That's what I figured. Well, you're welcome to my motor for spare bits if needed. Just let me know. Now off to glue the final bits on my boxcab. Paint here we come!
Is the problem with your motor in the armature or the magnets? Sometimes the magnets (which are attached to the can) start to deteriorate, which of course will prevent the armature from spinning. I am guessing that armature problems are the more common culprit, however. Here is a nice article on the Rivarossi can motor, which explains its parts and common problems which afflict it: http://www.irwinsjournal.com/a1g/a1glocos/motors.html And another article from the same person on the Rivarossi/Atlas E8 model overall: http://www.irwinsjournal.com/a1g/a1glocos/E8s.html You might want to verify that your E8 frame does not have the Zamac deterioration/cracking problem before you try to get a new motor to put in it. Also I can tell you from my testing yesterday using the E8's pickup truck (which fits on the C-Liner) that electrical pickup can be an issue. My E8 has the older 6 wheel only pickup (no pair of added buttons) and I could certainly see the difference in pickup as compared to when I used the C-Liner's pickup truck which has the 6 wheels plus 2 buttons. I have been searching for a place that would sell a replacement for Rivarossi can motors. This thread on another board discusses a company "Alliance Link" which used to offer one but seems to have gone out of business: http://www.nscale.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-18053.html The old Rivarossi can motor had a peculiar shape (it's pretty short) and also you would need to find a motor whose shaft diameter matches it. I have not been able to locate a source so far. The E8 pulls like you would not believe, because of the incredible amount of chassis weight over its two traction tires. I think that my recent testing about a month ago of my E8's pulling power may have caused that motor's demise, so I would want to find a new one.
The problem is when the motor came apart and also with the fact that it is a pre-Rivarrossi manufacture. When It popped the end it also broke one of the magnets, which is shaped like a very thick fishhook, has a hole in the shank end that fits over a peg and then the spring arrangement keeps the whole thing aligned and in contact with the armature. This motor is a different design than the newer Rivarrossi motors. The newer are a complete round can and a little shorter. This was flat on two sides and curved on the other two, sort of a semi-can, and longer, thus the adaptation to make the newer motor fit into the old chassis. The other recognizable feature is the lack of any domed or round ends where the brush contacts come through the motor case end like on other motors. What protruded through the end was the blunt end of a rod which was the mounting and pivot for the fishhook magnet. A shaped wire retained the motor to the frame and the shaft collor anchored the other end in a recess milled in the frame. Pick-up was by the retaining clip to the frame and then by a soldered wire to the other rod. In my collection of some 30 odd, and older, motors I have nothing like this and have not seen anything like it. This is one of the old Rowa/Bemo 2-8-8-2s, circa 1969, and as such there isn't anything out there to replace it. Another shot of the old motor and fish hook magents with the replacement motor. The chassis was originally milled for the flat sides so when I took a more recent version of a Rivarrossi motor I had to mill the motor slot out on both sides to accept the newer completely round motor. Then I had to mill out the shaft end of the motor mount, plus install a curved styrene section the retain the front of the new motor. Why did I go this route rather than section the donor chassis again? Less work plus I was able to simply redo the front engine of the donor and then use both front and rear engines with the newer metal siderods and valve assembly, and metal gears. The original chassis milling was perfect first time out and was the bulk of the work. It took about 30 mins to mill out for the new motor and to redo the new front engine vs almost a full day to measure, cut and resection the newer chassis, plus mill out for the brass reinforcements. Plus the shell had already been cut and modified off the measurements from the origianl cut down frame. One slight mm out of wack and I would have been redoing the shell again and I was already way to far into the details on the cut down and re-sectioned shell. So after a little study I dumped the remains of the old motor. I now have a chassis that can take another newer Rivarrossi motor, which is in my spare motor drawer, or a replacement can motor. Sometimes you just got to know when to throw in the towel and take another tack. In my case I only lost a day and changed course slighthly and came out ahead with a 42 year old locomotive. So far this may end up being another brute in tractive power. It is already heavier than everything I have, has traction tires on both engines, and initially runns danged good. Acid test will come in a few days when I break out the test track, take my scales and a number of .50 cal lead bullets, weight them and the gondolas, and then couple them on behind the loco, elevate the test track to a 2% grade and apply power. It will also test the fabricated split post styrene drawbar. Brutal test in that I will also put it through my switches including to see if it will navigate the old 7 and 5/8ths switches I have also installed on the test track all with that load on the drawbar.
First time to this thread... So, "What's on my workbench"? Well, my "workbench" is my kitchen table. An hour ago it had sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, wonton and eggrolls. Now it's clean. I have a rolling butcher block kitchen cart that contains my modeling tools and supplies. I cut on a poly cutting board, which my wife wanted to steal from me when I bought it. I also have a couple of dinner trays with my hobby projects in them. When I'm done I just put them back in the cart. My latest Boxcab project is in the tray now. Meek, mild mannered kitchen table and kitchen cart by day... Hobby central by night! After the kids go to bed, of course.
I see we share workbench style. Mine's the kitchen/dining room table (it's sort of the same room). Though with the help of my chief R&D engineer (9-year-old son) I was able to get it organized into a plastic drawer thingy I bought a bazillion years ago. That and I found my old X-acto tool set, took out the bottom insert and put all of my modeling tools in there (other than my Dremel stuff, anyway). So I've got that going for me. Accomplishments today include adding the final grabs to my boxcab and painting it (along with the 59-tonner, idler/reach gondola, an old Bachmann F9, a tank car and a mechanical reefer. Yay for paint! I'll start on detailing tomorrow morning (painting handrails, grabs, roof details, etc.) then adding some dry transfer lettering. I'll need to spray them with dullcote and then I can do some weathering.
Another benefit to the kitchen/dining room table "workbench" is that if your house is anything like mine, it has an open floorplan. Mean to say... I have a 42" high def flatscreen TV with surround sound just 10' away. Not to many basement workshops have that! It can be a bit distracting though, so I usually do my work with my back to the TV and just listen to Conan's, Leno's, Kimmel's and Fallon's monologues - in that order.
That's looking great, Thieu! Here's my latest work: Shortened the idler/reach gondola (close to 40 feet now, like the prototype) and painted it and the boxcab. Started lettering the boxcab, too. Also finished adding the fuel tank and the other underside details. Now I need to find instruction sheets for all of the MTL couplers I have (sitting in a nice little clear plastic drawer... with no instructions... mixed together... urgh!). Anyone have a link to instruction sheets for MTL couplers? I don't even know the numbers on these, but I would recognize them if I saw the drawings.
Here's my slug set. Made a foobie of a slug, rebuilt from a PB at the Cleburne shops. It's paired with a SD26.
Al's Victory Service gas station kit from Walthers, slightly modified. My niece Riley and I collaborated on this model and she chose the paint scheme. I wanted either a DX station or a Deep Rock station for my small Illinois town, and I found nice DX sign images online so went with that. We still need to add lights, a soda machine, air hose, and tire rack.
Nice gas station! I was able to make more progress on the 59-tonner and idler/reach gondola: Needs some more touch-up and some detailing, then dullcote and weathering. Still working on the chassis but hope to have that complete in a few days.
Greenbriar C&O 4-8-4. Made from old MRC 2-8-4 shell and tender and old Kato 4-8-4 mechanism. Here is a side by side of the 4-8-4 and the old MRC 2-8-4 I good bit of detail was removed and other was added as well as a different front smokebox cover as well as handrails piping and extending the boiler. The tender has electrical pickup added for better performance and of course new paint and decals.
Greenbriar Great job on a great loco! Makes me wonder why nobody thought of that before...Love it!Regards, Otto
I plan on producing a line of 1960's to 90's personal and commercial vehicles. I still have a lot more work to do. Here are some rough-outs I'm using to test molds and casting resins. The cabs need to be hollowed out. Details need to be changed/added. Etched parts need to be produced. As I said, much work needs to be done. Mack CF cab awaiting fine tuning and hollowing. Mack CF with LTI cab. Mack CF/Swab rescue with Athearn Ford C pumper. The Swab body will fit the Athearn long chassis C
I plan to do one of those eventually, exactly the same way, after I get caught up with all the B&O project locos.
