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 Posted - November 14 2013 : 12:19:07 PM
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This came in a box of "stuff". No markings on anything except Made in Hong Kong. not 100% sure the Swift reefer, UP gondola and Santa Fe caboose went with the loco, just assuming they did.
Believe it or not the loco ran after cleaning the wheels and the commutator, but it will not pull anything, the wheels just spin. All the wheels on the rear truck are traction tires, look more like O-rings.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - November 14 2013 : 12:35:38 PM
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It appears to be Life-Like to me.
Randy
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Posted - November 14 2013 : 1:12:12 PM
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What exactly do you mean, "The wheels just spin"????? The loco isn't heavy enough to get traction to pull or, the wheels aren't touching the rails, or something more?
It looks to be a Model Power unit, BUT that difficult to call on due to not being able to see the underside of the frame as that will tell who made the unit......
The cars, are definitely, Life-Like products....
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid... 
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - November 14 2013 : 3:36:44 PM
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quote:What exactly do you mean, "The wheels just spin"????? The loco isn't heavy enough to get traction to pull or, the wheels aren't touching the rails, or something more?
It looks to be a Model Power unit, BUT that difficult to call on due to not being able to see the underside of the frame as that will tell who made the unit......
The cars, are definitely, Life-Like products....
Originally posted by EM-1Â -Â November 14 2013Â :Â 1:12:12 PM
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EM, when I say the wheels just spin, that's what they do - when I couple a few cars to it. It will motivate itself around the track pretty well, but ask it to pull something and it will just spin its tires. I haven't weighed it, but it "feels" plenty heavy enough to pull at least a handful of cars. So I'm guessing the traction tires have aged/hardened to the point where they do not provide traction? I wonder if those things are even available? But honestly, it looks like if I could find a right-sized O-ring it would work.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - November 14 2013 : 3:41:52 PM
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quote: quote:Believe it or not the loco ran after cleaning the wheels and the commutator, but it will not pull anything, the wheels just spin. All the wheels on the rear truck are traction tires, look more like O-rings.
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â November 14 2013Â :Â 12:19:07 PM
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With only 2 cars and a caboose on level track, the thing should go if it were the slipperiest locomotive on Earth. With 4 traction tires, nothing should stop it.
Do the front wheels turn freely?
Do the "O" rings grip the wheels well, or could the wheels be spinning inside the rings?
Originally posted by scsshaggy - November 14 2013 : 3:37:56 PM
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The front wheels turn freely, yes - and that's a good question re: the traction tires gripping the wheels well. I tried cleaning them with some alcohol and a Q-tip in case they had oil on them, they sure seemed tight but I'll double check that.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - November 14 2013 : 5:20:38 PM
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Look at the two large gears on the front of the power truck. See if they are cracked and maybe slipping on their shafts.
Randy
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Posted - November 14 2013 : 11:31:57 PM
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quote:Look at the two large gears on the front of the power truck. See if they are cracked and maybe slipping on their shafts.
Originally posted by rbturner - November 14 2013 : 5:20:38 PM
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The traction tires are good and tight - I'll check those large gears in the morning. Good idea
Edit - all gears are snug and secure. I still think those traction tires have hardened up and lost their grip.
http://tycodepot.com/
Edited by - JNXT 7707 on November 15 2013 06:54:51 AM
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Posted - November 15 2013 : 1:37:38 PM
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I have posted on here before that I ran across some vinyl type of bands, used for ladies hair. A lot of the members here know that I repair a lot of locomotives for the "Trains for Tots" program. Most of what I repair are lower priced engines and a lot of them use traction tires. I have searched a lot of places for suitable tire replacements (at a reasonable cost) and found these hairbands at Wal-Mart. The manufacturer of the bands is "Goody's" They come on a card with 3 different sizes. The smallest size is what I use the most of. A card costs almost $5 the last time I bought them. There were a couple of other styles at Wal-Mart that may be of interest too.
I have also used the tiny rubber bands that people with braces on their teeth use. They work but are not very durable. Another source I found for the tiny o-ring style of tire that the old Mantua diesels used are from Autozone. I stumbled onto them when I ordered 0-rings for fuel injectors. They were $1.50 for a dozen and worked very well. I can find the part number for them and post it if anyone is interested.
