life like tank loco

[keitaro]

Just wantesd to post i spent last night cleaning de rusting, cleaning gears and making new pickups for a really old pre 1996 tank loco in n from life-like models. From what i can tell they do not even do N anymore.

 

some history on this model, It was actually my brothers model and spent about 2000 - 2012 in my mums garage on a old bowl that gets water dripping on it when it rains.

 

It was completely orange and rusted also the shell is broken so it pops off.

 

so i decided to challenge my self and clean it up to get it running.

 

I'll post some pics tonight but aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazingly all i needed to do was replace was 2 screws, the pickups and finely clean the motor with a tooth brush and tweezers to pull all the dog hair out. plus clean out all rust, dog hair and lube it up.

 

I used the brass strips from a melted tomix turnout for pick ups.

 

Unfortunately the model runs like a dog from memory not much worse than it did when my brother got it for his birthday

 

has a bent piston too but i think the gears are a bit worn and some times jam, it's not the piston causing the laggy performance.

[bill937ca]

Life Like is in the hands of Walthers and it looks like its all HO trains these days.  There is N scale track and scenery items, but not any trains.

 

http://www.walthers.com/exec/page/lifelike2010/lifelike_sets

[westfalen]

Walthers have just released a rerun of the GP60 and the GP20 in new roadnames and announced a further run of 0-8-0's and RS2's but these are under the Walthers name, I think the Life Like brand is reserved for the old train set quality junk. They are not as prolific in N scale or as cheap as Life Like was but they are still producing. Before Walthers bought them out and put a stop to Life Like's Australian subsidiary importing them straight from China items like the GP20 and EMD switchers were cheaper here than they were in the U.S.

[keitaro]

anyhow here are some pics and a small video after a good clean and replacing a few parts. should have taken a photo before.

 

It could only be described as an orange and white blob.

 

 

wish i could work out why the gears keep jamming.

 

video of terrible running

 

[inobu]

The only way gears can jam is if the center hub is off center it something lodges in the gear teeth. Based on the history I would guess that the hub or "bearing" is worn. Check for any lateral play.

 

Its rewarding to brings something like that back............Good job!

 

 

Inobu  

 

It looks like the center axle is off.

[cteno4]

Just wantesd to post i spent last night cleaning de rusting, cleaning gears and making new pickups for a really old pre 1996 tank loco in n from life-like models. From what i can tell they do not even do N anymore.

 

sorry just had to laugh, really old pre 1996! i have several engines from the late 60s and early 70s from when i was a kid!

 

great you got it running again. ive slowly done with with my childhood trains, amazing even some of the old crappy bachmann engines can get going quite nicely!

 

jeff

[keitaro]

it may be older just i think it was about then.

 

It's old when its been in a damp rusty environment :D

 

If they are kept in a case there likely to be in much better shape than this little guy.

 

The larger one in the garage with it broke in half.....

[keitaro]

lol

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Life-Like-N-433-7781-0-6-0-Saddle-Tank-Steam-Loco-p/433-7781.htm

 

as per coments this model has been around.

 

kinda like the town bicycle in model train format.

[The_Ghan]

Ha,

 

For the $25 I wouldn't have wasted the time cleaning the old one.  Perhaps it's worth it for nostalgic value.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan