ho engine

[Owlbert]

I have an HO train I bought for my son in 1968 in Germany.  I found it in a box this last year and was able to get it to run for Christmas and the grandkids loved it.  Unfortunately, the brass bearings are worn out and it is not running very well.  The engine is modeled similar to the 4-4-0 American with the engine in the coal tender and a dog bone like drive shaft to the locomotive.

My question is do you think I can find an engine that will fit the coal tender and a replacement connector between the coal tender and locomotive?  What information would you need to see if you have parts available?

Owlbert

[Doneldon]

Owl-

Your loco is what is called a tender drive. Without additional information from you about the manufacturer, model number and prototype, for example, it is impossible to say whether factory parts are available or where to get them. However, if you know the dimensions of the parts you need, including the dog-bone coupling between the motor in the tender and the drive gear in the locomotive, you should be able to find what you need at Northwest Short Line (nwsl.com). They carry quality goods at fair prices and their selection is broad enough that it's usually possible to cobble together a drive line.

Repair parts for other than the drive line are unlikely to be readily available because your loco sounds like it is quite old. You can substitute modern plastic or brass parts if you know the components which need to be replaced. A great place to look is railserve.com which has several lists of different model manufacturers, including companies which make model railroad parts. William K Walthers is another good source; Walthers is a large retailer, producer and distributor of all types of model railroad merchandise in every scale. Precision Scale, BLMA and Details West are some of the larger producers of detail parts. Keep in mind that all or most of the merchandise I'm directing you to is for North American prototypes. If your loco is a European or Asian design you might not find suitable parts here. I'll mention one last source, eBay, but just what detail parts may be there on any given day is completely unpredictable. However, you can sometimes find a truly obscure item there which you'd never locate any other way. It's certainly not the first place to look but it's worthwhile if you are turning up blanks elsewhere.

Good luck with your searching. Please let us hear how you are making out.
                                                                                                                   -- D

[electrical whiz kid]

Owl and Doneldon;
Some years ago, 1967-68 seems to jog right-there was an article in Model Railroader" called "Put it in the Tender".  If you can get this from some sort of archive system it might help you in dealing with this.  If you think about it, tender drives are pretty practical because it gives you options you otherwise would not have by convention.  As I recall, this particular article used a piece of flex tube as coupling material.  My liking would be to use systems parts available via "Hobbytown of Boston", NWSL, etc.  These components are no nonsense and a heck of a lot better than the tube.  Good Luck.

Rich C.
 

[richg]

I have an HO train I bought for my son in 1968 in Germany.  I found it in a box this last year and was able to get it to run for Christmas and the grandkids loved it.  Unfortunately, the brass bearings are worn out and it is not running very well.  The engine is modeled similar to the 4-4-0 American with the engine in the coal tender and a dog bone like drive shaft to the locomotive.

My question is do you think I can find an engine that will fit the coal tender and a replacement connector between the coal tender and locomotive?  What information would you need to see if you have parts available?

Owlbert

It would help a lot if you take a picture, get a Photo Bucket account and post the picture here.
This usually eliminates a lot of confusion, questions.

Rich

[MarkInLA]

A long shot....but I happen to know that the Pasadena Central Library in Pas. Ca. has far back issues of MRRer in binders (not the binders Mitt Romney spoke of !). Maybe there's some obtuse way of getting that issue or maybe they'd copy it for you and email or snail mail it for you !!  Phone or email them....Mark (in L.A.)