Weaver - my first attempt.

Thanks, I've ordered a new drive and a motor with ball bearings.

It's still a cheap loco and it will run well I'm sure, with the new drive.

Pat was very helpful by email.

Cheers

Well, looks like the loco is covered.

P&D is kind of local for me, but one of those shops that I can never seem to catch open. (Wild Bills too).

   In ten years, they've been closed every time I got there, and once I took a day off for it, and they had a slot or RC event going, and I couldn't get in to shop.

  I gave up trying to "catch" them. Good luck.

 The photos appear at the posts end, but can be cut and pasted into the text in the right spot.

 As you click on the photo, white parameter boxes will show, now cut and paste it to a new spot.

 If you don't check the "appear full sized in test", then they will only show as attachments at the bottom.

  Click the attachment options at the post bottom if you change your mind, or if you wanted a smaller version of the photo to appear(there are size choices there).

  Embed video with the "film strip" at the top.(You tube adds some code on occasion. Anything in front of "http" should be erased from the url or you will see the OGRF page in the preview instead, and it wont work.   

Thanks. 

PeteM said everything I would have said.  Pay attention to the motor number - the rare earth magnets are a significant improvement for two bucks more - and Pittman still sells the Alnico motors! 

Weaver cheaped out in two places - first, with motors, and then with non-aged plastic.  Using an Alnico motor with solid bearings in an application where radial force is applied is a no-no.  Charlie pIttman Jr. told me that personally.

Aging the plastic before machining is why NWSL and CLW gears rarely split.

Thanks Bob.

Max: I gotta know... Did you find cracked sprockets? I've been worrying for 2 weeks about this!  

Sorry Pete

I looked at the P&D offerings and bought the rebuild kit based on the improved motor.

I'll pull it apart today, I promise! - and get back to you.

Cheers

Hi Pete

I haven't disassembled the tower, but visually inspecting the sprockets with a super bright LED torch, shows no cracking in the sprockets.

Turning the drive by hand, it looks as though the teeth might have some rough edges, as the chain links look like they are catching on them.

When I had this problem with the P2K HO locos, often it was necessary to take the gears off the axles and force the cracks open using an O ring pick, before you could see them.

I really don't want to strip the drive until the kit arrives, so I might see more during the rebuild.

I hope that you can cope until then. 

Cheers

I'll keep taking my meds and hope to pull through...

On a more serious note, I did wonder f I saw a roll-pin through the top sprocket in your first picture. Maybe it's an "improved" version if so?

Also, I have found 3 other things that seem to apply to all my sets, based on Bob Sobol's excellent work.

1. The centre lines of the top and bottom shafts are not parallel. The top shaft's boss seems to have been angled down a little in the tower design. This causes the chain to always be pulling at an angle to the teeth, no matter how well you align top and bottom sprockets. Definitely a cause of constant hum/noise. 
2. The sprocket boss is too narrow on one side. This means the chain sticks out beyond it and rubs on the washers supplied. Definitely a cause of constant hum/noise. Bob S made some top-hat washers to create clearance - see his pics on Smugmug. I don't have his skills and equipment, so I use sleeves cut from brass tubing between the sprocket boss and washer.  
3. Some replacement sprockets are cast not machined, and have the mould halves mis-aligned so the teeth are too wide for the chain. I don't think you have this issue though.

Apart from that, it's a great drive system!    

Cheers,

Pete

Hi Pete

Thanks for all of that.  I expect the kit to arrive this week  P&D are not great communicators, so I'm watching and waiting.  I'm used to that in South Oz.

I'll sit down with all your advice points and hopefully make a good fist of it.  Having an engineering background, I agree with your assessment that it is potentially a good drive.

In the meantime, I'm plugging away building my new layout, so I'll have somewhere to run it. 

Cheers  (I hope the photo works)

Just an update, so you know I'm still alive. 

I ordered the drive kit from P&D on August 19th, but so far it hasn't arrived.  Pat is working on it from his end, as well as me from mine - but after all this time, I think it's lost.

Pat has offered to send me a replacement.  I think that's the way it will end up going.

Good service.

Cheers

Hello,

On your last photo, is it made for a pier or something like a harbor?

And, for me who is far away from your country, what is "SouthOz"?

