Lionel aquarium

I doubt Lionel will ever have that in stock again. That was a one and done accessory. You’ll probably have to MacGyver it.

Was afraid of that. Not really good at that has anyone fixed this problem and what part did you use. Thanks MartyE

@trainbob posted:

I have a Lionel aquarium and the fish stopped swimming so took the cover off the motor and the gear attached to the motor shaft is stripped. My question is is this a known issue with this accessory and would it be wise to replace it although it would appear Lionel is out of stock at this time

I think you are talking about this accessory https://www.lionelsupport.com/Lionel-Aquarium

While I do not own one, I'm fairly familiar with the typical problems of many Lionel accessories and failing gears.

I would say a huge portion of the time, the failure is too tight of a press fit of the gear onto the motor or other shafting, coupled with splines or knurling of the shaft that cuts into the gear, and last- failure in the design to adhere to minimum number of tooth count for a given shaft bore size.

I tried looking up the gearbox, the motor, any picture I could find and really didn't get anywhere as to the gearbox that has failed in this aquarium.

If you can post a picture of the motor and or failed gear, we might be able to be more specific and find an exact gear.

That said, I use 2 things to fix many accessories: (Can be found on the "A" site)

#1 a tiny metric drill bit set with incremental sizes to bore out the gear ever so slightly to reduce the chances of splitting a new gear when pressed onto the shaft. "Unxuey 150Pcs Set Micro Drill Bit Set Power Tools Unxuey Mini Precision Hss Power Drill Small Precision Twist Drilling Kit with Plastic Box 0.4mm-3.2mm for PCB Crafts Jewelry Drilling Tool" Cost is $13 and money well spent.

#2 Then typically, I can find a gear with the proper teeth and modulus in an assortment set of plastic gears like this "58pcs Plastic Gears Module 0.5 for DC Motor DIY Model Toys" Cost is $7

Or this one is also a good set to have "AUKUYEE Plastic Gear Set, 75Pcs Single Double Reduction Gear Worm Gear for DIY Car Robot QY12" Cost is $13

And last another assortment: "GREEN FABWOOD 75 Type Plastic Crown Gear Single Double Reduction Gear Worm Gear (Original Version)" Cost $7

Thanks for your response. This is what I came up with.08 diameter shaft, .365 length of gear 6 or seven teeth

The bore of the gear is.075

Found a worm gear on Lionel.com unfortunately it just had a picture and no description so ordered 5 and hopefully it will fit

New rule:  When asking for help... include the model # and as much identifying information as possible.  This will more easily enable people to help.

@Bob Paris posted:

New rule:  When asking for help... include the model # and as much identifying information as possible.  This will more easily enable people to help.

New rule?  Most folks will tell you we've been trying to get people to do this for many many years but it doesn't always happen.  We can only ask that they provide as much information as they can including the model number.  If they don't we work with what we got or ask for more.

@MartyE posted:

New rule?  Most folks will tell you we've been trying to get people to do this for many many years but it doesn't always happen.  We can only ask that they provide as much information as they can including the model number.  If they don't we work with what we got or ask for more.

Yeah, right up there with please shot videos horizontally or don’t text and drive. 😊

But, we can still try.

Steve

@trainbob posted:

Thanks for your response. This is what I came up with.08 diameter shaft, .365 length of gear 6 or seven teeth

Looks like the gear is worn on one end. As a temp fix would it be possible to flip the gear 180 degrees and use the part that’s appears to be, from the photos, still good?

Steve

Received the new worm gear today will try it out tomorrow and see if it works

Thanks everyone for their help and for those that don’t know there is only one Lionel Aquarium

@trainbob posted:

Thanks everyone for their help and for those that don’t know there is only one Lionel Aquarium

Hope your gear fits and works Bob.  Just so others aren't thrown off by your last comment there are in fact multiple (over 2 dozen) aquarium cars by Lionel with at least 3 different screen operating configurations.   Those include:

1 -Large motor and gear as shown in your pics above.

2   Mechanically driven off the truck/wheelset.

3. Miniature motor with brass worm gear and gearbox (pic below).

Steve's idea to flip the worm gear looks like it would certainly work based on the wear pattern if your replacement gear is incorrect.

Well the gear works and for the forum police I was not referring to an aquarium car but the accessory. Here is the video

I hope this is not a recurring problem with this accessory because I only bought 5 worm gears. As per Steve’s idea I think it may work although I did not try it but it may be prudent to save the old one

Glad you got your aquarium running, Bob. It's a great accessory, with some cool lighting to boot. I park a running aquarium car next to it and it's fun to watch all the action. Glad you posted this thread - I'll have to pick up a spare gear or two.

@trainbob posted:

Well the gear works and for the forum police I was not referring to an aquarium car but the accessory. Here is the video

Glad to hear you have repaired it! It is a great looking piece.

On the Lionel website it is under worm gear shipping is more than the gear. Although maybe my issue was just a one off. No one else said they had the problem. Maybe I had a bad gear

That is one neat accessory.

Great post.  I replaced my aquarium with another one.  Now I may try to fix the oldone because I had the same issue.  Thanks.

It’s an easy fix just lift off the roof and the motor and worm gear sit under a casing remove the screws and the motor lifts up. In mine the wires had some slack and the old worm gear pulls off and put the new gear on it is a press fit. Also I agree it’s my favorite accessory and thanks for the kind words