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Engines Not Running
This is a question that has been asked several times before. Ed asks readers:
“I have three engines that have been stored for a few years and will not run. Can someone suggest what I can do to get them running.”
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2 Responses to Engines Not Running
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Hi Ed, All 3 will not run?? Sounds like they were stored in a damp enviorment. first you want to try and lubricate them. Are the wheels rusty is the motor inside rusted or pitted. See if you can move the wheels with your fingers working them back and forth. If not again take the motors out and see what is wrong. You will need to lubricate them and clean them real good. Question, do the motors hum when you put them on a live track? If they do go back to lubricating them and working the wheels until they move freely. If not the motors may have pitted so bad that they may need to be replaced. But go for the lubrication first. The wheels and gears could be rusted and or dirty. If the problem is deeper, the springs on the brushes to the motor may be frozen, broken, etc. You will need a little knowledge of electric motors and patience to make the repairs. If it goes beyond lubrication and cleaning of the wheels you and you are not comfortable going further in you may want to bring it to a hobby shop that does these reapirs. Tony P
Often times after storage, the contacts on locomotive wheels become corroded or oxidized. The best solution is to disassemble the locomotive and clean the contact sweepers (or brushes) that conduct the power from the wheels. While the locomotive is disassembled, it’s a good time to lubricate the gear boxes.