Newbie seeks advice on noisy Lionel Engine

[kasmarsik]

Hey Guys, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ron, I am nearly 30 years old and live in Northern California spending my free time immersed in too many hobbies for my own good! Mostly table-top gaming like Warhammer 40K and collecting Lego Castle... good nerdy stuff.

With Christmas coming I randomly decided I should dig out a couple train sets that have been hanging out in the garage rafters for a good 20 years.... I have done my initial research and they are not amazing or really worth anything to collectors but they have definitely sparked my interest in the whole thing...

I have a 70's Lionel O27 scale set, the Southern Express and a Bachmann HO Scale Yardboss from the early 80's.

I have decided to get the Lionel set going, and have succeeded thus far! Hobbytown had new basic O27 track and I have cleaned the connections and lubed up my engine based on a bunch of tutorials I have found....

The only problem is that this thing is SUPER loud, like some sort of hardcore squeaking coming from inside the engine.... If any of you could point me to the problem that would be great, here is a video of me starting it up and getting it to full speed....crank up the volume and give it a listen please. I should have left off the Coal car, it has a rattler feature so ignore that...

thank you in advance and this site is full of great info! I have already asked my wife for a more "Real" set for Christmas...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etx4ViV4sEw

PS - Warhammer gaming tables make a great base for these things....

 

[UP2CSX]

Ron, it's hard to tell from the video sound exactly what's going on but the sound gets louder as the train speeds up. The first suspect with a steam engine is the driving rods. If one is even slightly bent, it will rub against the other and make some horrendous noises, which get louder the faster it goes. Get some alligator clips to power the engine and run it upside down as very slow speed. Check that each rod has plenty of clearance from the other rods. Make sure the ends of the rods go in and out of the steam chests smoothly as well. I'm betting something is touching something it shouldn't.