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Try contacting Pittman, their online.  A Mabuchi or Johnson 545 sized motor with a 2~2.5 ohm static resistance will work.  You could go with a slightly higher resistance but don't go lower than 2 ohms.  Probably someone on the forum who can rewind it.  I used to rewind motors but just too hard on my old arthritic hands. Depending on the magnets you may get away with removing the armature from the can. This "may" weaken some magnets and make the motor run hotter.          j

JohnActon posted:

Try contacting Pittman, their online.  A Mabuchi or Johnson 545 sized motor with a 2~2.5 ohm static resistance will work.  You could go with a slightly higher resistance but don't go lower than 2 ohms.  Probably someone on the forum who can rewind it.  I used to rewind motors but just too hard on my old arthritic hands. Depending on the magnets you may get away with removing the armature from the can. This "may" weaken some magnets and make the motor run hotter.          j

The Mabushi has a different shaft diameter, this will cause a problem with the flywheel fit.  Suddenly, this turns into a giant can of worms.  

FWIW, I did disassemble the Pittman, they're very easy to take apart, nice motors.  If I could find the armature, that would be cool as well.  I don't know about rewinding it, that looks like a LOT of work with all the overlapping coils.  Looks like you'd have to do the complete motor.

Really?  9433 is a stock number - the 4 is where the pins come out, the first 3 is rare earth magnets, and the first and last digits are diameter and length.

9434 is slightly longer, so the 9433 will work.  I bet Pittman has either in stock.

Personally, I graduated from the 9000 series to the 8000s a quarter century ago and never looked back.  8000s are smaller in diameter and turn faster.  Plenty of power for what I do.

Ron H posted:

This is not rocket science. Measure the width and length of the motor, if it is a can motor and use a micrometer to get a measure of the shaft diameter and find a matching dimension motor subject to voltage.

Good luck.

Not "quite" that simple.  When I was searching for Mabuchi replacement motors, I found that they had many different RPM ranges.  For the Williams steamers I was putting them into, I needed one that had higher speeds as the gearing in the early Williams steam is 44:1.  I ended up with the RS-555SA with a 8,000 max RPM, other RS-555 motors exactly the same size had a max RPM of 2500!  That would not have been a good fit.

I’m always doing Pittman swaps on Pullmor equipped Lionel’s.....for a test, I tried a Mabuchi 555....sorry to say, just no comparison .....I used a 18009 Mohawk previously outfitted with a Pullmor ....that had already been swapped to a Pittman. ....before I go adding any type of electronics package to my stuff, I run my swapped locomotives with a rectifier to get the smoothest mechanical operation possible, so when I do add a package, I know I’ve got a proven performer that I won’t have to back track and fix.....in this particular application, and perhaps I’ve been spoiled with Pittmans, the Mabuchi lacked in performance in all circles....perhaps in the lighter brass Williams this wouldn’t be a noticeable issue, but in the diecast heavy Mohawks, it truly was the equivalent of a Coupe Deville Cadillac with a 4 cyl.....ya just can’t beat a big fat Pittman...........Pat

Certainly a better motor, but I was looking for a "drop-in" replacement for the 3-pole motor that was in the Williams.  With the Pittman, I'd have to change the mount, and tinker with the flywheel as the shaft is a different diameter, 4mm as opposed to 3mm.  Besides, I didn't have a supply of Pittman motors handy, but I can buy the Mabuchi RS-555SA for less than $20 on eBay.

harmonyards posted:

I’m always doing Pittman swaps on Pullmor equipped Lionel’s.....for a test, I tried a Mabuchi 555....sorry to say, just no comparison .....I used a 18009 Mohawk previously outfitted with a Pullmor ....that had already been swapped to a Pittman. ....before I go adding any type of electronics package to my stuff, I run my swapped locomotives with a rectifier to get the smoothest mechanical operation possible, so when I do add a package, I know I’ve got a proven performer that I won’t have to back track and fix.....in this particular application, and perhaps I’ve been spoiled with Pittmans, the Mabuchi lacked in performance in all circles....perhaps in the lighter brass Williams this wouldn’t be a noticeable issue, but in the diecast heavy Mohawks, it truly was the equivalent of a Coupe Deville Cadillac with a 4 cyl.....ya just can’t beat a big fat Pittman...........Pat

