whats a pancake moter

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I think they are referring to the sort of flat round motors that are found in some powered trucks that are mostly in diesels and maybe some powered tenders.
 


I found this on line under the ModelRailroader page.
If you look at the truck on the left you will see what looks like a circular structure. That is the motor that drives the loco. It only drives one set of wheels and has no flywheels. Typically, this type of loco is not real good at slow speed operation, i.e. switching. Its ok for running short trains at constant full speed.


pancakemotor_zps287165c2.png
 
From designing electronic motor servos we usually used that term for DC motors designed to favor generating torque as opposed to favoring high RPM operation. In general, a motor with a small diameter armature (that is also longer) makes RPMS. A motor with a large diameter armature (usually shorter length) makes more torque. Ergo: pancake.
 
a couple of my Bachmann Trolleys have this, somewhat grindy of noise, but I can slow them down fine, I believe they are geared down a little harder probably for the higher RPM.
 


IIRC Rivarossi used them. I would post a pictiure if I could remember how to get My Cab forward apart but twenty years is a long time.
 
RGSfan said:
IIRC Rivarossi used them. I would post a pictiure if I could remember how to get My Cab forward apart but twenty years is a long time.
Click to expand...

That is a three pole motor. It is more like a normal 5 pole motor, just with less wiring, and not as good slow speed performance.
 
The pancake motors were very popular in British Hornby and Italian Lima steam and diesel locomotives, in the case of steam they were tender driven, not the best running motors but you would have to smash them with a hammer to break them.
 
Richard V said:
Modern pancake motor in a Life Like
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I purchased a vintage Life Like F-7 from ebay (my avatar now) and it has the same motor. It fell off my suspended layout from 7' up and the drop did not even phase it. There was a rattling sound under the shell but it was just the coins that I glued on for extra weight.

lasm
 
While not so much with the Bachmann "pancakes", but with other brands like Life Like, Tyco and some others, they have the reputation as "40 hour wonders". That is if they lasted more than 40 hours, it was a wonder.:) When they were first being placed into some locomotives, they were actually decent, but as the years went on the design started changing and they started to fail at an alarming rate. Their reputation is so bad now, that I wouldn't have a loco with one in it. Period.
 
I found nothing wrong with the one I pictured. The tracks and trucks on the cars fell apart so it didn't get a lot of use. But, it did pull strong and smooth even at slow speeds. The engine, like everything else, is way out of scale so it won't see much use.

Maybe I just got a good one. :rolleyes:
 


I am refuring to the quility of the older products copared to the newer not that you cant get some good things now and ther are alwas equiment thats does great even if it considered to have a bad rep
 
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