I'm looking for a source for Mantua parts. A front drive shaft for a 2-6-6-2 to be exact. I know Mantua's long gone and Model power was suppose to have bought up thier dies but I can't find anything on the net. I've tried e-bay but no luck. Sometimes a business will buy out a closed maufacturers stock and sell it out. Does anyone know of a place? Thanks for any help.
Hi there. Lionel now owns all what was left from Mantua. Are you looking for a motor shaft? A rubber tubing? Finding a donor engine will probably be expensive. Your best bet is probably to fix it with parts from another source, or from another engine. If you post a picture of the broken part (or engine with boiler removed), maybe someone here can provide options.
Simon
If it's tubing, doing a search for neoprene tubing, or surgical tubing, will be your best bet. If a solid one, I'd fiddle with a good sized nail.
Thanks for the repies, NWSL makes universals but I was hoping to keep it all Mantua. Thanks for the info on Lionel, last I read Model Power bought them out. I will search Lionel thanks!
I've used some flexible tubing as drive shafts, but it's more likely that your Mantua locomotive would have a metal driveshaft, perhaps with some flexible (jointed) connectors. A piece of piano wire, with a diameter similar to that of the one remaining, should work.
If you have calipers or a micrometer, you should be able to measure the diameter of the remaining shaft and the length needed for the missing drive shaft.I may have some parts that could be useful for that repair.
A photo (or two) of the locomotive with the boiler removed, would be helpful in diagnosing what parts would be needed.
Wayne
My Mantua 2-6-6-2t has flexible tubing. Not sure if the later models had universals.
As far as I know, the Mantua 2-6-6-2 engines all had clear flexible tubing. I'd have to check the archives, but as I recall someone did a cover story in Model Railroader about 1988 that talked about improving the engine by replacing the tubes with I think NWSL parts. It's possible you could track down the actual Mantua tubing, but I don't see any benefit to it. The engine will run better with the replacement, I don't think a 1980's-90's Mantua engine is like a collectible that has to be kept 'stock'?
After a quick search, I did find a photo of one of those locomotives, which did surprise me, as I was expecting something a little more brutish-looking.I was also surprised that the gearboxes for each driver-set are much closer together than what I had envisioned. The driveshafts are so short that they're almost unnoticeable, but they do have the flexible couplings for both gearboxes.
I can't think of what parts you might need, but for others who may be able to help, here's a LINK to the article and some photos.
doctorwayneI was expecting something a little more brutish-looking.
Ya Mantua sorta came in two groups, the early (1950s) engines like the Mikado and Pacific with metal boilers and virtually no details, and the later plastic-boilered engines like the 4-4-2 and the various 2-6-6-2s which were quite a bit more realistic. Starting in the late eighties Mantua engines came with Sagami can motors instead of the old-style open motors.
BTW it's too bad Bowser (I think it was Bowser who made them?) discontinued their detail kit for the Mantua 2-6-6-2.
Mantua upgraded thier 2-6-6-2's with can motors, dogbone drive shafts and made them DCC ready with a harness and jumper sometime before going belly up. They run quite a bit better. For those with the same problem, I ended up using NWSL universal kit with 2.4 shafts for the middle drive. The can motor has a smaller shaft so if you need to replace that one you'll need a smaller shaft size for the motor. The cups that go on the gearbox shafts have to be glued on because they're loose.
Mine must be sort of a 'transition' model; it has the Sagami can motor (which Mantua started using around 1988) but the tube connecting the motor and driver gearing. Not sure that Mantua made any "DCC ready" engines though, wonder if that was later (like under Model Power)?
wjstix Mine must be sort of a 'transition' model; it has the Sagami can motor (which Mantua started using around 1988) but the tube connecting the motor and driver gearing. Not sure that Mantua made any "DCC ready" engines though, wonder if that was later (like under Model Power)? we have 2 at the hobby shop that are dcc ready
Mine must be sort of a 'transition' model; it has the Sagami can motor (which Mantua started using around 1988) but the tube connecting the motor and driver gearing. Not sure that Mantua made any "DCC ready" engines though, wonder if that was later (like under Model Power)? we have 2 at the hobby shop that are dcc ready
I am not sure when it was built or what is in it, but my 2-6-6-2 Cherry Valley Logging Co #25 waddles like a duck when it goes down the rails. I guess that is why it is still in the blue and white box it came in. With the ''Lifetime Warranty'' card it came with.
I looked a little closer and can see the copper armature windings and a chunk of metal on the rear of the motor, so no can motor here, and I see a clear tube going from the motor shaft to the gear box.
thomas81zwe have 2 at the hobby shop that are dcc ready
Well it's possible Mantua did some DCC-ready engines the last year or two they were around. Are you sure they're actual (i.e. 2001 or earlier) Mantua engines? Mantua sold the line in 2001 to Model Power, who in 2002 began reissuing them as "Mantua Classic" labelled engines. My memory is that it was at that point that the engines started to be offered as DCC-ready, and later some with DCC-sound. The Model Power name / line was later taken over by MRC, and now Lionel.
How close does the OP live to Milwaukee? Yesterday I saw two Mantua Classic 2-6-6-2s on the "sale bookcase" at Walthers retail outlet. That could be due to almost anything: damaged packaging, returned defective, missing parts, raided for parts, you definitely take your chances since it is sold as is. I think they were asking $30
Dave Nelson
Like all the models in the Mantua line, the logger got many changes and upgrades thru the years. The last of the USA built ones had the Sagami can motor but still used clear tubing between the gear boxes. While this is fine between the motor and first geartower, it tends to "shove" the front gearbox/driver assembly around instead of just transmitting rotational motion to the gear box. I replaced one many years ago with NWSL drive cubs and a very short dog bone shaft. This required carefull handling as letting the front engine droop to much and the dog bone would fall out. The last of the Mantua line was built in China and had the small unmarked can motor and drive shafts instead of rubber tubes. Those were the ones that came both DCC ready and with DCC/Sound in them. They run nice but none of them hold up as well as the brass ones done by NWSL and PFM in brass. If you need new rubber tubing, any hobby shop that stocks RC cars/planes should have it as its used for the fuel line on nitro powered RC stuff. You need the stuff that is soft and supple. Not the siffer stuff as that will cause other issues.
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome