I thought I would share my move into making my own train repairs. I am working on my Lionel Southern FM Trainmaster. It is not postwar but a more modern conventional build. However it is pretty much the same as the post war versions.
At issue is a bad gear in the truck. The gear is split and is either plastic or nylon. About 4 years ago I sent this out to be repaired. It was repaired and when I got it back I never ran it. Tried to run it last week and was a week puller and slipped a lot on the rails. Yeah, paid repair and postage but never checked repair. No big deal.
So I figured I was sending far foo many things out for repair thus it was time to do it my self. Now the first thing was to find a new gear. This is a common gear to find. To fined the part number I used the library at Olsenstoy. The only difference I could only find a brass replacement. I put my order in for two. I think it was around $21 with shipping.
Now I had to take the wheel and axle off the truck. I figured this would be simple and I could use two flat head screw drivers. I bet it would have worked but after reading some older forums on this site I bought a wheel puller. I bought the wheel puller from Port Lines Hobby for $56 in in lncluding shipping.
I order both the parts and wheeler puller on Thursday. Hat off to Port Lines the wheel puller came Saturday.
It is a neat tool, something so simple I probably could have made one. But I'm happy now would it work? Of course it couldn't be easy. There was no room to get the tool between the frame and wheel. The way the tool works you need to have the two attachments on the wheel across from each other. My solution was to make it fit by lightly tapping the one puller between the wheel and frame. In any event it worked. Then it is a matter of fitting it so the center of the tool sits on top of the axle. Later I will post some pictures.
It a matter of seconds I had the wheel puller. So I can endorse this tool, at least it works better than two screw drivers.
This is where I am at for now until the gears come in. But as far as repairing a gear in a FM Trainmaster it is pretty simple. Take off the shell. Take the motor off the truck. Take the black wire off the truck, attached by a screw. Unscrew the sides off of the truck. Pull the wheel and wait for new gear to come in.
