# 290 Let Go find



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Picked this up today from a seller on let go. From what I was told by the seller, it's been in an attic for an unknown amount of years.
It's dirty and doesn't run.....yet. Need's a good cleaning and we'll see what the wiring is like when I open it up. Looking forward to getting it running again!


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

That doesn't appear too bad considering, the paint and lettering look surprisingly good. I'm curious of what it will look like when cleaned up. Nice find.


----------



## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

That looks like a really nice engine. It will look like new with just a cleaning.


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

It does look good. Just dirty. I think it will clean up fine.
Congrats on the addition. I have a 290. Nice runner, but
I think I am going to repaint it. Too much paint loss. Not
scratches just flaking off.


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

That's a nice looking engine! Graphics are wonderful, it's just a little dusty. Just remember, before adding any type of power to it, drop in around 10 drops of smoke fluid into the smoke unit, and let it sit for a few minutes.. You don't want to add power to a dry unit. And also remember, when you start to tear it down, the very first thing you do is to remove the brass smoke tube in the stack....Good luck with it, you'll love this great engine when you have it rebuilt. Everything is the same as a 302 or the like, you just have a extra driver...


----------



## yd328 (Dec 19, 2017)

Looks like a nice find. If you have a chance post some pics of the inside and finished project when you get it running.

Gary


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Thanks for the kind words everyone and thanks flyernut for the reminders. The brass smokestack took me by surprise. Id only seen the red plastic ones up to this point.
Anyway, I went in deep yesterday and today. Here's what I found when I removed the shell.



















I don't think the construction paper and masking tape were a factory item. Anyone ever seen that? 

And when I removed the brush housing and the armature, I was a bit concerned. By its color, I was thinking that it was fried. 










But when I tested it, this is the reading I got between each leg of the commutator, which told me all was well. I guess not all wire looks the same.










The rest of the locos wiring looked to be in decent shape, so I didn't unsolder anything, just separated everything I could from the frame for cleaning.










I then cleaned everything I could , oiled the wheel bearings, greased the drive gears, and reassembled the smoke unit and motor, added smoke fluid, then gave it bench test. 










I was happy with the result. Since I was on a roll, I cleaned up the boiler shell, the front truck, and remaining wheel linkage. Assembled it all, and tested once more.










It didn't let me down. I have to say that although it's not pristine, this shell is in the best condition of any that I've purchased. Now on to the Tender and the infamous reverse unit!


----------



## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

Good work!:appl:


----------



## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

There was an extended run of motors in the 50’s that had purple lacquer on the armature windings. This engine looks to have one of those motors.


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

The "construction" paper and masking tape are factory. That black paper is actually a piece of insulation so the solder lugs on the smoke unit do not come in contact with the boiler shell, causing a short. The masking tape just holds it there.. The armature wires are also OK, as AmFlyer states. Nice job.. When you get to the tender, follow one of my threads on e-unit rebuild. It should help you through it.


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Well, I just learned a couple of new things about AF locos. That’s what’s great about this forum. The knowledge/experience that’s out there to guide us less experienced along. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## yd328 (Dec 19, 2017)

The loco came out great:smilie_daumenpos:

Gary


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Now you have to get some more of them,lol..I have 5 290's, a 295, and 3 293's, and all of them are great runners and easy to work on.


----------



## flyguy55 (Apr 20, 2015)

In the 1950 catalog the 290 was listed in set 4904T.It's consist was 640....639...638.If you need the consist I have it at a very reasonable price.All cars in excellent shape with complete steps catwalks and graphics......


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

That cleaned up very nice, looks to be in great condition. Nice job.


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Well, I found that once again, you can never be too old to screw up. As I mentio ed above, Im working on the tender for the 290. I was very careful to note what wires went where. Even made my own schematic since I dont trust my memory. So after cleaning all the parts, I put things back in place and soldered all the wiring. (which is a story in itself!) But when I bench tested my connections...nothing! So I connected another tender and it ran! To make a long story short, after much agonizing, I finally looked at a wiring diagram on the net and found that the tender was wired wrong somewhere in a past repair. What I learned was don't assume that a loco won't run just because its dirty. Be patient and a little more thorough!