I prefer the Pittman for all the red white and blue reasons plus It is a better motor but when you compare it to a 555 you have to realize that they come in MANY MANY different windings from about .7 ohms static all the way up to about 70 ohms. Perhaps even higher.  When you buy on eBay most sellers don't have a clue what they are selling you get what you get. Mops Electric in one of their eBay ads has a Mabuchi 545 which is about .25" shorter than a 555 it has a 1.7 ohm static resistance and works very well in Lionel Hudsons, Mohawks and Reading T1s. It is five pole and has a no load speed at 12V around 8700rpm. Max efficiency is 7100rpm at 12v, 7A stall on 12v. Johnson motors  (another chinjap motor) sells motors virtually identical to all the Mabuchi motors O scale model railroaders might be interested in.  The problem with all Lionel steamers is they are geared WAY to high. The Lionel 700 and 773 are 18:1 while all the Williams steamers that I have are all over 30:1  I think TedS said they were 44:1 in either case, 30 or 44 :1 you would want a motor with a lower static resistance and higher reving at that ratio, which would not work worth a toot in a 700e or 773. Take the Pittman 9432 that is very common in O scale locos I bet if you get to looking close on the Pittman site they make 20 or more motors that use the same can with different windings, different numbers of poles different magnet structures segmented or full circle magnets (full circle magnets cog less). As a general rule when you add poles you lower the max rpm for a given static resistance at a given voltage. Though motors can look physically the same they can have vastly different operating characteristics. Which is true of the Mabuchi 555 series motor you tested. It is not a representation of all 555 motors Mabuchi makes.          j

JohnActon posted:
harmonyards posted:

I’m always doing Pittman swaps on Pullmor equipped Lionel’s.....for a test, I tried a Mabuchi 555....sorry to say, just no comparison .....I used a 18009 Mohawk previously outfitted with a Pullmor ....that had already been swapped to a Pittman. ....before I go adding any type of electronics package to my stuff, I run my swapped locomotives with a rectifier to get the smoothest mechanical operation possible, so when I do add a package, I know I’ve got a proven performer that I won’t have to back track and fix.....in this particular application, and perhaps I’ve been spoiled with Pittmans, the Mabuchi lacked in performance in all circles....perhaps in the lighter brass Williams this wouldn’t be a noticeable issue, but in the diecast heavy Mohawks, it truly was the equivalent of a Coupe Deville Cadillac with a 4 cyl.....ya just can’t beat a big fat Pittman...........Pat

I prefer the Pittman for all the red white and blue reasons plus It is a better motor but when you compare it to a 555 you have to realize that they come in MANY MANY different windings from about .7 ohms static all the way up to about 70 ohms. Perhaps even higher.  When you buy on eBay most sellers don't have a clue what they are selling you get what you get. Mops Electric in one of their eBay ads has a Mabuchi 545 which is about .25" shorter than a 555 it has a 1.7 ohm static resistance and works very well in Lionel Hudsons, Mohawks and Reading T1s. It is five pole and has a no load speed at 12V around 8700rpm. Max efficiency is 7100rpm at 12v, 7A stall on 12v. Johnson motors  (another chinjap motor) sells motors virtually identical to all the Mabuchi motors O scale model railroaders might be interested in.  The problem with all Lionel steamers is they are geared WAY to high. The Lionel 700 and 773 are 18:1 while all the Williams steamers that I have are all over 30:1  I think TedS said they were 44:1 in either case, 30 or 44 :1 you would want a motor with a lower static resistance and higher reving at that ratio, which would not work worth a toot in a 700e or 773. Take the Pittman 9432 that is very common in O scale locos I bet if you get to looking close on the Pittman site they make 20 or more motors that use the same can with different windings, different numbers of poles different magnet structures segmented or full circle magnets (full circle magnets cog less). As a general rule when you add poles you lower the max rpm for a given static resistance at a given voltage. Though motors can look physically the same they can have vastly different operating characteristics. Which is true of the Mabuchi 555 series motor you tested. It is not a representation of all 555 motors Mabuchi makes.          j

