problems with mth aquarium car

I apply baby power to the film and it seems to work.

Pat

Pat,

I'll try the baby powder.  I get one in for repair about once every couple of months for the same issue.

Jim

I'll give that a try today.  thanks Pat!

Well, I took the penguin car apart this morning at a local event where my club was set up.  I gave the film and the rollers a healthy dose of baby powder and reassembled.  I know the real test will be next time it comes out of the box, but this time it ran for 4 hours straight at 14 volts without a hitch.

JZ

also try leaving out some of the screws at opposite ends/sides.

hello guys and gals...........

I have a MTH blue marlin aquarium car for 3 years and it had about total of 4 hours run time from 10 volts to 18 volts (with DCS remote) and never had a film stick on the rollers.  I purchased it back in 2010 and all I did was to oil the axles and roller pick ups.  It works every time in and out of the box. It is my best operating car.  Perhaps the problem is how the car is stored like high temps or damp places might have a effect on the film sticking on the rollers ?

the woman who loves the S.F.#5011,2678

Tiffany

temp/humidity probably has a lot to do with it, but the tape is clearly stuck when I open it.  I think reducing the natural tackiness of the back of the film surface with the baby powder should take of things.

In this case loosing or removing screws would really make a difference because none of the rotating parts are pinched.

Well now that it is packed back up I'll really find out how it worked around Christmas time.

John Z.

MTH has updated rollers for the aquarium cars, that are ribbed so that the belt doesn't stick to them, and provides better movement of the belt. Have changed several, and no complaints, so far. 

you would not know something is pinched/binding until you leave out the screws and it works.  that is how I found out about our aquarium car.

do you have a replacement part number?

Had the same issue with my railking animated budweiser car.  The film kept sticking to the picture background.  It would work for a few days then stick again to the background. 

Talcum powder trick seems to work so far.  I keep the screws loose just in case, don't want to strip it. Be careful with the powder a little goes a long way.

George

I was wondering what exactly an "aquarium car" would be so I did an image search, and lo and behold, it is a boxcar with glass panels and a moving strip image to simulate fish. That is pretty neat. Not my cup of tea, but if I were a collector I am sure I would have to have some. Reminds me of the Star Trek movie where they are transporting whales, and of course you can't make a tank to hold whales unless you have a viewing screen. Therefore they spend half of the movie trying to track down some "transparent aluminum" so they can then transport the whales to the future.

As an aside, JHZ' avatar was the first image to pop up when I did a search.

The part # for the geared drive roller is HF-6200036, the non-geared roller is HF-6200035. Any MTH ASC can get these for you, usually at no charge or a minimal charge for freight, possibly. 

Darn - as if the NSA couldn't find me enough places already!!

The picture in the middle of the car is where the ones I've worked on has always stuck not the rollers..  HO ones have the exact same issue.

Jim

I found on a few HO ones I bought  that the plastic belt with the scene became somewhat permanently curved at the ends where it contacted the cylinders.(left in storage for a while- but nothing extreme - general living area of climate controlled home, not a hot attic or freezing storage area)

If I recall, the belt may have separated at the seam when I tried to help it along, so mine may be held together with clear tape applied from the side that contacts the rollers right now.

I'm not sure if this is the same thing everyone else is describing, but it sounds a little different to me.  (I don't have any O Gauge ones to check out).

-Dave