Is it feasible to get a newer chassis drive unit for an old train?

[Sheffie]

I suppose this is not the sort of question that's going to have a general answer, but.

 

Suppose I have an older Kato EMU that's noisy and grumbly and old technology (part number 10-050 should give you an idea of how old).

Is it going to be feasible to find a power chassis that's got newer technology like flywheels, that I can put in place of the old super clunky motor?

[Kamome]

This should be the case. I’m not familiar with the Kato Hankyu 6300 but you should be able to find a new motor unit.

 

A like for like replacement will be the easiest but you may find that even the newer versions have the same motor unit as the original. I bought an E2 second-hand some years ago which was super noisy. 5 or 6 years later, KATO did another run so I grabbed a motor unit. It runs smooth and quiet but it hasn’t been blessed with a flywheel motor

[bill937ca]

The Kato 10-1244 is the newer version of the Hankyu 6300.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10286569

 

There are parts like a power bogie, but I don't see a separate power chassis listed.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10287218

[ben_issacs]

Sheffie, 

How about looking at one of the many Tomytec mechs?

Look for one with the right length for your body shell.Yes, the bogie frames might be wrong, but, what the heck!

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.

 

[railsquid]

Semi-serious suggestion, send it to me and I'll see if I can sort it out. I have yet to encounter a non-ancient Kato, Tomix or MicroAce multiple unit chassis I haven't been able to quieten down significantly, bless all the people who sell their old stock cheaply because noisy/poor runner. (By non-ancient I mean anything with a below-window-height mechanism, and in the case of Tomix anything from the post-spring worm drive era).
 

3 hours ago, bill937ca said:

The Kato 10-1244 is the newer version of the Hankyu 6300.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10286569

 

There are parts like a power bogie, but I don't see a separate power chassis listed.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10287218

 

This one? https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10287211

 

I'm not familiar with Hankyu, it looks like "6800" is the motor car of a 6300 set?

 

I am also not familiar with this particular line of models, but from experience if the newer model is upgraded, it's not always possible (or only possible with some modification) to retrofit newer parts to older models.

 

A Tomytec chassis would be a refuge of last resort, as unless you're lucky it's going to be a pain mating the Kato body to the chassis, and it's conceivable there might be issues with the couplings.

[Sheffie]

I have made a recording. 

 

 

[cteno4]

Have you stripped it down, cleaned and relubed? I’ve had old growlers like this come back together and purrrrr!

 

jeff

[Sheffie]

I tried, but the presence of massive copper strips along either side of the chassis stopped me. It looks like they would be very tricky to get back in place. A lot of things seem to be under stress from these strips..

[railsquid]

Well, it seems you've got one of the rare models with built-in sound, except by accident the included sound file is that of a light aeroplane starting up and revving to takeoff 😉

 

Apart from the noise it looks like it's running fine, no appreciable wobble or stalling, so should be fairly straightforward to fix.

 

As suggested in the PM, first port of call are the motor bearings. I don't know this particular model, but if you unclip the underframe detail which covers the underside of the motor (pro-tip: take a photograph of it in situ first so you can replace it the right way round, sometimes it's not obvious), with Kato you can very often get direct access to the motor bearings, more specifically the bit where the drive shaft comes out of the motor, without having to remove the top of the chassis.

 

Example from a non-flywheeled MicroAce model (where the motor is not so accessible), if you look carefully you can see the nozzle of a Kato Unioil dispenser pointing right at where the oil should go:

 

MicroAce 209-500 series maintenance by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

I usually apply the oil (literally only a drop) with the chassis vertically and leave it a few momements for the oil to work inside, then apply power (from a battery or leads connected to the tracks) for a few moments, then repeat for the other side.

 

I think that's more effective than just applying the oil while the whole thing is horizontal (which might lead to some of the oil just being sprayed over the inside of the chassis when the motor runs), but don't have any scientific evidence to back that up.

[Sheffie]

I guess I'll want some of that Uni-oil. Does it come with the applicator, or will I need that separately?

 

[railsquid]

It comes with the applicator. I bought this bottle 5 years ago and it's still more than half-full, so a worthwhile investment.

[cteno4]

These little makeup applicators are also handy to control application to things like bearings

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Practical-Disposable-Eyeliner-Makeup-Wand-Applicator-Cosmetics-Brush-Tools/181839449240?hash=item2a5679cc98:g:md8AAOSwjVVVy1Kj

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-set-Disposable-Eyeliner-Wand-Applicator-Cosmetics-Eyelash-Extension-Makeup/133143998748?hash=item1f0000311c:m:mTmX1Ra2E3Pxvkw0RIqOdKQ

 

trucks can also get filled with crap and grind. I’ve pulled nasty grit and puzz out of some.

 

jeff

[railsquid]

And here's one I made earlier [1]

 

Tomix 209 Series (Nanbu Line) by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Shouldn't be the case with an ostensibly new train though.

 

[1] Sheffie might get the reference.