In need of new motor, were?

Timko Repair Depot

Edit/Add.  Timko can take the faulty motor, remove the flywheel, worm gear, and mount and install these parts on a new motor.   Check to see if the service is available for specific motors.

Mike CT.

Thanks Mike, appreciated.

You heard right, those K-Line Berks were notoriously under-motored. I never pull more than 15 cars with mine, and I don't run it for long periods of time. Hopefully any motor you get from Frank Timko will be more robust than the original. Lionel used the K-Line tooling to build their similar Berkshire, but they used a much better motor. I don't know if you can use the Lionel motor though - I think they changed the mounting setup. 

Forum sponsor Brasseur Electric Trains should have a replacement K-Line motor in stock if you want to go that way.

Have you located a replacement motor?

If not, MAY be able to help.

Email for more information.

I had a 12 v DC motor fail.....I went to ebay with all the measurements and found a pair for less than $10. Work perfect and have a back up. Measure diameter, length and shaft size. 

I doubt they are the same (but I do not really know), but I have 2 motors I do not need from a Weaver scale GP38 diesel.  They look the same as yours, but I do not know about the dimensions.

I'm sorry you're having a problem with your Berkshire. This is EXACTLY why I didn't pre-order one of Lionel's new USRA heavy Mikados.

-First, the motor is undersized for the design and intended use. Premature failure was foreseeable.
-Second the worm gear and flywheel are permanently attached. So you don't need a motor. To get your loco running again, you need that EXACT motor with the flywheel and worm gear already attached. (The chances of pulling and pressing those parts onto another motor without bending a thin shaft like that are almost nil.)

The fact that K-Line took a permanent dirt nap not long after this loco was made doesn't help because the production volume was small. Maybe the corresponding part from a K-Line scale Mikado will work. If you do find a parts source I would buy two. That motor cost the manufacturer less than $5; with the flywheel and worm gear it should still cost you less than $50 "while supplies last."

Now compare this part to Lionel's recent reissue of the Lima Berkshire (parts diagram is on Lionel's website.) Lionel's Berk has a premium quality large motor with individually separable flywheel, dogbone shaft and worm gear. No problem--any good quality can motor will work. Of course the worm wheel is still captive in the chassis, but that's a gripe for a different day.

Maury Klein built them this way to reduce costs because he was trying to crack the scale market at a lower price point (~$600s instead of $800s.) I didn't bite then because quality is more important to me than saving money. Disappointment and frustration are always more expensive in the long run.

Lionel is taking the same shortcut now with their heavy Mikados. Partly to save money (by reusing the light Mikado chassis tooling), and partly to... accommodate whistle steam? A balky feature that you can barely see?? Give me a break (and a big motor in the firebox every day!) These are destined to be shelf queens.  For about $100 they will make a nice static display on some executive's desk.  My $.02.  

I have a K-Line Hudson/Mikado cruise upgrade kit with motor and while the motors themselves may be the same, the flywheel on the Berkshire motor is much larger.  Also, there is considerable difference in the worm gears.  The motor pictured above came out of a K-Line Berkshire engine.

The numbers on the upgrade motor are RS-385PH which makes it a Mabuchi product, but from my online searches, it looks like K-Line had a special run(s) of these motors because of the way the sensor is mounted between the motor and flywheel.

Here is a picture of the two motors side by side.  The Berkshire motor is on the left.

sent you an e-mail

How are these wired up? I see a 3 prong connection. But to wire them to TMCC board with only 2 connections?

Does your K-Line have cruise?  The TMCC Non Cruise engines had a DCDR and did not have tachs on the motor.

The motor you show is the one with a tach and was used on at least one motor (for 2 motor models) to provide the speed control for the cruise board.  The 3 wire harness plugged into the motor and into the Cruise motor board. 

Motor leads are solder into the holes.  You could use this motor with a non cruise engine, just don't connect the 3 pin wire.

Despite the difference in the flywheel and gear, the gear is very similar.  If the diameter and pitch is the same it could work.  Length maters too, but if it doesn't touch the bottom of the motor mount, and the tooth section is connected to the axle worm with out contacting the solid section.  It will work.

Also, if you don't need the tach the options really open, as MTH motors also can work.   G

Josef,

I was going to ask the same question regarding cruise as GGG did. 

Also, looking at the picture you posted of your motor again, I can see that the worm gear is the same one as on the cruise upgrade motor I have.  It is interesting that your motor has the tach installed if the engine does not have cruise installed.

K-Line calls the circuit board between the flywheel and the motor the "Motor Circuit Board"  pretty clever, right.  Here is a picture showing the motor circuit board connected to the cruise version "motor driver board."  The black and grey wires are soldered to the motor circuit board in either situation, cruise or no cruise.  When installing your new motor, be sure to solder the brown and grey wires into the correct holes on the motor circuit board.  Use your existing motor as a guide.

P.S.  I will reply to your email shortly.

Thanks. My burnt motor only had 2 wires soldered to it. Brown and Grey. I know there is a sensor board also. I just don't want to burn a motor up, reason I'm asking, hard to trace the board when it is covered by the flywheel to see which wires go for motor and which go to sensor? I hope that clearer?

That explains it, you don't need the tach reader.  Since the original Cruise board which needed a tach was replaced with the ERR Back emf, which doesn't need a tach you can get any motor that fits (tach or tachless) and wire up the brown and gray.  No plug into the 3 position needed.  G