So, good luck in getting her running well.
Randy
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Posted - November 15 2013 : 2:09:03 PM
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quote:I have posted on here before that I ran across some vinyl type of bands, used for ladies hair. A lot of the members here know that I repair a lot of locomotives for the "Trains for Tots" program. Most of what I repair are lower priced engines and a lot of them use traction tires. I have searched a lot of places for suitable tire replacements (at a reasonable cost) and found these hairbands at Wal-Mart. The manufacturer of the bands is "Goody's" They come on a card with 3 different sizes. The smallest size is what I use the most of. A card costs almost $5 the last time I bought them. There were a couple of other styles at Wal-Mart that may be of interest too.
I have also used the tiny rubber bands that people with braces on their teeth use. They work but are not very durable. Another source I found for the tiny o-ring style of tire that the old Mantua diesels used are from Autozone. I stumbled onto them when I ordered 0-rings for fuel injectors. They were $1.50 for a dozen and worked very well. I can find the part number for them and post it if anyone is interested.
So, good luck in getting her running well.
Originally posted by rbturner - November 15 2013 : 1:37:38 PM
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Thanks Randy - yes please post that part # if you get a chance. Do the options you posted work on Tyco units as well?
Sent you a PM about the Trains for Tots program
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 03 2013 : 10:24:10 AM
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Well, while I was searching for something else, I ran across this thread again. I discovered that I had been asked to do something quite some time ago so here it is;
The "O-rings" that I bought for the car that were the wrong size; did work for traction tires. I got them from AutoZone. Part number; 800-9215; manufacturer; GP Sorensen.
Randy
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Posted - December 03 2013 : 9:45:43 PM
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Thanks - looks like I will be needing traction tires for some Tyco units.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 04 2013 : 09:57:57 AM
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Jerry, I noticed on some of the older wheels, they seemed to have a narrower tire groove that some of the newer models. The 0-rings sat a little bit proud of where they should be. So, with the engine running upside down; I took a Dremel tool with a fine cutting wheel and ever so slightly, "cleaned" the groove out a bit. It worked great.
I don't have any proof but I think the early traction tires were a tiny bit smaller than the later ones.
Randy
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Posted - December 04 2013 : 3:50:28 PM
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Thanks for the heads up on that Randy.  I haven't got my older Tyco to run yet so not sure if I'll need to do traction tires, but I suspect I will just to make sure it's getting all the traction it can. 40+ years have probably hardened the originals somewhat.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 04 2013 : 8:09:19 PM
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quote:a cheep, no real cheep train set engine. The kind that when in falls over even if it is not broken you throw it away, anyway.
Originally posted by toptrain - December 04 2013 : 7:22:03 PM
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Well, the Life-Like F9 at the top of the page - yes I would agree with you. But this is a red box Tyco F9 that I would love to get running again.
Edit: speaking of which, my DOA Tyco F9 is alive I am so pumped. Tonight I drilled out the rivets on the bottom plate, took the truck apart, soaked everything in alcohol, cleaned and lubed it....and then, what to do? I was thinking I could tap for 2-56 screws but the holes were too big Fortunately (never throw anything away) I had a couple of long screws in my mixed hardware box that were JUST long enough to get a solid bite into a pair of nylon nuts. crazy setup but you would have thought it was made that way. BUT...the moment of truth - I set the loose trucks (still wired together) on the track, said a prayer and HUZZAH....those things took off like they owned the place. WOW. Never had a Tyco MU2 before, and you all were right, it's got to be a bulletproof motor...and very smooth too. Of course I have yet to give it a good solid run session until I but the trucks back into the shell, but I'm thinking it should do OK.
http://tycodepot.com/
Edited by - JNXT 7707 on December 04 2013 10:31:08 PM
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Posted - December 05 2013 : 09:58:32 AM
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Hey Jerry, glad to hear that she is running. When I drill the rivets out I tap the holes for both the top and bottom for #3-48 threads. Then I use about a 1/4" screw from each side. This way, later on, you can just remove the bottom plate without having to pull the whole truck out. And I seem to have one heck of a time with the engines that came with the long screws and spring holding the truck in.