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Check the engine wiring. If tender was wired wrong then the engine might be also.


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Another reminder, a 4-wire tender is VERY different from a 5-wire tender, as is the engine wiring.. Follow the correct diagram and you'll be fine.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Well, I corrected the Tender’s wiring, and found that the engines wiring was not connected to the Jack panel in the right order so I changed that also. Once again bench tested. The engine ran, but weakly, and after one weak rotation, the reverse unit wouldn’t function. And worst of all, the reverse unit coil is getting hot. I actually saw a wisp of smoke coming from it at one point. I shut things down after that. I have checked and rechecked to make sure my Tender connections are correct. Right now not sure what to do other than take The Tender apart again and start from scratch. Troubleshooting electrical issues is not my strong suit, so I’m open to ideas.


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I do not why reverse unit got hot. I would suspect a short. Double check the wires
from the tender trucks. Double check the tender wheels and make sure the metal
wheels are in correct position. You got a short somewhere. Heat is hard on the plastic drum. Let us know what you find.

Use your multimeter on ohms and check for a short in tender. You should not get a reading between tender trucks.
See what you get between front truck rivet and rear truck rivet.

Here is another thing I always do. Again using the multimeter on ohms. You have 4 wires running to plug. Put one
probe on a solder point at reverse unit, other probe to prongs on plug, one prong at a time and make sure you only get a reading on one prong of plug. Do that on all 4 wires.

And of coarse double check wiring diagram online. Make sure wires are to correct solder point.


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

You could have a solder "bridge". Check your connections, especially on the fingers..There might just be a small piece of the stranded wire touching a part that it shouldn't be touching..Check your wiring again, and again. I've checked some of my wiring jobs 3 times, and never did see my mistake!! The 4th time I saw it. Make sure your insulating bushings are in good order. It definitely sounds like the problem is in the tender, but check your wiring in the engine also. And if all else fails, send it to me, I'll see what I can do....


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Thanks Mo-PAC and Flyernut for your help. I’m heading to the workbench soon and will let you know how I make out. This loco will live whether it wants to or not!:laugh:


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

upsman55 said:


> Well, I found that once again, you can never be too old to screw up. As I mentio ed above, Im working on the tender for the 290. I was very careful to note what wires went where. Even made my own schematic since I dont trust my memory. So after cleaning all the parts, I put things back in place and soldered all the wiring. (which is a story in itself!) But when I bench tested my connections...nothing! So I connected another tender and it ran! To make a long story short, after much agonizing, I finally looked at a wiring diagram on the net and found that the tender was wired wrong somewhere in a past repair. What I learned was don't assume that a loco won't run just because its dirty. Be patient and a little more thorough!


I found this helpful to check wiring for me as the colors are easier to trace.






Hope this helps.


----------



## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

cramden said:


> I found this helpful to check wiring for me as the colors are easier to trace.
> View attachment 406777
> Hope this helps.


That is very helpful Cramden! Do you have a jpeg for a 5 wire? Thanks


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Here you go B.C.


----------



## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

cramden said:


> View attachment 406841
> Here you go B.C.


Thanks! you are always a help!


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Success! Finally solved the mystery and got the 290 running. It was a head scratche though. I used all the suggestions you guys gave me, and I still couldn’t get it working. So, grasping at straws, I checked the reverse unit coil resistance against a couple others I have lying around that I know to be good. The good ones showed about 16 ohms. The one on the 290 showed about 5.5 ohms. I confess I have no idea what it’s supposed to read, but that was enough for me to try a replacement. And it worked!:smilie_daumenpos: This was my first real struggle with a flyer repair, but a great learning experience. Once again, thanks to all for your help.Ill try to post a couple pics tomorrow.


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

upsman55 said:


> Success! Finally solved the mystery and got the 290 running. It was a head scratche though. I used all the suggestions you guys gave me, and I still couldn’t get it working. So, grasping at straws, I checked the reverse unit coil resistance against a couple others I have lying around that I know to be good. The good ones showed about 16 ohms. The one on the 290 showed about 5.5 ohms. I confess I have no idea what it’s supposed to read, but that was enough for me to try a replacement. And it worked!:smilie_daumenpos: This was my first real struggle with a flyer repair, but a great learning experience. Once again, thanks to all for your help.Ill try to post a couple pics tomorrow.


