Gorgeous Engine, Runs Great, but............


stationmaster

stationmaster

Crusty Old Geezer
I have acquired a Gem 6-8-6 Turbine Engine, PRR #6200. I had traded/sold some other engines with a friend out West and this engine was part of the deal. Anyway, I placed it on the track and although it runs smoothly, but it is noisier than a flock of starlings!!! Lube did not help.

A note: this engine has had little or no run time previous, probably the latter. My friend is a collector and has no layout. He found this engine from another collector who simply buys trains and displays them, as my buddy also does.

I could find nothing abnormal in the meshing of the gears or any reason for the noticeably loud noise. I looked for any loose contact with the gears, the drive train was tight with no wobble, everything was inline, got me baffled. I went ahead and did a little fine emery board work to no avail.

Any ideas? A remotor and/or regear? If so what should I go to? More run-in time? I've had some noisy engines in my time but, NOTHING like this one, and that includes some early brass stuff.

Problem two. Is there any decoder that emulates the sound of this beast? I have searched and come up empty. It will be odd watching/listening to a "chuff-less" steam engine.

Bob
 
Does it have a flywheel? I wonder if it was drilled slightly off center, or maybe it is otherwise out of balance when it spins above 200 rpm.

I believe the accepted way to break in the drives was to use a tooth powder or paste like Pearl Drops with a lot of tiny grit in it to lap the gears.

You may need to add some spacers or washers to tighten up a shaft and gear interface.

And maybe the motor, itself is wobbling, off center, improperly assembled.....it could be quite a number of things.

-Crandell
 
Thanks, Crandell. It's running on a test stand as we speak(or is it type?). I've added some Pearl Drops to the mechanism. I'm surprised that you can't hear it.

I noticed no "wobbling" of any sort. It does have a large flywheel. And as I noted, the alignment looks good. I may have to take the flywheel and put it on the lathe to make sure that it isn't off center.

Do you happen to know of any sound decoders that would emulate the sound? I've looked for anything on the web that would give me an idea of the correct sound for the engine. Looks like the speaker and sound decoder will have to be mounted in the tender, though I may, with a little ingenuity, be able to place it in the boiler.

Bob
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Regear. The state of the art in the 1960's was not great. Lots of noisy drives in the period. I have some PFM brass that's noisy like this. NWSL to the rescue...
 
Judging by the innards of this engine, it seems newer than a '60's engine. A bit more sophisticated, if you know what I mean.

Where can I get an owner's manual that I can read? This one looks like a chicken walked across a piece of paper. I could probably grasp a bit more if it just had pictures, which it does not.

Bob
 
What kind of motor? Can? Open Frame? Other than gears, this is where most noise comes from.

I have to agree with Alan otherwise. Re gear it at the least.
 
Bob, given the rarity of the prototype, with only one built, I don't think you'll ever find a sound decoder that has the 6-8-6 Turbine. I'm not sure what would be close, since it sounded more like a steam turbine powered ship underway that a railroad locomotive. If you can find any videos with sound, you could use them with a LocSound decoder and programmer, but I think that's about the only way you'll get close.

Gem locomotives with the can motor and flywheels usually ran pretty well. If yours is really noisy, my first suspect would be the gears. Let it run in for a while and see if you get a noticeable improvement. If not, you'll probably have to get some NWSL gear replacements. Of course, doing the other checks like making sure the flywheel isn't our of round or there's no gear binding is always in order.

As for instructions, well, good luck. :) I'd contact Uncle Dave at http://www.uncledavesbrass.com/ and see if he has naything on file that might help. I think Uncle Dave and maybe Caboose Hobbies, move more brass per year than anyone, so I think one of them is your best hope.
 
Carey, it's a can motor....and a rather large one at that. Not an open frame like the old Pittmans.

Jim, I had forgotten all about Uncle Dave's. I emailed NWSL for help earlier. I haven't received any reply as of yet. They will probably take couple of days.

I got the paperwork for my old brass Mohawk from Uncle Dave's a couple of years back. But, gettin' old comes with brain fade. Thanks for the reminder.

The engine runs like a bull. I've gone through the Pearl Drops Procedure, took the drive apart and cleaned it. Still a bit loud, but it has quieted down some. I took it apart again, and hit it with Pearl Drops AGAIN. It's currently on the static rollers and we'll see again in a couple of hours.

Bob
 
Have you tried running the motor by itself to see how much noise it makes? Some can motors from that period, the 1970's, were not any good, as the magnets didn't surround the motor, but were located on the end of the motor, just like open frames.

Another suggestion, instead of Pearl Drops, use some DRY, Bon Ami or Bar Keepers Friend, cleansers. Next to tooth powder, (dry toothpaste) these are the best for the price. The abrasives in the two cleansers are the same size as the abrasives in the tooth powder and Pearl Drops, plus they are more of them.

The really best thing to use for lapping gears is Jeweler's Rouge.
 
Carey, my next solution was to try jeweler's rouge. I've got a brand new tub in the garage. Think I'll shut it down now and try it.

BTW, it is beginning to quiet down, not much, mind you, but it is getting quieter.

I'll disconnect the drive shaft and give it a twirl. We'll see if it's the gears or the motor.

Bob
 
Well, the jeweler's rouge worked!!! After a two hour "gear lapping" session, the mechanism is as quiet as a night in a nunnery.

I have been looking for one of these engines for quite some time. And it meets my expectations. Strong runner, I need to get it on a larger layout, like the one I am rebuilding/repairing, to let it really stretch its legs. I would imagine that it could easily head up a 90-car string. I may have to add traction tires, but all of my steam engines have them anyway. Some think it's "cheating" using them, but a 20-car consist just doesn't add any realism. 50-cars? Mebbe.

Crandell, Jim, Carey, Alan,, I thank you for the input. Even though I have 50 years in the hobby, I think I've forgotten more than I can remember. Sometimes a little nudge brings it back to to the surface. Thank you.

In all honesty, this engine was one of the loudest, if not THE loudest, engine I can recall ever owning. She's quiet now. Not the quietest, but quieted to an acceptable level. I imagine with more run time, it will quiet down even more.

My friend, Richard, called LATE this evening(he forgot about the 4-hour time differential). Seems he has two more locos to send. He didn't elaborate, so when the package arrives it will be like Christmas. But, I know that he doesn't collect junk and the engines will be of quality. I just hope that they are quieter than this one was when I got it.

Again, thanks for the input, fellas.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top