearn... 8-D
DougF wrote: If I remember correctly I have a unit that has a gear drive from the motor to the drive shaft that ran between the trucks. I'm sure that it is Revell. I'll see if I can find it to confirm my memory. The gears were all plastic. I have no idea of the exact vintage. I had two but the commutator plates came off on one unit. I just located the unit. It is Revell. There is a gear on the motor shaft that turns a gear that is part of the truck worm gear shaft. It looks like a 1/1 ratio. There is a universal drive shaft that runs to the front truck worm shaft. The motor is mounted on the rear truck and pivots with it. There is a heavy metal weight over the front truck. There is no band drive in this unit. I hope this can help someone. Doug
I think I owned a revll switcher like this and it had a gear drive. Belt drive might be an older design.
dinwitty wrote: DougF wrote: If I remember correctly I have a unit that has a gear drive from the motor to the drive shaft that ran between the trucks. I'm sure that it is Revell. I'll see if I can find it to confirm my memory. The gears were all plastic. I have no idea of the exact vintage. I had two but the commutator plates came off on one unit. I just located the unit. It is Revell. There is a gear on the motor shaft that turns a gear that is part of the truck worm gear shaft. It looks like a 1/1 ratio. There is a universal drive shaft that runs to the front truck worm shaft. The motor is mounted on the rear truck and pivots with it. There is a heavy metal weight over the front truck. There is no band drive in this unit. I hope this can help someone. DougI think I owned a revll switcher like this and it had a gear drive. Belt drive might be an older design.
Yes,the belt was the first few production runs.Later the engine had a drive similar to Varney's SW7.
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Just a thought if the motor is salvagable...I found that an assorted pack of hair rubber bands contained the right size replacement for our N-Gauge Atlas turntable...there might be a size to replace the belt in the pack (found them at Wal-Mart for under a dollar).
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
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Had another thought that may be of assistance: The train hobby shop Trains Unlimited in Lynchburg, Virginia was operated by a fellow named Jim Revell. He sold his ownership in about 1996. Jim Revell collected Revell HO models, and I had given him what remained of my original Revell train set. Perhaps someone at Lynchburg's Trains Unlimited has a contact for Jim, who likely tended to more than one such ailing switcher in his work.
THE OLD REVELL I remember had a cluch drive to avoid 'jackrabit' starts of that day.
TODAY better motors with flywheels do that. You got your moneys worth.
A neoprene 'O' ring, or a $25 remotoring would probably be in order.
JBB wrote:Admiitedly replacing the drive with an Athearn would give you a nice running engine. However, part of the thrill of the OLD HO bargin is getting her back running as stock and getting to show her off to your buddies...."Yeah that the old Revell SW7, Made 'em back in the 50's. check out the old rubber band drive. Don't run bad and I picked it up for $5" (Implying, of course, that not only do you have an encyclopediactic knowlege of the history of Ho motive power, but you also have the eye for a bargin and instincts of an Arab trader. With that in mind, let's see if we can get the old girl up and running. "motor turns over real slow" doesn't sound promising, but you might get lucky. Remove the motor and hook it up with some tests leads. Still turn over slow? If it runs ok now look for dirty or corroded contacts in the pick ups (after all this time they're probably dirty anyway, so if they'll need cleaning .) If motor still runs slowly clean and lubricate bearings. turn the motor by hand, checking for binding. The commutator is probably also dirty. clean gently with a pencil eraser till the copper plates are shiny. (don't use emery paper). Make sure you clean the dirt and eraser crud out. Check the motor brushes. Are they ok or worn out? iIf worn out, you're going to have to fit some from another motor or scrap the motor. Have the graphite pieces of the brush become detached from their brass arms? Sometimes these can be fixed by resoldering. Are the brushes oil soaked (they usually are).? Clean them with alcohol or lighter fluid. In extreme cases burn the oil off by baking them in your oven at low heat (under 200 degrees and while the wife is out shopping xmas sales. Now hook up the motor to test leads again. Hopefully it will run better. Check amperage draw on meter. Should draw less than .5 amps running free. If it draws more, odd are you have a weak magnet. If you can find a local train repair guy who does a lot of old American Flyer work he may have the proper machine for remagnitizing the motor. Otherwise cruise the net and get some advice about replacing the magnet with new modern super magnets.If you're lucky, you can bring the old girl back without to much $$. Otherwise throw in the towel, repower with the Athearn mechanism, and just tell your buddies, " Well you know how it is with this old stuff, sometimes the motor's just shot. But look how I repowered her. Not bad, huh?". Good luck and have funJBB
JBB Thanks So Much, It helped trouble shoot this thing immensley.
