HO Meteor train connects but just spins and not moves

[kidshaleen]

I Have a Bachmann Meteor Train that we use during Christmas, last year it worked fine, this year the engine connects to the track but just spins and will sometimes move a few inches and then stops. I think that the wheels are losing connection.

We have had this train for 18 years  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Doneldon]

Lee-

I'm not familiar with the drive train in your train (huh?) but I'll try to be of some help anyway. I believe you have an HO train with a diesel locomotive and two or three cars. Others on this board will likely know just what to do.

It sounds like your motor is running so you can rule out electrical problems. The fact that your loco spins its wheels and sometimes moves just a little suggests the problem lies between the motor and the wheels. Depending on how your transmission works, you either have a slipping sleeve on the drive shaft from the motor, a weak drive belt or a gear which is either broken or slipping on its axle. Each of these is fairly easy to fix. Slipping sleeves are easily replaced with a piece of plastic tubing from a hardware store, worn out drive belts are replaceable with a part from the manufacturer or a LHS with a repair department, and broken gears can usually be similarly replaced. If a plastic gear is slipping on its axle, it is often possible to pull it completely off of the axle, clean everything scrupulously clean (including all oil or grease), and ACC the gear to its axle where it was before. I once fixed a split gear (one break, not into two pieces) by putting a small wire loop on either side of the break to bring the broken faces back together). Another time I fixed a gear to its axle by drilling a hole from the edge of the gear and through the axle, and then putting in a piece of wire to prevent the gear from turning on its axle. And I helped a friend install a key in slots in the axle and inside of the gear,and then held the gear at the correct location by winding thread soaked with ACC on both sides of the gear. Maybe one of those techniques will work for you or maybe your problem isn't with a gear. I only mentioned these operations to give you some idea of the kinds of things you can cobble together to repair a loco's drive train.

                                              -- D

[jward]

from what i could tell, the meteor is a train set with a santa fe f9 locomotive, 2 cars and a caboose. it is similar to the current santa fe flyer set, which has an ft replacing the f9.

the f9 is no longer made by bachmann.

first thing to do is to take the body off and determine whether the locomotive is one of the old pancake motor jobs, with the motor mounted on the truck, or if it is the version which has the motor mounted to the chassis, with the trucks driven through universals and worm gears.

if it is the pancake motor version, i would recommend replacing the locomotive as the pancake motor units are very low quality. if something is broken there is not much you can do abaout it. i suspect that is the case with your locomotive. probably you have a stripped gear for a drive system no longer made.

if it is the worm drive version, you may be in luck. first checque to see if all wheels are turning when the motor spins. if not, make sure the universals and worm gears are seated properly on the truck whose wheels aren't turning. if only one truck is turning, your locomotive is trying to drag the dead truck along with the wheels locked. no wonder it doesn't move. reseating the worm and/or universal should get the wheels turning again.

if you notice any broken parts, you may be able to replace them with parts from the similar f7. look under the parts and service tab on this site to pull up the parts drawing for the f7. bachmann service should be able to help you there.

one final thing to checqueis if there is a gear bind in the truck itself. this will require removing the worm gear, removing the truck from the chassis, and rolling it down the track by hand. it should roll freely. if it doesn't, completely disassemble the truck and carefully examine the gear teeth for any grit that may be there. clean out anything you find in the teeth, lube the truck with plastic compatable light oil, and put back together.

hopefully one of these solves your problem.