Hi JPV

The scenario is a waterfront with an ocean going tug boat moored to the dock.  I'm thinking of doing a thread on it as I build it, but I've wanted to watch others to see if that would be appropriate on this forum; before I attempt it.

Oz is what we call Australia,  so I'm in South Australia - right down at the bottom. 

Cheers

 That answers things about others occasions where I've heard that before.

Thanks for the grin 

Hi Max

Thanks for the information on the waterfront; it's a good idea! and it would be a good thread.

And I believed that SouthOz was a place in the USA!!!! I was absolutely wrong! you are farther than I thought!!! you are exactly at the opposite side of my country if you look at a planisphere!

Hi Max,

Sorry to hear about the lost drive. Pat is a great guy and will look after you I'm sure. I have had nothing but great experiences with P&D over 20+ years.

I recently found another upgrade to the drive towers that gets rid of the down-slope of the top shaft and adds double ball-bearings to it. It also provides an adjustable-height tower to achieve perfect chain tension with any sprocket combination.

I don't think it's allowed to post their URL here, so PM me if interested. The parts just arrived so I'll post some pics once I get into the job.

Pete

Thanks, Guys.

I've kept progressive photos as I've gone, so it should be easy enough.  SWMBO is off to the Dragon in Law's this arvo (Sunday), so I'll have a go at it when we get back from taking the dog to the beach.

Thanks, Pete.  Yep.  I think I've bookmarked that product as well.  Pat's been very helpful.  I didn't want to ask him to send another one until we've exhausted all other possibilities; but it's looking like it might have to happen.

The layout will keep me busy in the meantime. 

Cheers

Well, Pat and I have been working at this for a while now without finding the lost parcel.

Pat has sent me another kit FOC, which arrived today.  I've agreed to return the first one if it ever shows up. 

Great service, Pat.     

In the meantime, we're still looking.

I'm away with the band on a road trip until next week, so I won't get a crack at it until then.

I've been plugging away on the layout in the meantime . . .

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...73#44510795592058273

I love playing Bluegrass, but I can't wait to get back to modelling. 

TTFN

OK.  Here we go - after a hiatus.    Pat was very good about the lost kit and sent me another one straight away.  Would you believe it?  A couple of weeks later, the first one turned up.  I've sent the spare one back, before anyone asks. 

Anyway, I've checked the Weaver tower and the sprockets have no cracks.  What happens, is that the chain hangs up on the teeth end then jumps as it releases - in both the Weaver and the P&D!

Here they are, side by side . . .

I had made up a brass idler, which stops the chain wrapping itself around the top sprocket.  That stops the lashing action which was causing jumpy movements in the loco at Notch one.  The P&D one has the wrapping around syndrome as well, so I could change the idler over - or keep the Weaver one.

That's what I've decided to do.  I'll have spare sprockets is I ever need them.  The seller gave me a bunch of spare chain, so I'll be OK with all the spares I've got. 

Pat  sent me an upgraded motor as well.  The motor in the Weaver was struggling with the Loksound decoder (more like the other way around), so I'll see if the new motor improves things.

I've laid 5 metres of track on my new layout, so I'll have somewhere to test it out.

Thanks for your interest.

Wish me luck.

Well, I gotta tell ya.  I'm starting to understand why Weaver went out of business.

I've replaced the bits as above and the loco runs very well at slow speed, but above notches 1 and 2, the drive train rattles very loudly.

The sound of the frequency of the rattle is the same as the tail shaft rotation - but the rattle is coming from the rear drive truck.  I 'end for ended' the square brass shaft, and checked it with a straight edge, but that hasn't helped.

The rattle is coming from the rear truck (the one with the chain).  It's nearly loud enough to drown out the sound decoder.

Experience tells me that I might need to disassemble the gear boxes between the wheels as there is a lot of play there.  Adding shims might help to tighten it all.

A very disappointing product.

P&D replacement to the rescue.  In the box are some spare axle/gearboxes.  Simple process to pop the old one out and pop a new one in.

It's reduced the rattling significantly.  Now if I run the sound decoder, I can't hear it.

The new motor Pat supplied has improved the decoder performance, but I'm going to have to upgrade to the Loksound L version to get rid of the groaning sound completely.

I might set Pat's chain drive up with an idler to replace the old one to see if I can eliminate the rattling completely.

Sheesh!  This O gauge lark is a challenge! 

Cheers