not moving but lights are on.

[bachcen]

hi guys. i just got my 1st train set 2 days ago. its a bachmann centennial 24007. did put oils and grease (saw the video on youtube on how to do it). it was working for less than 3 hours total. turned it on for abt 20-30 mins max then let it rest for hours then turned it on again. then it stopped moving. there are lights on the passenger cars and at the locomotive so i dont know whats wrong with it. did cleaned the track made sure that the track is connected. unplugged it for 5 mins then plugged it on again but still doesn't move. it was quite noisy when it was working and saw a comment in youtube saying that it is normal. need help pls. thanks.

[Desertdweller]

Since the lights are on, you are getting power to the train.  Just that much eliminates many of the possibilities for trouble.

There has to be a problem somewhere in the drive train of the loco.  Do not leave the power on when this happens: you can quickly damage the motor that way (all the electricity that should be running the motor is likely getting converted to heat instead).

If the thing ran before you lubed it, then it is likely your maintenance is directly tied to the problem.  Possibly, the fresh grease attracted foreign material into the gears and jammed them.  Try rotating the motor or flywheels backwards to see if you can back the obstruction out of the gears where you can pull it out with tweezers or a toothpick.

Almost all oils, including plastic compatible oils, can migrate from the motor bearings into the motor if applied too heavily.  If the oil gets on the commutator it can either short it out or soften the carbon brushes to the point they fail.  I doubt if that is your problem, because of the short time span involved.

How far did you disassemble the loco to do this?  Is it possible you reinstalled the motor incorrectly, and it is not able to draw power?  If so, the motor will not be harmed, but it won't run, either.

There are a lot of things you can do to try to troubleshoot this problem, but with a new loco I suggest you return it for repairs or replacement.

Les

[bachcen]

thanks for the reply. i just removed the "shell" or cover of the loco then put lubes nothing else. flywheel? is that the gears at the bottom? tried to rotate the gears at the bottom but it is stuck. i have no idea if it should rotate w/o force or electricity should get it turning. should i force it? also worried that small pcs from toothpick might get stuck. is has 5 gears in front and 5 at the back. i put 1 drop on each gears just as shown in youtube (Bachmann N Scale Starter Set Video Part 2). sad part is it was given to me as a gift and she bought it at ebay months ago. it has the warranty cards and instructions but no receipt. idk if bachmann will take it.

[Desertdweller]

I don't know what model your loco is.  If it had flywheels, they would be round brass things on the ends of the motor shaft.

Otherwise, try turning the armature itself.  It is that thing that rotates in the middle of the motor.  If the gears are jammed, it will allow movement in one direction only.  Turn the armature so it moves in that direction, and it should back the gears around so the obstruction gets to where you can pull it out.

Les

[Ken G Price]

As Desertdweller stated he flywheels are the round brass pieces on each end of the motor shaft.
They are between the motor and the worm that rotates the worm gear and wheel gears.
If no flywheels then it is an inexpensive model. As are most Bachmann train sets.
Now saying that it should still run.  
To rotate the wheels you will need to turn the armature (motor) with your finger if there are no flywheels.
The wheels should not turn otherwise.

Welcome to the world of model railroading where many smiles are needed.
Hopefully  you are the type that like to learn new things.

[bachcen]

desertdweller-it did run again so i observed it for abt 10 mins but i had to go out so i unplugged it. got home after 2 hrs plugged it but again got the same problem. maybe i should open an acct at photo bucket so you can see the loco. and im really not familiar with the parts of the train. =) thanks again.

ken g-it is kinda inexpensive. saw 1 in ebay today for arnd $100 including the shipping. do i need screwdriver to turn the armature? what i did was just remove the "shell" w/o using any tools. thanks for the welcome.  btw really great set-up. must worth a fortune and really have a lot of experience in this hobby.

[Desertdweller]

The strange thing here is that your problem is intermittent.

Do not use a screwdriver to turn the armature!  It is likely to damage it.  If the armature will not turn with pressure from your fingers (and don't force it) there are two possibilities.

The first possibility is that the motor is bent, causing the armature to make intermittent contact with the field magnets.  Look at the laminated plates on the armature lobes.  They are the steel plates the armature wires are wrapped around.  On Bachmann motors, these plates are painted light green.  If these plates are scuffed, it means the armature is brushing against the permanent magnets.  This may be happening only when it stops in a certain location.  This would mean either the armature shaft or the motor frame is bent.  Either way, the motor is ruined.

If the motor appears OK, but still won't turn, it means either the armature is contacting in a place you cannot see, or (more likely) the gear train is jammed.  If the loco ran OK initially, and wasn't dropped, the motor is probably OK.

If you have decided not to return the loco for repair (I would), then your next course of action would be to disassemble it.  If you have never taken one of these apart, study the instruction sheet that came with the set.  Do your work on a well-lighted surface, and keep everything together in a flat pan.

