Steam loco squeaking

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GWT&P

GWT&P

Member
I have an older IHC steam loco (DC only). The other day I noticed it started squeaking every so often. I figured it needed a lube job, so I took it apart and lubed it. It now seems to run a little smoother, but it still squeaks. :( I didn't want to over do the lube job. I can't really tell exactly where it's coming from. I'm planning on taking it apart again tonight. Any suggestions as to where I may have missed a spot?
Any help will be appreciated.
 
GWT7P,

I have a Spectrum steam locomotive that's about 8 years old but rarely used. It squeaks! I have a brand new Spectrum with less than 2 hours on her. She squeaks. The squeaking is annoying.


Happy New Year,

ST
 
Is the squeek intermittent or cyclic? If it is intermittent, try to see if it occurs on curves, and also which direction of curvature. If only on curves, it might be related to driver bushings, pickups rubbing harder as the drivers get displaced laterally, maybe even a slightly wobbly driver occasionally making contact with part of the frame.

It may be the tender, it might be the first car in the consist, and not the engine. If it only squeeks on curves, it could be something that you are not likely to cure...it'll be metal or plastic emitting a harmonic due to vibration of a certain frequency. It might be the piston rod, valve stem, perhaps the crosshead is vibrating at a certain frequency. If it is a fequency-related and vibration problem, it should only do this in a narrow range of speed. If it only does it upon start-up, it could be a bushing or a bearing in the gear tower or in the motor.

If it is cyclic, it could be rods, wheel bearings, valve or piston rods. I have a BLI K4s Pacific from the Pennsy, all metal, and it has a click in the drive train that I haven't been able to isolate. So far, it is 100% reliable, although it may have 2.0 hours total running time on it.

-Crandell
 
Yeah, Crandell, I thought it could be a number of things.
It is definitely the loco. I ran it by itself without the tender and it squeaked. It's intermittent and seems to be worse on the curves, but not limited to them. I'll see if it has anything to do with the drivers.
Thanks for the list of possibilities.

Yes, ST, it is annoying.
 
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