Looks like it will be a mystery problem forever, Tom, but the important part is that you resolved it.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Sorry, I neglected to mention that, Ed. All three of the aforemntioned brass locomotives came with can motors. No remotoring needed.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I didn't see you mention what kind of motor you have in there, Tom. If it is an open-frame "Pittman" type you might want to look into replacing the magnet?
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/120264/1383917.aspx
Cheers, Ed
Thanks for all the suggestions, fellas. To answer your questions:
I ended up removing the screws from the gear cover and removed all the Labelle 106 gear grease I had placed there earlier. Taking Mark's suggestion, I cut up strips of blue automotive towels (cut with sharp scissors to leave a clean edge) and sopped up any excess oil on the axles and around the wipers. I then relubed the gears and screwed the gear cover back on.
I removed the locomotive shell to get to the motor bearings. I added a small amount of 108 oil to the front & rear gear tower bearings and the motor bearing; dabbing any excess oil up with my cut towel strips. With the shell still off, I tested the chassis on my DC loop track and it ran well. Satisfied that I had remedied the issue, I reinstalled the shell.
I did wonder if perhaps I may have inadvertantly dislodged or disturbed something when I dismantled it to relube it the first time. The 0-10-0 now runs as well as (or slightly better than) it did prior to the relube.
Again, I really appreciate all the suggestions, guys. It will make me a smarter member of the "roundhouse crew" for similar maintenance projects in the future.
Brass steam can be a minefield of bizarre experiences.
I assume the lubrication was done with loco upside down. Is it still just as sluggish while upside down? I had one 0-6-0 that once I turned it upside down to install Kadees and do some lubrication, never seemed to want to run right again. I assume to have upset some delicate balance with the simple act of turning the turtle on its back.
A 2-10-2 ran like swiss watch upside down but not on the rails.
I am glad I changed eras ...
Dave Nelson
My vote is either:
Tom joggled something that caused the bind. Tom must unjoggle it.
or
The motor bearings are dry, and getting dryer "as we speak". Thus needing a bit of oil.
I find it interesting that, after lubrication, it took "a couple of hours of running" to smooth out. I think it should have happened right now-ish, and that this indicated a problem.
It's hard to get too much grease in the gearbox to cause a problem UNLESS it's way too thick. Or, I suppose, if you absolutely pack it. If normal grease is "in the way", it gets squoze out of the way.
Ed
If a driver set fell out of quarter, the loco would "gallump" down the track. From your description I've inferred that it's sluggish but smooth.
Oil working its way into the driver axle bearings might cause something like you describe, but I wouldn't expect it to be very pronounced (sometimes oil can increase friction, depending on the construction of the bearing). The oil MAY have picked up some dust and dirt, creating an oily sludge that could result in the performance you describe.
Take a lint-free cloth (microfiber, for example) and use it to absorb oil from the side rods and the bearings. And check the motor bearings for any sign of grease that may have migrated from the worm - remove it if you find any.
You might also check the current draw - if the loco is laboring, it will be elevated. I don't suppose you know the current draw from before?
Or maybe something just shifted a tiny bit in the fram, causing a binding condition that wasn't there before. Disassembly to the prior point where you lubed, then very careful reassembly may make the problem disappear.
Just a few ideas...
not having any knowing NJ brass i will ask is the gear cover holding the top tower down, meaning is there contact with the axle ?
Tom,
Is it still DC?
Did you get any grease on the wipers?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Greetings,
I've been breaking in an NJ Custom Brass 0-10-0 switcher. I initially applied a small amount of Labelle 106 grease (w/PTFE) to the brass gears, along with some 108 all-purpose oil at the side rods. After a couple of hours of running it was smoothing out quite nicely.
Last night the 0-10-0 started looking "tired" after a half hour on the track loop. So I decided to remove the gear cover and gently clean out the drive gear teeth using a pair of needle-nose tweezers. While there was a small amount of dirty grease in the teeth, the drive gear was fairly clean overall and there was no appearance of any brass grit. I relubed the gear again with some Labelle 106 grease and touched up the side rods and driver axles with 108.
When I put the 0-10-0 back on the track it ran quite sluggish. It improved gradually over a 10 min. period but not to the degree it had prior to the cleaning.
My question: Would too much grease on the drive gear cause this to happen? I did add a little more grease than I did initially but not much more. I didn't remove the drivers so I don't think they are out-of-quarter. Maybe I should remove the gear cover and remove any noticeable access grease?
Looking for ideas or reasons why the performance is suffering? Thanks for any help in advance...