Hi out there! I wonder if anybody could help guide me in the process of fixing mi model. It was a gift from my son, but during the delivery one part of it broke (it seems to be the one between the coal car and the engine) and I just can't figure the way to fix it. It gets power and the motor makes sound, but it doesn't move. Any suggestions?
Thank you.
P.D. My son went to the Walthers site but they couldn't give him any information.
Who is the manufacturer? Is this one of the older AHM/Rivarossi locomotives, or the later IHC version? What you're describing is the universal shaft that runs between the motor in the tender and the drive shaft in the locomotive. The earlier versions had a shaft with hex shaped ends, but IHC changed that to a ball and pin arrangement.
Did the shaft snap, or is it stripped smooth? A broken shaft can be joined together with some small tubing, but a stripped one needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, those hex shafts are not easy to come by.
If it's a Bachmann, the shaft should be available from their parts department.
Is it broken, or has it just fallen out?
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
If it was broken during shipment from the manufacturer, generally it will be under warantee. You may have to ship it back to them, but in general they will repair or replace a new-in-the-box engine for no cost.
So, where did the engine come from? Was it bought at a local store, or over the Internet?
Who made the engine? What gauge is it?
Is this a DCC-equipped engine, and does it have sound built in? When you say "the motor makes sound," does that mean like an electric motor spinning, or does it sound like a steam engine chugging? If you hear a steam engine, chances are the plug between the engine and tender is loose. Generally, in sound-equipped steamers, the decoder and speakers are located in the tender. So, even without the engine, you will hear all the steam-engine sounds from the tender alone.
If the engine doesn't have sound and the motor noise is electric, it sounds like there is something internally wrong with the gears in the engine. It may be simple, but generally it's not a good idea to take apart a modern steam engine unless you really know what you're doing. (Taking them apart is tough enough, but putting them back together is the real challenge.)
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.