Tyco GP-20 Loco Died

[jimk4490]

Hello, This past weekend my 35 yr old Tyco GP-20 just stopped running. It is strange as for the past 6 weeks it was running really well and smooth and quiet, and now all it does it sits there. The headlight comes on really bright but no movement. I wonder if the motor just died of old age. I tried taking it apart to see if maybe the wire came undone but in prying the outer shell off it seemed like it might begin cracking so I stopped. Any ideas? Thanks in advance. At the time it died I was pulling three passenger lighted cars and I think one of these cars might have had a small short in it and I wonder if this could have led to the demise of my loco. If it died of old age it's ok; 35 years of service is not bad. But it has nostalgic and sentimental value.

[jward]

to be quite honest, 35 years for a low quality train set locomotive from the 1970s is alot more than you could have hoped for. since you say the plastic is too brittle for you to pop the power truck out of the body, your options are limited. since it has sentimental value, why not park it on a short section of track and build a park around it. there are locomotives on display in parks all ovewr the usa.

with the good running locomotives available to-day at modest cost from bachmann and atlas trainman, you'd be better off replacing this old war horse with something better. two possibilities come to mind, a bachmann gp30, and an atlas trainman rs36. both were being built in the same era as the gp20, and both are solid performers.

[Joe323]

It reminds me of a display I saw back in the early 80's of an open Tyco loco vs an open Athern loco.  The quality difference was obvious.  Fast Forward to today and all my runing locos are either Athearn or Bachmann (Though I do have two cheap Life-Like locos on standby so that my 11 year old nephew won't destroy my good locos).

I would retire the Tyco Its not worth fixing.

[jimk4490]

Good points. I'll replace it with a new loco.  Thanks for help. Jim

[Jim Banner]

If your GP-20 has had lots of running, it could well be that the brushes are worn out.  If you can find some good used ones, you can probably get this locomotive running again.  If it has some sentimental value, you might consider replacing the whole chassis.  I installed a chassis from an Athearn GP-7 in a Tyco GP-20 about 15 years ago and it was a relatively simple job.  There are two posts in the shell where the fuel tank/weight screws go.  These posts need to come out.  I used a Dremel tool and a lot of patience (you don't want to go through the shell or melt it!)  The only modification to the chassis was to grind a little off each side to make it narrow enough to fit the shell.  This modified locomotive has served me well both before and after conversion to DCC.

My guess is that other brands of GP frames can be fitted in as well.  Just check that the spacing between the trucks is the same and that the couplers mount on the frame, not the body.  You might crack the body taking out the old running gear, but that is what glue is made for.  I believe this body was injection moulded from ABS so an ABS compatible glue would be in order.  To reduce the chances of cracking, first remove the fuel tank and weight (2 screws.)  Then pry out the trucks one at a time using a small, flat screw driver.  You might even consider warming the plastic by submerging the whole locomotive in hot water.  It can always be dried later

For those poor souls who do not have a 30 year old Tyco GP-20, I should explain that even though they lack the detail of today's locomotives, you can become quite attached to them, particularly if you got them at a time when you had only a few locomotives.

Jim

[jward]

i can understand the sentimantal attraction.

back about the same time, i was ( and still am ) a huge fan of alcos. but we had no options for the century line other than tyco's c430 and c630, lifelike's c628 and ahm's c424. all were marginal performers at best, yet i bought quite a few c430s because they were the only game in town. i still have about 6 of them in boxes somewhere.

unfortunately, those weren't as easy to convert to an athearn drive as the gp20.

[Heave]

35 years on a tyco GP 20. Ugh. I had one of those as a kid. It lasted 6 months.

If memory serves the motor is of a pancake type sitting in the one front power truck under the cab.

I will be blunt and say that you will do very well to find any number of GP20's brand new today for the cost of a replacement motor for that Tyco.

I will extend congratulations on your length of service with that engine. I had a Life like F unit from the mid 70's that lasted until mid 90's and died due to worn out motor brushes. Fred Flintstones would have had a smoother ride on those stone wheels too.

[jimk4490]

Yes, I have a 1970 Tyco F-9 that is still faithfully running but has always been loud. I wonder too how something can last so long. I wonder if it needs lubrication? I don't want to kill it.


Yes, the GP-20 has the motor attached right to the front truck. I am going to replace it with new technology. This one has to be put to rest.