Ok John, point made....do you have any of these operating in your arsenal that makes them a proven performer? I’d be interested in hearing more and learning..share a link for the motor you suggest, I’ll gladly buy one and install it in my test mule, and put it to the test....yes, I like my Pittmans, but a mabuchi is a third of the cost....I’m all in........Pat

Last edited by harmonyards

Hi Neville!  An 8x24 would be the best choice, because it's high-revving AND it's narrow enough to fit in the hood of a hood unit.  x can be any number, but usually a '2','4', or '5', e.g., 8224.  This is what Lou Houlemarde was using in his "new" CLW locos.  You can still buy Weaver-style chain drives from P&D Hobby, and sprockets to achieve the desired gear ratio.  There are a few commercial replacement O scale diesel drives that use a 19:1 gearhead motor, vertical gear tower and drive shafts sprouting from the fuel tank to 1:1 back-drivable worm gearboxes.  I like the back-drivable gearboxes, but I don't like the gearhead motor.  Because when it fails, you'll have to find an exact replacement or park the loco.

Some other things to think about...

No brush motor is very happy running for long periods of time below about 800 RPM; below that you will inevitably encounter cogging, torque ripple, and any significant load could result in runaway heating.  

To get full performance points in an NMRA modelling contest, a loco has to run smoothly at 4 smph.  At 800 rpm, this works out to at least 30:1 in a steam loco with average-sized driving wheels, and about 17:1 in a diesel.  As John said, almost all O scale locos from toy train manufacturers are geared too high.  Even the highly-regarded Atlas switcher is geared for 70+ mph road speeds, and its motor is the inexpensive RS-385.

The top speed of the prototype is irrelevant, unless you're wealthy enough to have a home layout the size of a basketball court (in which case, you can probably afford a custom drive!)  To achieve a top speed of 45-60 mph, useful for those of us with ROOM-SIZED layouts, the motor's "redline" needs to be 11-15 times 800 RPM, or a no-load speed of about 10,000 - 12,000 RPM.  The Pittman 8x24 comes close to that.  Some variations of the Mabuchi 555 were also rated for 12,000 RPM at 24 volts.  The Pittman 9000 makes a ton of torque, but it won't break 7000 rpm.  For the reasons above, it's really only useful in conjunction with pre-existing "toy train" gear ratios.

Higher RPMs require careful attention to noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).  Perhaps more than the manufacturers care to bother with in a mass-produced toy train.  But back in the 1950s and 60s, All-Nation, US Hobbies, etc., took care to mount their motors with rubber grommets.  Flywheels, which confer some coasting to today's low-inertia can motors, also have to be carefully balanced.  Die-cast is pretty quiet, but thin-wall brass and plastic bodies tend to amplify any vibration.

Although the NMRA specifies that maximum speed should be obtained at 12V, much performance potential is being thrown away by slavishly adhering to this antiquated standard.  24V is the NMRA standard for G-scale, and O-scale modelers would be better served adopting this higher voltage.   And there is a precedent, especially in 3-rail O...  A prewar Lionel type-Z transformer could produce 24 volts open-circuit; the Postwar 773 had an operating voltage range of 12-20V.  The Right of Way transformer produced at the dawn of the 3-rail scale revolution (circa 1990) also maxed out at 24 volts.  This higher max voltage gives finer control, a wider speed range, more RPM (in a motor so rated), smoother starts, and lower current draw. 

So if interoperability on others' layouts isn't a consideration, using a Pittman 8x24 motor with a 24-volt winding, a balanced flywheel(s), a gear ratio of ~19:1, and a 24V power supply will give you the best performance.  My $.02.

