I have an 0-4-0 Dockside locomotive from Browser Mfg Co. and it's a nice locomotive; but it just won't run.
I have taken it apart and looked through the gearbox and found no foreign objects, but the locomotive still won't run.
The funny thing is though, when I removed the weaghts, shell, and cylinder units, the locomotive ran fine, but when I re-assembled it, the locomotive ran for about 1/2 of a seccond, and just plain quit. The only thing I can figure out is that one of the gears are loose, because when I applied pressure on the exposed gear under the locomotive, I felt a small, sudden movement, and the locomotive ran fine; then the gears siezed up, and the ballet began again.
Has anyone had this problem before? If so, how did you fix the problem?
I hope to find an answer soon, because I want to give this locomotive to my good friend (the funny thing is, I asked him if he wanted the locomotive; he accepted it; and then we did a quick test-run and the problems began)
Sounds like the axle gear split. Do you see a crack where the teeth are separated farther than they should be?
My Bowser A-5 0-4-0 (same frame and drive as the Dockside) had its axle gear split about a month ago. It didn't stall, but it did jump and thump as it ran. I found that Athearn's standard 23 tooth gear from their Blue Box diesels wasn't just a perfect fit, but it fit even better than the Bowser gear did! Quite a lucky find!
The fix is easy. Just pull the wheel, pull the old gear, put the new gear on, and put the wheel back on (with the proper quartering). My A-5 runs as smooth and quiet as ever, and now I know for sure that there will never be another gear problem.
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Right now, I have the locomotive with me; but I don't have any tool kits here right now. I will take it apart tomorrow and see what I can figure out. I'll let you know ASAP what I find.
Thanks for the sugesstion for replacing the gear if it does turn out to be cracked, I do have some old Athern blue-box kits laying around, but I won't cannibalise them. I will, however, get replacement parts from Athern; saying that the gear was beginning to wear out
I found an old Athern mechanism in storage and I took the gear out and swapped it for the cracked one.
Unfortunately, I can't get the locomotive to run period (even the motor won't run).
Do you think it is something to do with how I replaced the gear? (the only tools I had for the replacement werew 2 hemostats, a rounded screw-driver, and a tack-hammer. And yes, I went sort of Medevil on it)
Please don't say I have to return it to the manufacturer for repairs, and please don't say I screwed up the locomotive.
It sounds like you have a bad motor or motor wiring.
the North East Rail ModelerI have an 0-4-0 Dockside locomotive from Browser Mfg Co. and it's a nice locomotive; but it just won't run. I have taken it apart and looked through the gearbox and found no foreign objects, but the locomotive still won't run. The funny thing is though, when I removed the weaghts, shell, and cylinder units, the locomotive ran fine, but when I re-assembled it, the locomotive ran for about 1/2 of a seccond, and just plain quit. The only thing I can figure out is that one of the gears are loose, because when I applied pressure on the exposed gear under the locomotive, I felt a small, sudden movement, and the locomotive ran fine; then the gears siezed up, and the ballet began again.
It sounds to me as if you've got a short somewhere that involves the parts which you removed. If the body shell is metal, try lining the inside of it with electrical tape, and likewise for any part of the weight that's near the motor. This might not be sufficient for a long-term solution, but it could help to pinpoint the cause of the problem.
Wayne
When you put the drive wheels back in, did you make sure the grounded drivers were on the right side of the engine (right if you look at it from the back)? Bowser makes their wheels with a thin strip of insulation on one of the wheels, with the insulation between the rim and the center. The other wheel is fully grounded to the axle. It's easy to get it mixed up during assembly (I've done it a couple times myself), and it will cause a short circuit through the frame (the motor won't turn at all if there's a short).
Bowser gives a simple method in their steam engine kit instructions for testing the axles. To do it, you take the two wire leads from your power pack. Touch one to the axle, and the other to a wheel. If it causes a spark (short circuit), that's the grounded wheel. If it doesn't, then that's the insulated wheel. You can also do the test with an ohmmeter if you have one (no resistance means grounded, high or infinite resistance means insulated).
I'll try it. I'm not too sure that's it though, as I just removed 1 driver from the axle, removed the cracked gear, and re-installed the driver, all conecting rods and whatever other things still in place.
If it runs without the boiler shell or weight installed, then it's obviously not a problem with incorrect orientation of the drivers.
Sounds to me like the motor contacts are hitting the boiler and shorting out. Try the electrical tape method or better yet grind out some of the boiler with a dremel. I have had this same item many times. It can be extremely irritating!
Sam
Thanks for the tip on the cracker gear. Got a second hand Bowser Docksider - wouldn't run - hopped just like you said, sure enough, inspecting the gear shows it is cracked.
Thanks.
When you reassembled the wheels, did you properly quarter the driver? If the driver is out of quarter, the loco would either run extremely badly or not at all.
Carey
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