Weaver Locomotive Repair

Apparently you missed all the discussions/announcements about Weaver going out of business. 

It'll be a one way trip to Weaver, and it'll have lots of room in the empty building.

Jokes aside, plenty of repair guys right here on the forum that can check it out for you but I would suggest getting the traction tires and installing them yourself. Plus you can lube the engine easy enough. 

tires can be purchased here.

http://www.mttponline.com/#!online-store/c1kmk

You can test and even run the loco without traction tires. It will not hurt it. I replace tires only if the locos behavior suffers.

But, daBay often has them, they vary in specs, but mostly it's the diameter that matters. Any tires listed for any scale (not RailKing or "Traditional" sized) Hudson or Pacific will probably do. I don't know about pricing.

If the loco has/had 4 tires, replace only 2 of them - the ones on the #3 (last) drivers.

Four tires was overkill (they all use 2, now), and it will run fine without the front 2.

The #3 tires are easier to deal with. This is all the voice of experience. 

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Lubricate the gearbox with any good grease - automotive axle grease is the best, but there

are products "made for" (may be just advertising) models. I've used axle grease, but I also have some LaBelle teflon grease in a small tube. 

Grease things like sliding attachments - front and rear truck-to-frame mountings.

Use oil on the rods and valve gear; also on the axle bearings behind the wheels. You'll

need a needle oiler - always good to have.

Type of oil? It's just a little machine, so 3-in-1 oil or clean 30-wt engine oil is as good as it gets.

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You can do all this; it's not rocket surgery. The "testing" is pretty much lube it, eyeball it,

put it on the track and turn on the power. Take it easy; listen for squeaks; pay attention to smell - as in short circuits. Pay attention in general. Leave the smoke unit off at first. Test that only with normal smoke fluid (some people get WAY too creative here).

These are simple devices; not much to go wrong mechanically - or electronically, depending on its birth date.

All this will make you the expert on the loco - not someone somewhere else.

IMO, 3-in-1 oil is not a really good choice, it gets gummy after a couple of years, at least it does for me.  I use 10-30 motor oil, I've never seen it change in characteristics after time.  I use Red-n-Tacky grease on internal gears and worms.

I have a mixture of 50-50 non-detergent 30w, and "slick 50" ... a mixture recommended to me in 1999 by Scott Mann--I use a syringe/needle to apply, and which I have used for 3rdRail items; so would probably be just as good for Weaver ... which now I understand closed up last month, oh well.

Appreciate the heavier grease recomendations; thinking the teflon grease, or perhaps a lithium grease might be good ... open to ideas ... gear preservation and clean track would be the goals.

Especially appreciate the recomendations to use just 2 traction tires (rear drivers) or none ... most of the loco's I have, which came with traction tires, have dry rotted, worn from sitting on track in a cabinet for years, or just wore out ... my steepest grade is 2% and all road turnouts are #8 or #6, and I am trending towards shorter trains these days (growing weary of building ever longer yards, sidings, and passing sections.

I will test this "new weaver hudson (sf blue goose), and several other Weaver's (NH, Cincinnatian, Yellow Jacket, Tennessean, John Wilkes, and non s/l CP) never run (pacifics and hudsons mostly from the streamline steam period) without replacing the traction tires, which always seemed a thin idea to me ...

Especially grateful for the various and numerous replies ... best regards, and respectfully, richard

The white lithium grease seems to dry up after a few years, I think I'd steer clear of it.  That's why I started using Red-n-Tacky.  Don't ever try to use WD-40!

Right ... WD-40, removes lubricant, it is really a variant of mineral spirits, similar to lighter fluid or paint thinner ... would be a terrible lubricant ... I would like to know more about the Red-n-Tacky ... probably very good advice on the Lithium Grease, which works well on bicycle hub ball bearing's and races ... but probably not so good for small geared motors ... I will google red-n-tacky, and try some ... best regards, richard

Captain, 

I live in Potomac, not far from you. You've got a few local options. 

1) Engine House Hobbies in Gaithersburg. I'm sure Ken or Louie would be happy to take a look at it when time permits. Louie does repairs and is very good

2) Paul Johnson closed Catoctin Mountain Trains in Thurmont earlier this year however his repair folks are still doing repairs, including Mike Brouse who is a certified MTH tech. Email me at DELETED and I'd be happy to forward their contact info. 

Lucas Red-n-Tacky seems to be the grease of choice here, but not mine. I've been using Bosch Purple Grease for over 30 years. In fact a week ago i serviced three of my GG1's that had been last greased over 15 years ago, and the Bosch Purple was still shining and slick on the gears. It is designed for very fine gears operating under very high torque applications like Bosch power tools.

jackson

If the loco has/had 4 tires, replace only 2 of them - the ones on the #3 (last) drivers. Four tires was overkill (they all use 2, now), and it will run fine without the front 2.

Not necessarily so. But feel free to try it with only 2 tires. Just be aware that certain engines will pull poorly with only 2 tires. They will need all 4 to really perform. BTDT.

Chris

LVHR