I Had already cleaned the brushes with alcohol and the motor pick ups with an eraser, so I hand spun it and noticed that it had a catch, so i lubed the bearings but it still had a catch so I tried it under power, and it made about 6 revolutions, hit the catch and stopped and buzzed until I manually moved it past the catch point. It make about 10 more revs and stopped at the catch, buzzed for just a second, puffed a little smoke and stopped. I tried it again, but noting at all even on different power packs. I think that in just that second or two that it did that burned it out. Part of my Wednesday was spent calling train shops in Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Casper, Billings, Idaho Falls, Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction. The ones I was able to talk to told me that the best way to go is a remotor.
So,
JBB wrote: "You know how it is with this old stuff, sometimes the motor's just shot. But look how I repowered her. Not bad, huh?"
So I am gonna start looking for an Athearn frame and drive. I like the all wheel drive on them and the simplicity of thier mechanisim. I am looking for it to be able to lug some cars up a grade on my brand line so I want some reliable towing power and dont want to have a stop due to a slipping belt. Plus, I will have more room for DCC and lighting when I get to that point in time.
I have noticed that alot of people, especially around this area, have no clue what they have lying in boxed of what they think is "junk" I ended up spending a good amount of cash at this garage sale and found some pretty good things. I got my hands on a couple of old Rivarossi 4-8-4s on in UP Black the other in UP Two Tone Gray, Havent gotten to them yet, but even if they don't run, I now have a good source for spare parts. There was a set of 8 Athearn Blue Box Santa Fe Passenger Cars, And an almost like new Bachmann Overland Train set less about 3/4 of the cars. They sold the set becasue the engine stopped running. I pulled it out and the pick up wheels were so caked with crap that it was a very good insulator. and I asked where they ran it, and they told me that they left it set up in the dining room for a good amount of time which is supposedly very close to the kitchen. So I figured cooking oil on the track got on the wheels.... I went home, cleaned the wheels, cleaned the dust out of her and you would swear that it was brand new. For the whole lot of all that I gave $50. I kinda feel bad kowing that with a little advice, they would still have a running train, until they said that they had thought they got a lemon, so they just bought a new one. So I left them my card and told them to call me if that one stopped working too......
Oh, and who has a garage sale in December? It was 15 degrees outside!
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I really appriciate it. I do enjoy crawling out of the Trains Magazine forum now and then and coming over here to MRR but time is often a limiting factor. Thanks again for the help, and I am still open to suggestions if the motor is not burnt out.
miniwyo wrote:I Had already cleaned the brushes with alcohol and the motor pick ups with an eraser, so I hand spun it and noticed that it had a catch, so i lubed the bearings but it still had a catch so I tried it under power, and it made about 6 revolutions, hit the catch and stopped and buzzed until I manually moved it past the catch point. It make about 10 more revs and stopped at the catch, buzzed for just a second, puffed a little smoke and stopped. I tried it again, but noting at all even on different power packs. I think that in just that second or two that it did that burned it out.
I don't think there was any mechanical binding. What you describe is classic behavior for an armature that has a shorted winding. The motor runs slow and draws a high current, then stalls when the shorted winding comes into play. It can usually be kick-started past the dead spot, but ultimately the lower resistance causes the wire to burn through completely. I hope that's not it, but I've seen that happen many times.
I have noticed that alot of people, especially around this area, have no clue what they have lying in boxed of what they think is "junk" I ended up spending a good amount of cash at this garage sale and found some pretty good things. I got my hands on a couple of old Rivarossi 4-8-4s on in UP Black the other in UP Two Tone Gray, Havent gotten to them yet, but even if they don't run, I now have a good source for spare parts. There was a set of 8 Athearn Blue Box Santa Fe Passenger Cars, And an almost like new Bachmann Overland Train set...
Darn... I never see those kinds of deals at garage sales. I hardly see any trains, and when I do it's inevitably junk that the owner is convinced is a valuable collectible.
Glad you found my screed of some help. Too bad about the motor, but hang on to the rest of it, cause you never know. You might turn one up that is complete except for the parts you have in your junk box. The Revell line was always kinda neat and different. If I remember right, Al Armitage, the father of styrene modeling, was involved in the design of much of it, esp. the structure line, but also I think much of the rolling stock.
As for the rest of your treasures, I AM in AWE! The Arab traders in your neighborhood had better look out.
Seriously, it's amazing what you can luck into if you look, and getting this stuff up and running again can become a pretty rewarding hobby in itself.
Happy modeling
Last I looked, Athearn still sold those drive belts for their engines. I have some around, because I was trying to resurrect a few old belt-drive engines. It wasn't worth it to me, but that's a possible source of the belts if they used the same size.
The belts have to be installed in the right direction, incidentally. If one is installed backwards, that would certainly make the engine work very poorly, as the drive wheels would be turning in opposite directions.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.