ALCO C415 Separtion

[regme]

Hi

 

I have this ALCO C415 by Mehanotehnika that needs some TLC, however it does not want to come apart.  I managed to find some instructions that says there only one screw holding it together, but there are some tabs that I have found at both ends but there is still something holding the body to the chassis in the middle.  I do not want to force it just in case I break it.  Does anyone have any ideas?

 

Cheers

[long island jack]

try the tabs at the bottom of cab,think it's all one body

[alastairq]

A very good model..especially if the motor is altered?

Easy to modify/bash, as there were low, medium and hi-cab versions made.

Cab is easy to separate too.   Wire railings and maybe posher stanchions and yer good tuh go??

I once slightly deepened the  equalising bars on the trucks...a bit of plastic glued to the bottoms, then sanded to match the curved profiel at each end...made the trucks look  a lot more ground hugging, as per photos...

[regme]

Thanks, I tried pushing those in , but nothing was happening didn't want to break them but I'll give that a go.

 

Not sure if ti runs yet the guy I bought it from wasn't sure, it may just turn into a good little project.

[alastairq]

Maybe worth slipping one of those tiny screwdrivers under the edge of the cab wall, under the tab, on either side. Gently lever the cab wall clear of the tab?

[regme]

Well, I got it seperated, nothing broke.  Hooked it up to power and the light came but not the motor.

 

The motor was a bit hard to turn by hand so mybe something has caught up inside.  Can you pull these motors apart or should I look for a replacement.

 

Since I'm this is relatively new to me, what sort of motor do I have?  Also and it might be a bit hard to see, but is there a trick to seperating the bogies?

 

Cheers

[alastairq]

Hi..to remove the trucks [bogies], note the U-shaped saddle clipped over the top of each one? By gently easing the saddle legs  over the  pips [small screwdriver again?]...on the truck body sides...the saddles pop off, and the trucks fall away underneath...subject to the limitations of the soldered  wires.

On these Mehano/AHM/ other trade named  locos, the drives are good, as are the universal joints. The motors are cheapo [3 pole, I think] can motors, and can usefully be replaced by better quality items of a similar width and length..double shafted, of course. I have used Mashima, Sagami, etc in the past...the u/j's simply pull off the shafts. Might be worth checking out some of those suitable sized  12 volt chinese motors off ebay? The existing motor simply clips in place...a new motor might need another fixing method....maybe silicone sealer?

Weight is also a useful addition in these Mehano Alcos [they made others]....as is a new handrail set....[I don't know if any US manufacturer made replacement wire handrail sets for these?]  Also, the pilot at each end could do with filling in, and any pilot steps reinstating. Couplers of choice..usually Kadees which can be made to fit neatly.

[regme]

Thanks, that worked I'll start having a look for a motor and see how it goes

 

Cheers

[regme]

Went the local hobby store to see if they had motors that would suit with no luck, so I asked about pulling the motor apart and was basically told no because it would break the magnetic field.  So as stupid as this sounds considering they had to put the motor together, was he for real or just taking the piss?

 

Also for lubricating plastic gears can you use Inox?

[Patrick SPF]

On 06/07/2020 at 10:30, alastairq said:

Hi..to remove the trucks [bogies], note the U-shaped saddle clipped over the top of each one? By gently easing the saddle legs  over the  pips [small screwdriver again?]...on the truck body sides...the saddles pop off, and the trucks fall away underneath...subject to the limitations of the soldered  wires.

On these Mehano/AHM/ other trade named  locos, the drives are good, as are the universal joints. The motors are cheapo [3 pole, I think] can motors, and can usefully be replaced by better quality items of a similar width and length..double shafted, of course. I have used Mashima, Sagami, etc in the past...the u/j's simply pull off the shafts. Might be worth checking out some of those suitable sized  12 volt chinese motors off ebay? The existing motor simply clips in place...a new motor might need another fixing method....maybe silicone sealer?

Weight is also a useful addition in these Mehano Alcos [they made others]....as is a new handrail set....[I don't know if any US manufacturer made replacement wire handrail sets for these?]  Also, the pilot at each end could do with filling in, and any pilot steps reinstating. Couplers of choice..usually Kadees which can be made to fit neatly.

I think that a company called Smokey Valley may have made some, but they appear out of production.
Bowser do a set of 24 Alco handrail stanchions for $5.18 plus postage.

[regme]

I have managed to get the old motor working but it's sparking at the brushes. I have cleaned them and the armature, what would be the cause or is it just coming to the end?

The next issue is getting it going, so the motor works fine apart from the sparking, but when it's all connected she does doesn't want to move.

I have pulled apart the bogies to see if there is a problem, but I couldn't see any broken gears. When I turn the U-joint the gears turn freely, however when I turn the gears it doen't turn the spindle. I pulled the wheels off both bogies and connected the bogies to the motor and eveything worked fine, apart from the sparking. When I put the wheels on, it would go for a bit then stop. There are no broken gears on the wheels, where the wheels sit it's a bit loose so I'm nor sure if that's the problem.

So any thoughts would be appreciated.