Riverossi Hudson - Help with Motor

I've had problems with some old Lionel motors (which also have 3 pole armatures) similar to your symptoms. The problem usually turns out to be an open circuit or short circuit in one of the three windings. Use an ohmmeter and measure the resistance between the three adjacent pairs of copper segments on the commutator. You should be able to do this thru the opening above the brushes without disassembling the motor. (Avoid taking the old Rivarossi motors apart as there are tiny ball bearings that are loose, fall out, get lost and are the devil to get back into their races.) I think you'll find the three readings do not match as they should.

Your best bet would be to find a short can motor to replace the original, but that will cost $20 to $30. You may be able to find a used Rivarossi motor at a hobby shop which does lots of repairs, or at a train show from an individual who has done motor upgrades and is selling off the originals. I've seen seem a box of old motors for sale cheap on a table at the Timonium (MD) show. GQ

Dear Sir, Does it have an enclosed gearbox, or an open worm and wheel? What is the diameter of the motor shaft (probably in millimeters)? I saw an article once on installing a can motor in some Rivarossi engine. If I remember correctly, the motor was screwed (could have been epoxied) to a sheet metal bracket, which was just screwed to the frame at one end and bent so the motor would be slanted. Northwest Short Line has motors, but I don't know which size you should use. They have dimensions and so forth at their web site. Cordially yours, Gerard.

Ah..that makes sense. Now if I can only find my multimeter =)

As there is no source for old motors or whatnot around here I may take a stab at opening it up. Do you know if Rivarossi motors are interchangable? ie I saw an 0-4-0 on ebay and was wondering if the motor would fit the hudson?

Thanks Michael

Geezer wrote:

Yup it was a broken winding. I managed to pry the motor apart, do some slight soldering magic and voila!... Its alive!

Thanks Geezer

Michael

BigUglyGuy wrote:

Yup it was a broken winding. I managed to pry the motor apart, do some slight soldering magic and voila!... Its alive!

Thanks Geezer