That's why I have a test mule for tenders and engine. You changed out the reverse unit as a last ditch effort, and that was the problem.. Good job.:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## yd328 (Dec 19, 2017)

Thanks for posting the fix, it is a big help to us noobs. 

Gary


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Good job on the repair. See, you are better at electrical stuff than you thought.
Coil problems are tough to see.


----------



## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

cramden said:


> View attachment 406841
> Here you go B.C.


Camden, did you colorize these diagrams or did you find them somewhere else? I would like to ge a colorized copy of the 21160 wiring diagram with the dpdt reversing switch. It would be a lot easier to download one than making my own diagram.


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Sorry Fred, but I found those on the internet. They were the only two like that so someone must have made them and posted them. I can't remember where I found them but I've had them for a long time.


----------



## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

cramden said:


> Sorry Fred, but I found those on the internet. They were the only two like that so someone must have made them and posted them. I can't remember where I found them but I've had them for a long time.


For what it is worth, my amateurish attempt to colorize. I hope that I got every line correct:laugh: Someon better verify this before they use it.:hah::hah::hah:


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

That looks great. Easy to see and understand. I see how you minimized the confusion by using an "X" instead of drawing out the wires. Good job!:thumbsup:


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Just did something I didnt think I could do. Used my phone to attach a picture to my post. I hope it really does show up when I hit the "post" button. Anyway, the picture is the finished 290. It is a fast engine! I dont think its my imagination that this thing has more zip than my other AF locos. Im happy to be finished with its rehab. I learned a few things along the way, and now another old flyer lives again!


----------



## yd328 (Dec 19, 2017)

Nice job, the engine looks great. :smilie_daumenpos:

Gary


----------



## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Congrats! That's looking real sharp, the paint and lettering are in great shape. Nicely done, enjoy.


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Beautiful !!!!


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

Thank you all. Now on to the next project!


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

flyguy55 said:


> In the 1950 catalog the 290 was listed in set 4904T.It's consist was 640....639...638.If you need the consist I have it at a very reasonable price.All cars in excellent shape with complete steps catwalks and graphics......


Sorry for this delayed reply flyguy. I almost forgot to reply to your post. Guess I was too caught up in the rehab. I am interested in the cars for the 290. PM me with the details. Thanks. 
Carl


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

I saw the beauty in that old gal when you first posted a picture of it, and now it even looks better. I knew you would like the 290. All of mine are real hot-rods, and they smoke great.. They're basically a 302 with a extra set of drivers.. Nice job.


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

flyernut, whats the difference in a 290 and a 293. I have a 290 and for some reason 
I want a 293 also.. My 290 is not a hot rod but I have not gone through it. My original 282
is my hot rod. Very strong motor, but no traction.


----------



## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

mopac said:


> flyernut, whats the difference in a 290 and a 293. I have a 290 and for some reason
> I want a 293 also.. My 290 is not a hot rod but I have not gone through it. My original 282
> is my hot rod. Very strong motor, but no traction.


Off hand, the 293 will have a white stripe on the running edges of the boiler, a coal pusher on the tender, a cast trailing truck, and plastic tender shell with knuckle coupler. Mostly, it's just [email protected] has the sheet metal trucks with link coupler, 293 has the sintered trucks with knuckle.


----------



## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

The 293 is a better performer. It has PullMor wheels and the 5 wire connection from the tender to the engine. It also has red glowing smoke with the red plastic tube and white paint inside the stack.


----------



## upsman55 (Jan 11, 2013)

flyernut said:


> I saw the beauty in that old gal when you first posted a picture of it, and now it even looks better. I knew you would like the 290. All of mine are real hot-rods, and they smoke great.. They're basically a 302 with a extra set of drivers.. Nice job.


Thank you sir. That’s a high compliment coming from the “go to” guy on this forum.


----------

