On30 rail truck clutch is slipping

[Patrick Durand]

Really the clutch must be slipping.   I purchased the Little River rail truck in June of 2010 along with four other new locomotives in on30.   When I finally got around to taking the truck out of the box last week she would run down the track in spurts and with any restraint the motor ran but it went no where.

Up on the rack it was apparent that both ends of the drive line might be slipping.   Both of the u-joint sections that press onto the steel drive lines were cracked.

So I removed the differential and back axle to pull out the drive line.  I discovered the U-joints were not the problem for they had been glued onto their respective input and output shafts.

So I held the U-Joint right behind the transmission housing and cranked up the motor.   Motor ran with nearly no resistance but the shaft and U-joint would only turn when I released them.  Some where between the drive line and the motor the "clutch" is slipping.

Talking to service,  they want to replace it with the railbus, a most generous offer.     I want to fix it.

Can anyone tell me what is wrong?   How do I get the transmission cover off?  Does the motor have to come out of the frame with the Transmission cover?

Like my truck, just need to get the "clutch fixed"    Help!

Pat Durand

[NarrowMinded]

You have the dreaded "split gear" problem, there is no clutch, I thought service had replacement gears for them. call back and ask...

NM-JEff

[Stevelewis]

Surely  the offer  of  a replacement  should be more beneficial than  fixing it?!

The problem you have is extremely common  with  this  item,  I have purchased   at least  4 of them  and  returned them to the  retailer  over the last year or so.

It is indicative of the problem  that  the  selling  price  was  reduced dramatically in many  retailers  just  to clear  them out  ( thats in the UK)