Mark R.Somebody "assumed" the two boxes were the same gear and dumped them all into a single box.
Add to that mix is the difference between the Hi-Adhesion truck, which HObbyguy's C&O engine has and the Tri-Mount trucks. Presumably the gears are the same but other parts are different. I looked at mine and the axle diameter is noticeably smaller on the Hi-Ad trucks.
Ed
The plastic cover you already removed from the top of the truck is all that holds it in place ! Lift the chassis, the truck will stay on the bench (once you remove the wires of course).
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
You want to be very aware of the small locking tabs on the side of the gear box. They appear to be very similar to Kato and they break if not handled with care. Ask me how I know.
Next in the sequence. I ran it with the front drive disconnected and same rough sound. Then the rear disconnected and again the same rough sound. It is definitely coming from both gearboxes.
So I pulled the gearbox from the rear and popped the cover from the bottom. This thing is full of gears. I looked again at the parts list that Ed attached earlier and it looks like there should be 7 in the Hi Ad truck.
I rolled the truck by hand on rails and there is no binding. If anything the assembly feels a bit loose. Holding the gear at one end of the truck I can turn a wheel at the other end a good bit. Not surprising since all the backlash in the gears adds up. I also rolled it on some track and can "feel" the same sort of roughness that you can hear in the videos.
Does anyone here have a Hi Ad loco that runs smooth and quiet?
Next step... the side frames just pull apart at this point?
Huntington Junction - Freelance based on the B&O and C&O in coal country before the merger... doing it my way. Now working on phase 3. - Walt
For photos and more: http://www.wkhobbies.com/model-railroad/
Yes, there are seven gears in the Hi-ad trucks as opposed to the tri-mount which has five. The gear part numbers I gave you are still the same for the small, medium and large gears.
HObbyguyDoes anyone here have a Hi Ad loco that runs smooth and quiet?
I'm uploading a video now... Stay tuned, don't touch that dial.
It surprised me that the gear noise IS somewhat pronounced. This is the first time I have run the locomotive with the sound muted and, keep in mind that there is only about 30 minutes of running time on it. I believe they are still quieter than your gears and in your case the sound seems to oscillate or pulsate more.
Not very scientific and there is some ex-train-eous noise from other locomotives nearby but you can be the judge. I should get my C-630 with the tri-mounts and see how it fares.
You might just have to do the cleanout-toothpaste-cleanout-relube trick? (see this thread: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-922.html
Yup that is exactly the same sort of gear noise except without the oscillations, and it does sounds a bit quieter overall but hard to tell. The video makes me think the noise is inherent to the model and mine is probably just noisier than most. Way too noisy to enjoy running especially with the oscillations.
Very disappointing, even my low-cost Bachman value-sound diesels run very smooth and quiet.
Do I need to pull the side frames off before cleaning or can I just flush the grease out with laquer thinner as is? Do the side frames just pull apart?
Walt,
Perhaps it's worth contacting Bowser directly to see what they suggest/recommend about your issue. I would also include the pictures and/or video you posted on this thread.
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 was thinking the same thing. I just sent Bowser an email asking for help.
Good news! A Bowser rep returned my email. He recommends that I lube the motor to make sure it is OK, and send the trucks to him for repair/replacement.
That's excellent news, Walt! Please be sure to report back when you get everything snapped back together again.
Success!
I got the trucks back from Bowser today. Not sure exactly what they did but the heavy grease is gone. And one of the gearboxes is a replacement. I reassembled and tested the loco before installing the shell and was happy to find a huge improvement. Of course then I discovered the front pickup wasn't working because the wire had pulled loose from the pickup side plate, so I had to pull the truck, separate the sideframe, solder the wire back on the pickup plate, and reassemble it all again...
Anyway the loco is now fully assembled and it runs quiet and smooth like it should. I really appreciate the customer service that I got from Bowser. Quick turnaround and no charge.
Woohoo! - Great news, Walt! Thanks for updating us on your locomotive saga. And it's always encouraging to hear a good customer service outcome.
Got to add a big thanks to everyone here that helped me through this!!!
Ultimately it was Bowser that resolved the problem but I learned a bunch about how these things are put together along the way.
Glad to hear it!
Also, good to know that Bowser is still a first class company. Good job by making this right!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.