I dont have this engine but i think it may be similar to the earlier Southern Crescent engine. Wht i did notice about the southern engine was that there seemed to be less side play in the drivers of this locomotive than Lionels postwar counterparts. This might cause a bit off binding in an 031 curve causing it to slow in the curve.

I'm not sure what the question is.  This is a fairly sizeable locomotive, and it doesn't have cruise control.  It's quite normal for them to slow down on curves.

@Mannyrock posted:

Why was my post on this subject earlier this evening deleted???

It wasn't a track question, and it wasn't an electrical question.  It was a question regarding an O Gauge 3 rail engine.

I still need help with the issue.

Thanks,

Mannyrock

Here is your original post.  It was not deleted.  It might have been moved.  Check under your profile for your posts you made and you can see it was still there.  It's always a good idea to check there in case it got moved or you just don't see it.  Things move pretty fast around here and sometimes posts get pushed a few pages in a short amount of time.

Problems: Lionel JLC Hudson 4-6-4 steamer on 031 curves.

Hi Guys,

The engine doesn't slow down a little.  It suddenly slows down to less than half speed and labors through the curve, then it jumps back up to full speed as soon as it hits the straight section.

I checked the measurements of the wheels on the front and rear driver sets (measuring each set in three places), and they are all very close in dimension.  They are all within about 25/100ths of an inch.

I checked the back and forth "free play" of the axles/wheels in the front and back drivers, and found that the front set will slide back and forth about 1/16th of an inch, but the rear set only slides back and forth about half that amount, maybe 1/32nd of an inch.     Could this be causing the "binding" as it tries to go through the curves?

The other thing I noticed is that the engine has had such little running time, that on the rims of the wheels, which sit on the rails, only a very thin strip of the rough pewter coating as been worn down to the bright silver color.     I wonder if maybe as the engine goes through the curves, the rough pewter sections are contacting the tops of the rails, and creating less of a current than the bright silver sections.      Would it hurt the engine if I gently sanded off all of the pewter color on the rims, so that all of the surface area on the rims is the bright silver color?

As mentioned in my original post, none of my other engines (postwar and modern) have any problem at all gliding through these curves at top speed.  Only the Hudson has a problem.  It runs great on my 042 curve and on the straights.

Thanks for any ideas or information.

As for what happened to my original post:  Why would my question about the operation of a classic  Three rail  O Gauge Locomotive be moved by a moderator out of the Three rail O gauge forum???

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

Hi Guys,

As for what happened to my original post:  Why would my question about the operation of a classic  Three rail  O Gauge Locomotive be moved by a moderator out of the Three rail O gauge forum???

Mannyrock

Some reasons are obvious, some not so obvious.  At least it was moved and not deleted.  My guess is it had to do with an issue on a Lionel engine so it got moved to the Lionel section but again that's just a guess.  Seems it could be either place and it would work. 

I had this problem on the Postwar version of this type engine.  Place the engine on a section of 031 curve.  See if there is any side to side (flange to flange) play.  There has to be some, if not the drivers will bind on the curve.  I had to press the drivers in closer to the axle bushings to resolve the issue.  Also perform the same check on the section of track where the binding is occurring.  Some times the outer rails can get pressed inwards.

Hi John,

Thanks for the info, but I am a little confused.  You mention that there has to be some side to side, flange to flange, play, or else binding will occur.   But, you have also mentioned that you solved the problem by pressing the drivers in closer to the axle bushings.  Would this inward pressing actually reduce the amount of side to side flange play?  And create more binding?

Thanks,

Mannyrock

Guys,

I have flipped this engine over, put it under a bright light, and found a mechanical problem.   One of the small black cast metal pieces, that holds one of the bars (sorry, if that is not the correct nomenclature) which connects a center wheel  to a hollow front piston housing of the engine,  is bent slightly inward at the center wheel connection.  As a result, this cast metal piece  rubs against the other connecting bars when the center wheel rotates around.

When the engine is going straight, the rubbing is small and inconsequential, but going through tight turns, the stress imposed on the drive wheels causes the drive wheel axles to shift slightly inward, which causes this bent  metal piece to rub more tightly on the other connecting bars.

I disconnected the bent casting, by unscrewing it from the center wheel.  I then taped the loose drive bar up against the side of the locomotive.

The engine now runs throughout almost all of the curves, with only a small amount of slow down.  There are still two sections of curves where the slowdown is too much, but I think that this is due to track problems (slight bends or binds), and not engine problems.  (I will work out the track problems later.)

My current problems is I can't figure out how to disconnect the connecting bar from the bent metal cast piece, because what looks like the head of a tiny threaded hex bolt turns out to be the head of a bolt that is really just flattened out on the back of the fitting like a rivet. In other words, the bolt is not threaded and I can't unscrew it.

Because this is a mechanical repair issue, on a Lionel, I will open a new thread on the Lionel products board, and post pictures.   I am hopeful that someone will be able to tell me how to remove the bad part, what new cast part to order, and how to install the new "bolt/rivet" to hold the drive bar to it.

Thanks for all of your advice. 

Mannyrock