I have a Roundhouse "Improved Power Drive" RS3 that I have acquired, actually 2 of them.  One runs really good but one truck "clicks".  The other one, the motor is ceased up and is hard to turn, but it will.  The question is, would it be safe to use electric motor cleaner to try to free it up.  What else can be used to get the motor to run like new, besides a new one?

I have happened to acquire a few of these here latelyand the last one is in pieces and getting a decoder installed and the other 2 have gone through this process.  In hind sight and before I wrap this project up, what can be done to make these beasts run quieter?  They seem to have a growl to them and it's very noticeable at high speed. 

Just looking for some tips and pondering while I can't work on them...

Work can give you a lot of time to think, and today's thought was "I wonder how hard it will be to convert a older Bachmann 2-8-2 (actually a Reading 2-8-0 with a trailing truck added) that has a pancake motor to one that has a can motor".  Im just trying to figure it out, just for curiosities sake.  Thanks for the help and advice.  I'm also assuming that none of these were ever made with a can motor and all of them were pancaked.

After seeing and reading jonathon's works of beauty that he has done with the locomotives that he has worked onand included the rest of us in, in kinda leaves you inspired. My hats off to you. I recently acquired a Mantua mikado and pacific at a local train show, and both of them run well too. Ok well the mikado runs smoothly but the pacific needs a little help to start, but both of them are loud. I would like to do a similar job to both as jonathon did with his mikado. I'm hoping to get some tips and advice for this project, and I would like to replace to DC-71 motor with a more modern can motor. What would the replacement be? Thanks for the help.

I have been watching and wanting for a good while the older 2-8-2's Mikado that bachmann used to produce, and I seem to notice that when they are put up for sale online that they go fast.  The roadnames I have have seen on them have been UP and B&O.  Does anyone know the specs on these locos, drive mechanism, or a way to find a review of them?  Thanks.