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Craig
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 Posted - February 07 2025 : 9:27:40 PM
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The small silver gear on the shaft is riding out a bit as the motor turns, thus no longer engaging the the other drive gear. Is there any way to fix this ?
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Posted - February 08 2025 : 1:51:36 PM
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| Having never done this I will happily suggest super-glue. Best if you can remove the gear and clean any oil/grease; perhaps with a dab of rubbing alcohol + trace of dish soap. If you can "rough up" the shaft the super-glue will hold better; perhaps with a small file. Replace the gear at proper mesh and use the tiniest drop of "runny" superglue on the outside shaft/gear face; then let it rest awhile to cure before running. If it holds then add a sparing amount of grease to the gear teeth. Good luck!
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Posted - February 08 2025 : 2:40:18 PM
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| Yes offtrackthoroughbred is correct. Make sure the gear is lined up with the larger gear and a drop of CA works wonders.
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Posted - February 08 2025 : 2:42:29 PM
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| Have you tried Loc-Tite? It is designed for screw threads, but others have used it to keep universals from slipping on motor shafts in locomotives like Athearn and the newer Bachmanns. I'd be really careful about using super glue on any moving parts, especially the runny type. It could be a disaster if it seeps into the wrong place.
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Posted - February 08 2025 : 4:53:30 PM
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Very true about super-glue gumming up moving parts!
Unfortunate discovery: Loc-Tite attacks polystyrene. Don't use it on plastic. No need to ask how I know.
Edited by - offtrackthoroughbred on February 08 2025 4:54:47 PM
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Craig
Switcher
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Posted - February 12 2025 : 9:44:14 PM
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| Okay so I cut a small piece of flexible plastic and used a dremmel to round it off to the size of the gear. I drilled a small hole so it fit tight on the shaft. I then glued this to the shaft. I tested the motor and all seemed great, wheels turned perfectly. I re-assembled the locomotive, all set to see it run down the track. Turned up the transformer and heard the motor spinning and the train went nowhere. I guess the weight of pulling the locomotive is causing the gear to strip or something. Back to the drawing board.
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Posted - February 13 2025 : 10:59:20 AM
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I am not the resident expert, but that is the infamous PT motor that started up in the early 1990's.
Whenever I would add a PT motorized Tyco to the fleet, I would pitch in the scrap box and install
either the rock-solid 3-pole MU motor or, on occasion, pitch the entire chassis and grind and saw down
an Athearn Blue Box chassis with flywheels.
The tabs for an MU motor did not always fit the PT motor slots, so sometimes this would require
the effort to trim the tabs, etc., and then I recall that the coupler pockets could be problematic.
Your "fix" is the most imaginative I've heard. I have tried superglues to fix it, and ended up
gluing beyond the axle and freezing it.
Bachmann has turned out loads of rubbish with that flimsy pinion gear and much of that was
scrapped in my days. Bachmann is hit or miss these days, so I recommend Sam's Train Reviews
before buying any Bachmann product.
The bottom line is that the pinion gear is bound to fail; roughing up the axle never did a thing for me. It is
a junk transmission attached to a junk motor. Essentially, you have a shell. If you want this
thing to run, find an MU motor and work with the tabs or a chassis of similar dimension and bogie
style. It truly is a horrific piece of garbage and may have turned off untold legions of young
people entering the hobby.
On a side note, at that time, a group of design engineers and craftsmen were so disgusted
that they left and formed their own company, PEMCO (Precision Engineered Model Company). They
, too, contain a "Ringfield" (AKA PT type arrangement) with a pinion gear and have a better body
appearance. Now those things are durable and don't burn up ("the infamous gray smoke")
and pull. They are lovely models in the low-end cost range, as was Tyco.
They didn't last but a couple of years because, unfortunately, they launched right at the beginning of
In the video game age, they went bell up in the face of Atari.
Let us know how it goes!
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