I have a set of 4. How do i check then if it is binding?
Also, does anyone have an exploded view of this locomotive?
Thanks for the info David
I’ve never had slippage of any LGB Locomotive, but not saying it’s not possible, were talking gears, axles, side rods, etc. I would remove the total drive block, mark the wheels with a marker, try to mark one side against the other, keep in mind the wheels should be quartered, one side against the other. Run the block from a power supply and see what is going on. You could also hold one set of wheels on the same axle and see if there is play between the two sides. These are just some of the things I would try to isolate the problem. I would think it’s just one motor block that is the problem, so one is working against the other and one is working just fine. Make sure all the side rods are working correctly and not binding, plus look at the rod that goes into the steam Cylinder and make sure there is no binding there also. Actually running the block should show up pretty quick what the problem is, this is with a good knowledge on mechanical repairs and if mechanical and electric repairs are new to you, this is your chance to learn, we all started at one time.
Tim,
I have a venerable LGB locomotive that has caused me fits over the years ( LGB 0-6-2T: BadMotor, Bad Gears, Both, or Something Else?). Scan that long-running entry, and you will find that:
a.) I learned a lot.
b.) I spent a lot.
I had a large scale (but not LGB specific) shop and an hobbyist “expert” try to fix Gustav along the way. Ultimately, I should have packed it off to TrainLi when my initial attempt at home repair fell short. It turned out the the old boy needed an entirely new chassis and new wheel sets after 10+ years of service and a quarter century in storage. It would have saved me money in the long run (probably the cost of just replacing “him” with a less well-worn used model), and none of those lessons would have been lost as I slowly progressed deeper into this hobby.
Eric
I have a set of 4 rollers. I am not clear what I am checking for. When I place this loco on the rollers it opperates just fine forward and backwards.
I downloaded the exploded view of this loco however, I can’t determine how to remove the motor blocks.
Can anyone help me figure out how to remove the motor blocks on this locomotive?
Thanks
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Nevermind. I got it. Take the front and back screws off the bottom of the truck and leave the middle one screwed in. Then the truck lifts right off. Easy Peasy 
That’s fantastic as I was about to recommend this ^^^^^^^^^^^^
How do I get the wheels back in quarter?
Timmy, now that you have the motor blocks separated from the loco, put one on your rollers and feed it power so it runs very slowly. Like that video posted above by John_Bouck. You should be able to find contacts for the power, or just feed the rollers.
If they both run slowly and smoothly in both directions at low speed, then the quartering is fine. If not, make a note of where it sticks, take a photo, and report back to us!
P.S. to directly answer your question, if you know which axle slipped/jumped out of quarter compared with the other axles, then you take off the bottom plate, remove the axle partly (enough to clear the worm gear,) rotate it one tooth (a very small amount) in the right direction to reset the quartering, and push it back into the chassis.
I can’t get the front motorized truck to move at all. The rear one works great! I’ve checked the new motors and they both work great. If I apply power to the front motorized truck directly to the motor, it moves just fine. However, when I connected it all back up to the locomotive only the rear truck moves.
I live in the Seattle / Redmond / Bellevue area. Is there anyone local here that is good at working on these things I could have them take a look at it? I am happy to pay…
I typically in the past have had TOC work on specific problems I was having with my locos that I couldn’t figure out but TOC is kinda out of commission these days.
I had a similar issue with LGB Olomana. Everything worked until I hooked it all back up. It turned out the motor tab was not touching the pole bringing electricity up from the tracks. I got it working by bending that pole a bit. A year later, the motor fried. Rebuilding had the same issue. At the suggestion of forum members here, I soldered a jumper from tab to pole.
Eric
I am not a fan of locos that use friction for their electricity transmission. It used to be a fad for cheap manufacturing 25 years ago? I’ve fought with Bachmann trolleys, LGB Faldbahn locos, and now a Kalamazoo 4-4-0. Yuk.
Great article Eric.
I’m curious, I have one of those little Olomana locos. I’ve never greased the gears in this loco as I was concerned about gettin grease on the rubber drive band. Should I apply grease to this loco?
Tim,
I have no idea what a model railroad grease would do to that band. It would probably be best to check with the manufacturer. There are lubricants for rubber bands that model airplane builders use. Those might be OK.
Eric