As a cheap-O kind of guy I've bought more than a few of the later model Weaver diesels with the vertical can "China-Drives" running them with "old-school" straight DC power supplies (10 amp, Marnold throttles etc.) Here are some of the more vexing issues (aside from usual keeping it all clean) encountered from extensive use over the years on heavy trains, grades, "hot-to-go" switches etc. at my club.
- The bottom of the white plastic phenolic-like washers insulating the pick-up eyelets from the "hot" side of the truck frame get eaten away at the bottom over time sufficiently enough to short.
- The pick-up "whiskers, either the plated ones mounted on the bottom or the "leg/struts" extending from the inside of the insulated side frame eventually retract from their inner wheel contact surface/path (I guess due to the lateral motion "slop" of the wheels sets or perhaps derailment "cooking?")
- A wheel-set develops a wobble as if the axle was bent due to a blow from drop/bad derailment, but in fact occurs gradually, as if from repeated operation by itself.
- This one is the worst; mystery gear binding; the wheels and axles are 90 degrees straight, the adjoining drive gears off the power axle spur aligned, the axle gear and motor worm look clean and straight, but the whole assembly binds in one direction only. I suspect bearing wear/slop sufficient to bind the worm at the axle, but cannot see it at all. It would help if one could split the truck frame, but you as know you can't . *sigh* and I'm loath to go down the pulling wheels and gears road yet etc.
Any comments, checks. remedies based on your first hand experience with these (aside from "you get what you pay for.." etc) would be most appreciated. I'd like to get as much out of these as I can before trying to replace truck guts when there are no longer factory or after-market parts available.
Thanks.
Pete
