Split gear woes

[1936ace]

 
Just thought I'd test I few more locos to see if its the grade and not the 5mt
Out of the box my 46 now has the same drama as my 24
No issues in 3 yrs and now 2 in a month
Bart

[Bealman]

I've got a drawer full of locos with split gears, Bart. One of these days I might get round to tackling them!

[Chatty]

Its all to do with the lunar eclipse.   

[Bealman]

 

[longbridge]

Just thought I'd test I few more locos to see if its the grade and not the 5mt
Out of the box my 46 now has the same drama as my 24
No issues in 3 yrs and now 2 in a month
Bart

And that is the reason I wont buy anything bigger than an 0-6-0 steam loco on my proposed British N gauge layout, if I had split gears on say a Merchant Navy I think I would give the game away, this should not happen in this day and age.

[Bealman]

In all fairness, my drawer full are not new models. I'm talking 1980s-90s Poole stuff.

[1936ace]

Off to work now so have not had a chance to have a good look

Should I replace just the dodgy gear or all of them and I guess br lines is the best option for parts

Bart

[Dr Al]

Should I replace just the dodgy gear or all of them and I guess br lines is the best option for parts

Replace just the failed one. There's no point in replacing the others. Also, just replace the gear on the wheelset (£1 - GF2504) rather than the full wheelset (like £3) as it's far cheaper - there's nothing wrong with the wheels after all.

Buy a few spare gears and have them in stock just in case another goes at some point, then you can change it out quickly.

Cheers,
Alan

[1936ace]

Hi Al,

I know it probably has been said elsewhere before but is it usually the gear on the axle that goes or is it one of the in between gears.

And are the same gears used on other locos or are they all different tooth sizes

thanks bart

[Dr Al]

Hi Al,

I know it probably has been said elsewhere before but is it usually the gear on the axle that goes or is it one of the in between gears.

And are the same gears used on other locos or are they all different tooth sizes

thanks bart

Gear on the wheelset axles. Check the offending bogie carefully (sometimes it can be a bit of dirt/grit/ballast stuck between teeth), find the wheelset in question - the gear may move easily sideways along the axle, a tell tale sign that it's split, or you may even be able to see the split.

16 tooth GF2504 gears are used on the wheelsets.

Cheers,
Alan

[EtchedPixels]

The modern gears go too although somewhat less often. If anything it is much more of a problem because the 57, 42 etc have wheels that are unique to the model so its a lot more hassle to sort out.

The idler and drive chain gears are not all the same between models. There are not many types. There are a few gotchas including one or two cases where the correct gear depends upon the year of the model. Thankfully Bob at BR Lines is a mine of information so will tell you from the year of the loco which is needed (the coloured dots on the Poole chassis give the year)

Or you could move over from the dark side. The 2mm fine scale drop in replacement diesel wheels have metal gears on them!

Alan

[1936ace]

Hey Alan,

i thought as n gauge modellers we were on the dark side

With the metal gears are they all metal like the fleischmann stuff or is it just the axle gear
BArt

[EtchedPixels]

Hey Alan,

i thought as n gauge modellers we were on the dark side

With the metal gears are they all metal like the fleischmann stuff or is it just the axle gear
BArt

You *are* on the dark side .. I said move *from* ...

They are all metal except for some kind of thin insulating glue in the assembly.

The steam locos are different - no drop in wheels but the wheels themselves are metal including a half axle. The two half axles then fit into a plastic muff which can also carry a gear. Very similar to the way Bachmann *years ago* fixed the split gear problem on their US models. However in the UK we're apparently not worthy of such basic consideration 

Alan

[1936ace]

Great another secret group to join Nicole will start to get suspicious
Bart

[Bealman]

This is all interesting stuff, and it's OK Bart - the 2mm Association ain't all that secret.... in fact I'm sure they go out of their way not to be! I am not a member, but an admirer of their work from afar, so to speak. (Especiallly Fence Houses, my home turf!!)