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Reply to "Super Chuffer"

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Yes, I do use dynamic breaking, however, I can't imagine it shortening the motor life.  FWIW, MTH also uses dynamic braking on their smoke units, and their motors seem to last longer than most Lionel motors.

There is one consequence of using dynamic braking, and I see it occasionally with MTH steamers.  The constant acceleration and deacceleration when moving does eventually tend to work the impeller loose on the shaft.  The impeller is a press-fit to the shaft.  You almost never have to replace a Lionel impeller, but I've put a number of them in MTH locomotives.

Gunrunnerjohn wrote  "In a pinch, I've also used a spot of superglue to hold the impeller to the shaft. "          Funny, every MTH steamer I have has a spot of superglue on the fan motor shaft.

My question about dynamic braking comes from the sixties when I packed up my trains and got into slot car racing.  For the most part dynamic braking was used to slow cars and after a long race or a motor that was used a lot,  the magnets would be noticeably weaker. When you turned the rear wheels you could feel the difference in cogging between a new motor and a well used one. Many of the slot car tracks had a magnetizer to zap weak magnets.  I tried to buy one when I got back from the army. Never could find one for a reasonable price, still lookin.  I can however see that such a small motor driving a very light fan, even with dynamic braking, would not tax the magnetic charge the way those hot wound motors with lots of inertia from the weight/speed of the car did.  J

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