MTH Tinplate Standard Gauge gear stripped

I'd start with Henning's and/or MTH Parts.

Thanks Mike.  So there still exists MTH parts dept?

This is a very common issue, the worm is open-air and doesn't get lubricated.  It can eat that gear in as little as 25-30 hours of running.

What's the exact model number?

MTH has them.  EG0000021.  If Henning doesn’t have them, PM me, as I have a few.  Note: the No. 6 & 7 use a smaller gear than the majority of the other Protodrive motors.

It is the gear in the steamer in the MTH LVRR Standard Gauge Starter set.  I will grab the engine and set number this evening.  Thanks fellows.  Jon, can you sell me one please?  

Henning's has them here.

@johnshorse posted:

Thanks Mike.  So there still exists MTH parts dept?

New and improved.  I've ordered from them a few times and it's easy.  That is, if they have what you need.  In this case, it sounds like no.

Apparently, MTH also has that gear in stock.  They don't have the whole axle assembly, so if you have one of the older ones with the gear pressed on, that might be a problem.

That wouldn't be the older. The LVRR were a Lionel Corporation Tinplate offering. I have had to replace that gear myself in one of my locomotives. I recommend everyone open up the bottom of all your MTH Standard Gauge engines and greasing that gear. It's not that hard to get to.

Scott Smith

The manual says every 25 hours, and this is one instance were I think they understated the need.  Worm gears experience much greater forces and friction than plain spur gears, and need much better lubrication.  The worms in the gearboxes have much better lube than the open-air design of these gears.  I got one of these in for repair that had just over 50 hours on the chrono with the gear totally chewed up.  It had obviously never been lubed.  Scott is 100% right here, you need to lub that gear often, far more often than most gears on your trains.

What product do you recommend for lubricant on the gear?  Got me worried about opening my three STD gauge engines (392E, 400E and 381E), do they all have the same open air issue?

I use Red-N-Tacky, others will have different choices.  IMO, the most important part is to have some kind of lubricant on the gears.

One more reminder, there's an very hard to see gear on the MTH locomotives that must be greased. Look for the timing wheel. It's the white and black stripped wheel. Follow it visually and find where it connects to the drive wheels on your locomotive. That little gear needs attention. The first thing on your mind after seeing it will be how the *#*$*)# am I going to get to that gear. As far as I can tell you have two options.
1) Removing the cab and try to reach it from the top. It won't work in all engines.
2)Place grease on a popcycle stick or any long skinny device and grease it that way.

Scott Smith

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I use Red-N-Tacky, others will have different choices.  IMO, the most important part is to have some kind of lubricant on the gears.

I'm also a proponent of Red-n-Tacky, thanks to posts here on the forum.  A grease-gun sized tube is cheap and will last a loooong time.

However, be aware that there are several topics that get emotional responses, and the type of grease is one of them.  We should limit our topics to easy stuff - religion, politics, and the relative attractiveness of our significant others. 

@johnshorse posted:

It is the gear in the steamer in the MTH LVRR Standard Gauge Starter set.  I will grab the engine and set number this evening.  Thanks fellows.  Jon, can you sell me one please?  

Order from MTH Parts and Sales (link on MTH’s website under Service, Parts), part # EG0000021, from Hennings (forum sponsor), or contact me via the TCA directory.

@Mallard4468 posted:

I'm also a proponent of Red-n-Tacky, thanks to posts here on the forum.  A grease-gun sized tube is cheap and will last a loooong time.

However, be aware that there are several topics that get emotional responses, and the type of grease is one of them.  We should limit our topics to easy stuff - religion, politics, and the relative attractiveness of our significant others. 

I figure having some grease in the gears is 95% of the battle, the other 5% is your brand preference.