You will want to fix your problem with the minimum of disassembly.  After removing the body shell, lay the chassis on its left side.  Notice the frame is in two halves, split vertically with a black plastic separator to insulate them from each other.

Note how and where the copper contacts on each truck touch the frame.  They will have to fit that way when it is reassembled.

A screw at each end of the frame passes through a plastic insulator and spacer and holds it all together.  Take these screws out and lift off the frame half.  Except for the gears within each truck, the entire drive train should lie exposed.  Look for foreign objects in the gears.

On each end of the motor shaft is a nylon cup that holds a drive shaft.  On the outboard ends of the shafts, they are held in two more cups that drive the worms.  Each end of each shaft has two pins that fit into slots in the cups.  These pairs of pins are at a 90degree angle to each other, acting as universal joints (the worms swivel with the trucks.  Remove these shafts (both are the same) and rotate the cups with your fingers.  Check the armature for contacting the magnets when you turn the motor shaft.  If the motor makes a clicking noise, then the armature or motor frame is bent and the motor should be replaced.

If the motor checks out OK, try rotating the cups on the worms.  If the gear trains are jammed, it will probably be in only one truck.  Look for damaged gear teeth while you do this.

Each truck is held on by a pin that a large gear rotates on.  This pin extends into slots in each frame side.  You can now lift the trucks out one at a time and rotate this big gear to check for material jamming the gears inside the truck.

By now you should have found the problem.  If the motor is OK, then clean out the gears and put it all back together.  This can be rather difficult.  Both driveshafts have to be kept aligned with their cups, and the copper contacts on the trucks have to wind up in the right locations, as do the clear plastic insulator pieces around the motor brush holders.

The black insulators and the plastic washers on each end of the frame have to be in just the right places, too.  There is nothing to hold the plastic insulators that take the screws until the screws are actually fastened, so they will have to be supported underneath somehow.  And if anything gets out of alignment, or if those two screws are too loose or too tight, it won't run even then.

But that is how you would do it.  If I were you, I'd send the loco back to Bachmann.

If you stay in this hobby after all this, you will find that trouble-shooting can be a big part of it.  Get some old used locos of various types, and take them apart to familiarize yourself with how they are made.  You might even be able to resuscitate one!

Go look at my post "What Tools will I need?" to get a good idea of what you will need to maintain a fleet of N-scale locomotives long-term.

Les

[bachcen]

uploaded some photos @ http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc449/bachcen/. would like to send it to bachmann but i dont think its covered under warranty coz i dont have a receipt and it was bought @ ebay. would try do fix it on my free time. thank you so much for your time. have a great evening.

[bachcen]

saw your post abt tools. thanks again for that useful info. do you have an acct on youtube? coz its much more easier for me to watch a video on "how to do it". 

[Desertdweller]

http://s239.photobucket.com/profile/Lesforan

Try this address for photos of my railroad.

I don't trust facebook enough to use it.

Good pictures of your train.  I don't think that loco has been available for awhile.  Try calling the Bachmann helpline.  They can repair or replace your loco for a reasonable price.

Les

[James in FL]

Hi bachcen,      

You state ..."i just removed the "shell" or cover of the loco then put lubes nothing else".... and also..."it did run again".
Seeing as the problem seems to be intermittent points me toward a contact issue.

If it were me, the first thing I would look at is to be sure the commutator and brushes are not flooded with oil or grease.

The second thing I would check would be the contacts; they should be clean and dry as well.
I'm not a fan of using "conductive" lubes. If the contact points are in contact with each other, the way they are intended to be, it is not necessary.

Checking the trucks for cracked gears would be third on my list.
Those gears (the white ones) are notorious for cracking. If they are cracked they will cause binding. You will need some sort of magnifying device to see the cracks. I use a 4x loupe.


Good luck.

[bachcen]

desertdweller-wow. awesome set-up. the whole room for trains? are all of those n scale? cant ask for more.

james-im really new here and i dont know the lingo of trains. what do you mean by commutator and brushes? is it ok if you'll look at the pis @ photobucket and comment on the pics so i'll know there it is. thanks for your time. 

[Desertdweller]

Yes, it occupies a finished room in my basement (my "man cave").  It is N-scale, and represents passenger train operations in Denver around 1960.

I have been a model railroader since 1968, and an N-scaler since 1978.  I am a retired locomotive engineer.

I'm glad you like my railroad.  Thanks for the compliment.

Les

[bachcen]

you're welcome. i believe that any1 who sees it will surely like it. thanks again.

[skipgear]

I think James nailed it.

There is no reason to lube a brand new loco, especially a Bachmann as they usually come with too much grease / lube in them as is. You probably put too much oil in the wrong place and it has crept onto the commutator of the motor and for lack of a better term, gooed it up. Clean the motor out with an electronics parts cleaner and then just apply a single drop of light oil to each of the bushing points, half a drop if you can manage it.

The second issue is the loco is of the era of the Bachmann white cardboard box. Those loco's were prone to the axle gears cracking over time and many never made it out of the package working.