Last edited by Ted S
harmonyards posted:
JohnActon posted:
harmonyards posted:

I’m always doing Pittman swaps on Pullmor equipped Lionel’s.....for a test, I tried a Mabuchi 555....sorry to say, just no comparison .....I used a 18009 Mohawk previously outfitted with a Pullmor ....that had already been swapped to a Pittman. ....before I go adding any type of electronics package to my stuff, I run my swapped locomotives with a rectifier to get the smoothest mechanical operation possible, so when I do add a package, I know I’ve got a proven performer that I won’t have to back track and fix.....in this particular application, and perhaps I’ve been spoiled with Pittmans, the Mabuchi lacked in performance in all circles....perhaps in the lighter brass Williams this wouldn’t be a noticeable issue, but in the diecast heavy Mohawks, it truly was the equivalent of a Coupe Deville Cadillac with a 4 cyl.....ya just can’t beat a big fat Pittman...........Pat

I prefer the Pittman for all the red white and blue reasons plus It is a better motor but when you compare it to a 555 you have to realize that they come in MANY MANY different windings from about .7 ohms static all the way up to about 70 ohms. Perhaps even higher.  When you buy on eBay most sellers don't have a clue what they are selling you get what you get. Mops Electric in one of their eBay ads has a Mabuchi 545 which is about .25" shorter than a 555 it has a 1.7 ohm static resistance and works very well in Lionel Hudsons, Mohawks and Reading T1s. It is five pole and has a no load speed at 12V around 8700rpm. Max efficiency is 7100rpm at 12v, 7A stall on 12v. Johnson motors  (another chinjap motor) sells motors virtually identical to all the Mabuchi motors O scale model railroaders might be interested in.  The problem with all Lionel steamers is they are geared WAY to high. The Lionel 700 and 773 are 18:1 while all the Williams steamers that I have are all over 30:1  I think TedS said they were 44:1 in either case, 30 or 44 :1 you would want a motor with a lower static resistance and higher reving at that ratio, which would not work worth a toot in a 700e or 773. Take the Pittman 9432 that is very common in O scale locos I bet if you get to looking close on the Pittman site they make 20 or more motors that use the same can with different windings, different numbers of poles different magnet structures segmented or full circle magnets (full circle magnets cog less). As a general rule when you add poles you lower the max rpm for a given static resistance at a given voltage. Though motors can look physically the same they can have vastly different operating characteristics. Which is true of the Mabuchi 555 series motor you tested. It is not a representation of all 555 motors Mabuchi makes.          j

Ok John, point made....do you have any of these operating in your arsenal that makes them a proven performer? I’d be interested in hearing more and learning..share a link for the motor you suggest, I’ll gladly buy one and install it in my test mule, and put it to the test....yes, I like my Pittmans, but a mabuchi is a third of the cost....I’m all in........Pat

Pat,  I have put mabuchi RS-545SH in two locos a Lionel B6 switcher and a 773. These motors have a static resistance ( off the top of my head ) of 1.7 ohms and a stall current on 12V of 7 amps. Without hysteresis at play a stalled motor is just a resistor and follows ohms law so if you divide the max voltage you apply to the motor by the static resistance you will have the stall current at that voltage. That becomes the limiting factor you can go lower with your static resistance but at the risk of pulling more current and burning your motor driver or e-unit out.  You can also install a polyfuse to gain a little safety margin.   If your loco is TMCC or PS2 or 3 you need to pay close attention to the stall current. Most of the TMCC motor drivers can withstand 8 amps for a couple seconds or a little longer if you make a better heatsink for the triacs and bridge.  So a stall current below 8A is important for both TMCC and conventional with a solid state e-unit. most if not all Solid state e-units are only rated for 6A. Next you need to determine what RPM you need to acheve the max speed you want.  I never drive my passenger trains much more than about 60smph and 40 for freight. Most layouts are far too small for express train speeds.  So to compute the max rpm you need for your motor you need to measure your wheel circumference and divide an O scale mile 110' (1320") by the circumference of your wheel. That will give you the revolutions per mile. Multiply this number by the gear box ratio and that is the motor RPM you need for 60smph.  If you want to drive 70smph multiply this number by 1.16.  80smph X 1.33.  90smph X1.5

