Wheels seem stuck or frozen

[youthguy]

I just purchased an older train set The Comet model #00671 and I've set everything up but the wheels seemed to be locked up.  The instructions say to rock train back and forth on the track.  I've tried this with no luck.  Any ideas to loosen the wheels?   

[NarrowMinded]

Does this locomotive have a head light? does the head light come on? if not you may not be getting any power to the track. don't press to hard when "rocking" the loco it should only take a light push to get it to start rolling if its dirty contacts.

Make sure you have power to the track before you do anything else.

NM-Jeff

[youthguy]

Thanks for the tip.  Any idea about the date/age of this set?  It can't be too old because there's a website printed on the box! 

[NarrowMinded]

Your headlight should light up if power is going to the track so long as the light is still good.

What kinds of sounds? Buss? humm? grind?

where is the sond coming from the controller or the locomotive?

NM-Jeff

[Jim Banner]

In addition to what Jeff said about making sure there is power to the track, may I add to also make sure it is dc.  Some older Bachmann Power Packs had 4 terminals.  Two were marked "variable dc"  and the other two "accessories."  Not all packs had the accessories connections but those that did produced ac at those terminals.  AC is fine for lighting light bulbs and throwing switches but if applied to the rails, it will not make the train move.  Instead, the train will just sit there with the locomotive motor humming until it slowly burns out.

If you try to turn the driving wheels by hand, don't over do it.  It is normal for the driving wheels to feel locked up because of the gears between the motor and the axles.  If you are ever buying a locomotive at a garage sale, swap meet, etc.,  you can check the wheels with the tip of a finger and very quickly determine if all the wheels, half the wheels, or none of the wheels are drivers.  If all the wheels turn freely, you are looking at a dummy locomotive, one with no motor or gears.

There is also a slight possibility that your locomotive has been left in the wet and everything has rusted up solid.  I hope that is not the case as the only cure would be a new locomotive.

Jim

[Jerrys HO]

youthguy,
Your controller has 2 post in the center which are for AC as Jim was saying. These post are not for track power. Your set should have come with an extra wire to plug into your controller and to the track. The track that came with your set should be the EZ Track steel with black roadbed. I was given a set like yours and found the power terminal rail to be defective. Try taking your engine to a local hobby shop to see if it runs if they have a test track or layout available. I run all nickel silver and mine operates just fine.
Jerry

[poliss]

To check that the loco is working use a 9v PP3 battery directly on the wheels.

[youthguy]

Here's an update:  The train motor makes a sound when speed controller is revved up.  The headlight does not come on.  I emailed Bachmann Tech support last Friday but they have not gotten back to me.  Do you guys think that taking the train/set to a hobby shop is the best option at this point? 

[NarrowMinded]

If you don't feel comfortable taking the body off of your loco then take it to your local hobby shop, they may charge you for their time, ask them prices before they do anything you don't want to pay more to fix it then it is worth.

if you are the adventurous type take the loco apart and see if you can find what is hanging up set all your parts in a row so you can reverse the order for reassembly.

You may find it is just some lube that's become gummy. I bought a Marklin large scale 0-6-0 a couple years ago for a few buck because it was doing what your loco is doing,
I pulled the body off, lubed it and gently turned all the moving parts by hand. put it on the track and it took off, i re lubed it after a couple hours of running and its been fine since.

NM-JEff

[train guy]

maby something on the locomotive or cares are causing a short .
check and see if any metal is conducting elctricity across the rails.

[Jim Banner]

What kind of sound does it make?  A humming sound means it doesn't know the words.  A grinding sound means it is making coffee.  And a whining sound means it wants more attention.

Seriously, different sounds indicate different problems.  A humming sound often means there is a mechanical obstruction keeping the motor from turning.  The dc from our power packs is actually rectified ac and the residual ac causes the humming.

A grinding or clicking sound may be a broken cog or gear.

A whirring sound is usually caused by a shaft slipping inside a gear or universal joint.

If the track were shorted, you would not expect to hear any sound from the locomotive.  The fact that you hear something is a good indication that the track is NOT shorted.  Putting a grain-of-wheat bulb across the track, one wire to each rail, is a good test for power and lack of short circuits.

A lighted headlight means that power is getting from the power pack through the track to the locomotive's wheels and is being properly picked up and carried into the locomotive.  Lack of a lighted headlight does not necessarily mean that the locomotive is not getting power.  It may instead indicate that the headlight bulb is burned out or missing or that the locomotive never had a headlight or that the headlight is directional and the locomotive is in reverse.

Jim

 

[youthguy]

I finally got up the nerve to look inside the engine and it looks like both drive shafts/u-joints have fallen out of place.  Is this common and what holds them in place to begin with?