The #3-48 screw is also the size that Atlas used for the snap switches so it is handy to have that size of tap around just so that you can use up some of those Atlas screws that I seem to have a million of.
Good old Atlas; everyone else standardized on #2-56 screws so they went with #3's.
Randy
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Posted - December 05 2013 : 3:54:29 PM
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Thanks Randy. One of the biggest thrills in this hobby to me is to get an old veteran like this Tyco running again. Even though I really didn't do all that much, it wasn't all that long ago that I would have said to heck with it, but with knowledge gleaned from the members here I was inspired to give it a go.
Great info on the screw sizes that will work on these trucks, I appreciate that. Acquiring the screws will be no problem, I have a whole drawer full of screws from Atles snap switches
AND...as far as those old "throw-away" Life-Like locos, don't throw them away, send thm to Trains for Tots! Even if they are a lost cause Randy may be able to salvage some parts from them
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 05 2013 : 4:05:40 PM
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That's definitely a post-Varney Life-Like set. If you want to get the loco pulling, here's that Goody hair band assortment.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Goody-Hair-Rubber-Bands-Clear-3-Different-Sizes/12018417
The medium size is perfect for large steam, and the large actually make Athearn rubber band drives reliable.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - December 05 2013 : 8:49:36 PM
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Nelson, you need to write a review on the Goody hair band Wal-Mart page advising which size works for which loco 
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 06 2013 : 09:24:41 AM
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Hey Nelson, thanks for that tip on the large hair bands working on Athearn Hi-F drives. I have never tried them for that but I just got a few of the old Athearns in and will try them out shortly.
Randy
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Posted - December 06 2013 : 12:17:27 PM
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Randy - not a huge deal since my screw set up is currently doing the job, but the snap switch Atlas screws I have are not large enough to work either when trying to tap both ends so the bottom plate can be removed without removing the whole power truck.
So - either my MU2 is different or my Atlas screws are smaller than yours?
At any rate, although the loco does indeed run now, the loco will not pull my entire consist around the track without spinning like the Life-Like F at the top of the page!
Granted it's a lot to pull (a dummy F7and 4 passenger cars) but it's what came in the set so I'm assuming the loco should be able to pull them. I'm nearing the point where I might head down the re-power road and put these shells on Athearn drives.  I will try the Goodys hair bands and see if they help - the old O-rings didn't look that bad but hard to say since I didn't have a known good one to compare to.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 06 2013 : 12:41:45 PM
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Jerry the Atlas screws are too short as you found out. I use about a 1/4" to 5/16" long screw. I get them from www.microfasteners.com The reason that I mentioned the Atlas screw in my first post was just so that anyone who purposely bought a #3-48 tap to fix Tyco trucks would also then have a tool available to let them also try and find uses for the Atlas screws. Like once in a while, I have been able to use an Atlas screw for truck attachment etc. The Atlas screw also has a nice big head which comes in handy now and then.
Randy
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Posted - December 06 2013 : 2:37:33 PM
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Randy - not only are my Atlas screws too short, they are not thick enough. I can slide them in and out of the holes the rivets came out of with no problem.
So that's why I am wondering if we are talking about the same Atlas screws or if the holes in my Tyco trucks are larger for some reason.
All these screws came out of Atlas Snap Switch packages, which I thought you were talking about.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 06 2013 : 8:04:05 PM
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quote:Nelson, you need to write a review on the Goody hair band Wal-Mart page advising which size works for which loco
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â December 05 2013Â :Â 8:49:36 PM
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They'd have to move them over to the hobby department after that.
Randy, they are so much better than messing with Athearn's magic melting rubber bands. I've had some on my RDC 4 years and running with no sign of deterioration.
I like your method for replacing the MU2 rivets, which is the way they should have been designed in the first place. I always thought it made them seem really cheaply made (ever counted the blackened brass machine screws in a Rivarossi loco?), and frustrating to the average modeler.
The Tyco Depot
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