3 Truck Shay inop

[Birdog]

All,
Some may have seen this post on another board, sorry.
I have a 4 year old 3 truck that won't run. She was moving fine and then stopped. Light still on but no motor sound. I checked all possible connections and they all checked good. I have since disassembled the thing and all connections are still good. However, when applying power directly to the motor the motor will not turn without help, i.e. I have to spin the worm gear with my finger to get it to run. Once moving it runs at all speeds, when I reverse direction on the powerpack the motor will stop again. I was told my armature is dirty and it needs to be cleaned. So I cleaned it with contact cleaner. This has improved the performance a bit but it still needs help to move 40% of the time. So is it time for a new motor? Does anyone else have any suggestions? If a new motor is the answer does anyone have suggestions for that?
I thank you for your help.
Birdog

[richG]

It sounds like a cracked gear. Just a guess. The Spectrum Shays and Climax locos have this issue sometimes. I changed my mind about ordering the Shay. This issue is popping up on other forums as well as these forums.
There is a chance the gears might need lubrication. The last I knew is the idler gear sometimes cracks.
If no success, I would suggest returning it for another one.

Here are some messages concerning the Shay.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php?action=search2

Rich