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Engine can't pull 9V train

Hi - my son (OK, I!) has a 9 month old 9V Express train. The engine is now
unable to pull the trucks - the motor runs fine but the wheels slip. I have
given all the truck axles a wipe with a cotton bud dipped in WD40 which has
improved things a bit. Any other tips? How about replacing the "tires" on
the loco - can I get spares from anywhere?
Reply to
John Mycroft
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there you can buy all lego you can think of in parts.
and look at the photo on the #115 photo, the locomotiv has extra rubbers for grip, those might help too, so try find them on bricklink (under train probably? :)
Reply to
Wouter
WD40 will make everything slippery. I use an alcohol dampened cotton wipe to clean the track. Do Not use this on the Motor wheels as it might react with the rubber on the wheels. Try to wipe the WD40 off the wheels with dry cotton swabs
Bob--
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.
Reply to
Bob Fay
Thanks, All
I've paid a quick visit to bricklink.com - haven't found any engine tires there yet but I could probably pick up something similar at a plumbing supply shop. As for the rails, I have wiped them all down with isopropyl alcohol which has removed some gunk. I dismantled the axles before applying a tiny spot of Wd40 - didn't squirt it stright out of the can and everything runs more smoothly.
Reply to
John Mycroft
I should have mentioned that the reason the engine couldn't pull the trucks was because the wheels on the trucks weren't spinning freely. No carpet fluff or anything wrapped around the axles & no corrosion. I took the axles out of the blocks to give them their skimpy wipe with WD40 and they have freed up nicely.
Reply to
John Mycroft
Clean out the WD40 quickly before it dries out. Once it does, the lacquer like substance it leaves behind will freeze up the axels as if they were glued in. Water Displacement formula 40 was developed to remove and seal out water from the tiles and grout in Minuteman missle silos. Once the volatile components evaporate, what is left is hard as a rock.
I've seem more equipment ruined by WD40 than I can shake a stick at, both irreplacable teletypes and other printers. Whomever decided to advertise it as a lubricant should be drawn and quartered.
Bob McConnell N2SPP
Reply to
Bob McConnell
I hope you are referring to some other WD40. The WD40 that I know and love is an amazing lubricant that was developed to safeguard photographic equipment used in the jungle. Once dry, it is a near permanent protector and lubricant.
Bob
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Reply to
Bob Fay
Train Rim:
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Black:
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Light Gray:
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Good luck! Wouter
Reply to
Wouter
Thanks, Wouter
I guess it helps to know that name of the part you're looking for - I was looking for "tires". I can't find any 9V rims but I can live without for now.
Reply to
John Mycroft
Well.. I see, the 9V needs conduction trough the wheels. In my 12V time, the recommondation was; use a "potlood" (pencil) the normal gray one that you give to your children to write with the first times.
And then just go over the metal contact points.. and wonders will happen.
Well... that's what they told me, and to me back then it worked. Maybe this simple sollution works for you too?
Reply to
Wouter
You are both wrong. According to the WD-40 web page:
In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.
It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40, which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try, is still in use today.
Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. The product actually worked so well that several employees snuck some WD-40 cans out of the plant to use at home.
More WD-40 history at:
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Reply to
Ken Rice
Thanks Ken. I tried to find this information but to no avail. This is the longest thread I have seen on rtl for a very long time. It has been fun!
Bob
Reply to
Bob Fay

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