The SH in the model number stands for shifted commutation meaning it will run a bit faster in one direction you don't have to do anything about this but I bought an optical tach ( about $20 on ebay) and can read the RPM so what I did to the motors was loosen the end with the bracket for the brushes and rotate it CCW and CW and find the point where they run the same RPM in both directions.  I have a Mabuchi 555 that I pulled from one of these toys that pulls a swimmer underwater it is a toy not a professional version that a diver might use. It's motor 2 ohms around 7800 rpm at 12V no load 5pole. I don't know what the model number is but it is a Mabuchi. and I plan to put it in a Lionel 18006 Reading T1 Northern. It should make 6500 rpm under load. Which will give the T1 a top speed of 80-85smph If I were you I would get on the Mabuchi site and send a message. tell them what max rpm you need and the stall current. and get their recommendation for both a 545 and a 555.  Mops Electric has a 545 very close to the ones I have they are doing a good job.  This link is for one but they sell 5 for about $45          j

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mabuc...047675.c100005.m1851

JohnActon posted:

The SH in the model number stands for shifted commutation meaning it will run a bit faster in one direction you don't have to do anything about this but I bought an optical tach ( about $20 on ebay) and can read the RPM so what I did to the motors was loosen the end with the bracket for the brushes and rotate it CCW and CW and find the point where they run the same RPM in both directions.  I have a Mabuchi 555 that I pulled from one of these toys that pulls a swimmer underwater it is a toy not a professional version that a diver might use. It's motor 2 ohms around 7800 rpm at 12V no load 5pole. I don't know what the model number is but it is a Mabuchi. and I plan to put it in a Lionel 18006 Reading T1 Northern. It should make 6500 rpm under load. Which will give the T1 a top speed of 80-85smph If I were you I would get on the Mabuchi site and send a message. tell them what max rpm you need and the stall current. and get their recommendation for both a 545 and a 555.  Mops Electric has a 545 very close to the ones I have they are doing a good job.  This link is for one but they sell 5 for about $45          j

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mabuc...047675.c100005.m1851

Or buy the same motor even cheaper.

Mabuchi RS-545SH Motor 12VDC 8700 RPM No Load Vibrator Vacuum Massager New 3045

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John Acton, that’s a lot of neat information.....so you do have a Pullmor converted loco that you’ve finished? .....I’d love to see a video ( if possible ) of your 773 in operation....how are you driving the motor? I’ve done a 763 (5344) with a Pittman 9434 which would be very similar to your 773 as far as gear ratios and motor instal...... Currently, it’s simply being operated via a rectifier. But I’d love to compare the two as far as cost of parts, smoothness of operation, longevity of operation, and amps consumed. Please note: I’m not here to bash one motor or the other or your skills (obviously you have them) I’d just like to see a real world comparison of what your doing and what I’m doing.....I have full pics of my 763 build I did the Pittman swap to..I think it’d be a fun and interesting comparison on two very similar platforms.....neat stuff!!...................Pat 

gunrunnerjohn posted:
JohnActon posted:

The SH in the model number stands for shifted commutation meaning it will run a bit faster in one direction you don't have to do anything about this but I bought an optical tach ( about $20 on ebay) and can read the RPM so what I did to the motors was loosen the end with the bracket for the brushes and rotate it CCW and CW and find the point where they run the same RPM in both directions.  I have a Mabuchi 555 that I pulled from one of these toys that pulls a swimmer underwater it is a toy not a professional version that a diver might use. It's motor 2 ohms around 7800 rpm at 12V no load 5pole. I don't know what the model number is but it is a Mabuchi. and I plan to put it in a Lionel 18006 Reading T1 Northern. It should make 6500 rpm under load. Which will give the T1 a top speed of 80-85smph If I were you I would get on the Mabuchi site and send a message. tell them what max rpm you need and the stall current. and get their recommendation for both a 545 and a 555.  Mops Electric has a 545 very close to the ones I have they are doing a good job.  This link is for one but they sell 5 for about $45          j

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mabuc...047675.c100005.m1851

Or buy the same motor even cheaper.

