Trolley Lifespan and Maintenance

[dieseldan]

Just out of curiosity,
I have a few questions about my trolleys below:

• How durable have users found the mortor block of the Trolleys to be?


• I run mine quite a bit (keeps me company whenever I'm in the yard)
  and I'm wondering what sort of lifespan I can  expect.


• Any hints on Trolley maintanence would also be appreciated.


• Finally, the prototypes often formed "trains" and travelled together.
  Would running multiple trolleys hooked together cause any problems anyone can think of?

My layout is just about pancake flat. Maximum grade of 1%

Thanks,
Dan

[the Bach-man]

Dear Dan,
The recent runs of streetcars are very reliable, but some early runs were problematical. If you perform regular cleaning and lubrication you should be fine.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Matthew (OV)]

Nothing to contribute beyond the Bach-Man, but your question reminded me of a story we used to tell passengers on our 1:1 open trolley that once ran in Rio ....

When the trolley came back to the US, it made the trip on a coffee barge.  The superstructure was on the deck, and the trucks (being heavier) were put down in the hold, which was then filled with coffee beans.

For years, after the car was reassembled and put back in service, when you made the transition from series to parallel on the controller, the car would fill up with the smell of freshly roasted coffee......

Even the real thing seemed to be able to endure a lot!

Matthew (OV)

Oh, and I'm told, 1850 had a trailer in her Rio days, but it was unpowered.

[dieseldan]

Thanks Bach-man!
Regarding the cleaning and lubrication, neither my open or closed trolleys came with maintanence instructions. (and just think, those lucky Spectrum owners even get a video!)

Is there any documentation on performing the cleaning and lubrication?

[dieseldan]

A trolley that smells like fresh brewed coffee, now that's a prototype I can get on board with!

Thanks for the story Matthew!
--dan

[the Bach-man]

Dear Dan,
The sideframes pop off, and the bottom plate can easily be removed by removing the visiblr screws to lubricate the drive. Use plastic-compatible lubricants, like our EZ Lubes.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Dan,
You should be able to run two or even more powered trolleys as a train with little or no trouble.   There can be some differences in speed, but it should be minor.  I have no experience with the trolleys,  but I do doublehead Bachmann 2-8-0 Connies all the time with no problem.   In my HO scale days I found the differences in speed occured more when I mixed brands.  I used to run four SD-40-2 with no trouble.   I ran Athearn and Atlas locos together and there were differences in speed, but it was minor and I would put the fastest unit on the front of the train.  When doing this it actually seemed to polish my track and keep it clean, although I am not advocating doing it.

Bill

[piercedan]

I fixed a set of these trolleys for a friend.

I removed the motor blocks and installed a set with sliders.

These trolleys now are awesome runners!!!

[Dennis Paulson]

I fixed a set of these trolleys for a friend.

I removed the motor blocks and installed a set with sliders.

These trolleys now are awesome runners!!!

Which mfr sliders did you use , and if you changed motor blocks , whose motor blocks did you use , thanks .

Just the other night was the first time that I operated the Bachmann trolley at night .......................it really looked good with its lights in the dark !   

[dieseldan]

Bach-Man,
Thanks for the reply earlier.
Just curious, both my trolleys make a faint "grinding" noise when running.
Since there were no instructions, I didn't lubricate them when I got them (less than a year ago)

They've had relatively light use (probably 30 hrs. at the most)
1. should I be concerned about potential damage.
2. Roughly how often should you lubricate them?
3. Are the lubrication instructions available somewhere? (how many drops, where to apply, etc.)

For future owners, it would be great if lubrication instructions were included in the box.

Thanks,
Dan

[the Bach-man]

Dear Dan,
I's say every twenty hours or so. Try the LGB black grease on the gears.
Have fun!
the Bach-man