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Reply to "Locomotive Maintenance for a Dummy"

The motors are can motors, and are "maintenance-free" in the sense that there's no need to open them up to clean/replace the brushes/springs or tend to the commutator, like one would occasionally do with postwar-style Lionel open-frame motors (can motors are built to be "maintain-able" in this sense within the R/C car hobby, but such motors have not crossed over to model trains).

The worm gears beneath the can motors are already greased at the factory, but this lubrication doesn't last forever and will eventually need to be replenished. The detailed instructions are for when that comes to pass, since the motors are attached to the trucks via an adapter casting that passes through the sheet-metal floor of the body to engage a screw that comes up through the bottom of the truck block.

You need not remove the body shell to remove the truck, but it's usually necessary to be able to hold the motor steady while re-attaching the truck, and for that, removing the shell alleviates the frustration that task would otherwise cause.

---PCJ

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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