Mabuchi RS-545SH Motor 12VDC 8700 RPM No Load Vibrator Vacuum Massager New 3045

Thanks, good deal !  Is this the same motor you found for your project a couple of days ago ?  I always went to Mops first because they are in the US and you don't have to wait three weeks to get your order. Not to mention they are one of the few on eBay that actually give motor specs.  Glad you found this seller.           j

harmonyards posted:

John Acton, that’s a lot of neat information.....so you do have a Pullmor converted loco that you’ve finished? .....I’d love to see a video ( if possible ) of your 773 in operation....how are you driving the motor? I’ve done a 763 (5344) with a Pittman 9434 which would be very similar to your 773 as far as gear ratios and motor instal...... Currently, it’s simply being operated via a rectifier. But I’d love to compare the two as far as cost of parts, smoothness of operation, longevity of operation, and amps consumed. Please note: I’m not here to bash one motor or the other or your skills (obviously you have them) I’d just like to see a real world comparison of what your doing and what I’m doing.....I have full pics of my 763 build I did the Pittman swap to..I think it’d be a fun and interesting comparison on two very similar platforms.....neat stuff!!...................Pat 

Yes, two locos so far but going to use the unknown  # 555 in the T1. The Hudson is over at my brothers house and I will try and remember to make a video next time I'm over there. Though I'm not going to pull the body off.  Both locos are TMCC  a Train America Studio SAW board in the B6 and a lionel DCDR motor driver in the Hudson.  I like the way the B6 runs better than the Hudson it's a bit faster than I would like and if I ever manage to sneak it out of my brothers basement I've had an idea for some time of using two 385 size motors turning a central shaft connected to the 773 gearbox.  This would allow a way to change the gear ratio to basically anything. I might even try the concept with two Maxon coreless motors, I have, they are the same size as the mabuchi 385. Do you remember from slot car days the "sidewinder motor"  slot cars ?  Turn that drive 90 degrees and add a second motor on the opposite side of the big spur gear. If the ratio of the motors to the central shaft  is 2:1 you end up with a final drive ratio of 36:1. 18:1 X 2......... Too much. However if the ratio is something like 1.5:1 you end up with a final ratio of 27:1............ Getting close !          j

JohnActon posted:
I've had an idea for some time of using two 385 size motors turning a central shaft connected to the 773 gearbox.  This would allow a way to change the gear ratio to basically anything. I might even try the concept with two Maxon coreless motors, I have, they are the same size as the mabuchi 385. Do you remember from slot car days the "sidewinder motor"  slot cars ?  Turn that drive 90 degrees and add a second motor on the opposite side of the big spur gear. If the ratio of the motors to the central shaft  is 2:1 you end up with a final drive ratio of 36:1. 18:1 X 2......... Too much. However if the ratio is something like 1.5:1 you end up with a final ratio of 27:1...

I don't understand what you mean, John, but it sounds exciting!  Perhaps something like one of these?

http://www.acetrainslondon.com/mechanics.html#nil

Good luck and look forward to seeing some photos/videos when you get a chance!

Ted, It was easier to grab a 773 chassis and just set the motors in place with a spur gear lying between just to show how things would line up. The drive shaft would be longer and the gears would be different. The pinions on the motor would be larger and the spur gear smaller.  The drive shaft would ride inside a brass tube with a ball bearing on each end.  Just did a measurement inside the firebox of a 700e and found it is too narrow to get 385 motors in side by side inside a Hudson. I think they will go in a T1 the casting wall on the sides is thick enough to grind out a good 1/8" which would get them in.  I did find that I have a pair of Maxons that are 26mm dia X  45mm long (top of 2nd photo) and will go in the space inside a Hudson only one problem they have an 8 ohm static resistance. If they had 20v to run on a pair would be plenty powerful however the most voltage I have read on a TMCC driver was 15V on a TRAIN AMERICA STUDIO board.  I have a bunch of summer projects going on right now but would like to hook two of these motors to a TAS board and see what they can do.  ERR has 20khz PWM and they may be better though I think they only produce 12v.  Too much to sort out this may have to sit till fall.          j103_7494103_7498

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