Train Repair Help

Is there any rust on them at all?

try this to un seize them.spray some PB plaster on them,,they will be unseized.

WBB parts dept is pretty good    Just call them  I needed truck side frames for a U33C and I had them delivered in 3 days

Have you taken the steps or ladders off the truck assembly area? Sounds more like a misplaced ladder or step that has a screw missing and has shifted it's location and is now binding. The steps or ladders are attached to the truck assemblies with up to five screws depending on which model you have.

The only replacement parts(that I know of) for a Williams engine has the truck assembly with motor up-grade kit from Bachmann, priced around $100.00.

A little FYI, Williams and Lionel frames don't inter-mix, so you must have Williams truck assembly parts if it is defective.

Lee F.

Trainfever, there doesn’t appear to be any rust.  Honestly, I’m not sure they have seen much track time either.

Joseywales, I will try PB blaster, that stuff does work really well and didn’t give it a thought.

Lee, I removed the truck assembly from the locomotive and removed the truck frame.  When I did this, it allowed one of the three sets of wheels to move freely.  The two remaining sets are the seized wheels. 

Thanks

Chris,

It sounds like you got rust or a bent axle or bad bearing. I would say to remove the wheelset that is giving you trouble and inspect the bearing journal area with the axle removed.

I bought an older set of F-7's and needed to lube the wheels very much as they were squealing when being run at any speed.

I upgraded a set of F-7's, ABA set, to two powered A units and used the left-over metal wheels to replace the plastic wheels on an SD-45 truck set.

Lee F.

take the side frames off.

lube the axles and let it soak.

then wack the wheels with a

small hammer from both sides

and that will loosen the seized

whesls/axles.

Ive done this before with good results.

I've had those that the sideframes were bent, straighten them out and it might be all that's needed.  If the wheels are rubbing against the sideframes, they're bent!

Obviously a cleaning and lube is clearly called for.

carefull bending side frames.

some are made from white metal

and will break easily, bend gently,

with minimal pressure.

True, but if they're bent, you have to get them "unbent".  Heat helps, and I agree you have to do it carefully.

heat is a great poingt.

I seem to remember an article

in classic toy trains many moons ago.

striaghtening postwar boiler castings.

theydid exactly that!!  heated the cab roof and

carefully bent it back into place.

just like new.

I've seen it mentioned several places.  That's how I bent the sideframes back that were bent, I hit them with the heat gun long enough to hopefully convince the metal to bend.  You do have to be careful not to cook off the paint.

These get bent a lot in shipping if the item isn't packed securely.