# Ho motors



## mkj1955 (Jan 25, 2015)

What are the preferred name brand motors in railroading


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I need to change one in a rivarossi big boy.
I don't know any good brands.


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

Mashima are sold by proto power west. NWSL is another place for replacement motors. They have changed suppliers recently because the previous supplier was distroyed by a Japanese earthquake.
Larry
www.llxlocomotives.com


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Motor sources*

mjk1955;

You might check out walthers.com. They are the largest model train source in the US. Other possibilities are allelectronics.com and Kato USA Corp. At one time "micromotor" brand motors,with attached gearboxes, were sold in some train stores. Walthers would know if they are still available. These Swiss-made can motors were exceptionally smooth operating, and their gearboxes allowed excellent slow running. Kato is better known in
N scale, but they do make excellent motors and being smaller won't hurt. If you are willing to have the motor in the large tender of your big boy, Several of the low DC voltage gear motors from All Electronics could be used, with a connecting drive shaft to the loco.

Good Luck;

Traction Fan


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There is a gentleman in Pennsylvania who has a home business
repairing old locomotives. As a result he has a fair stock of
good new replacement Japanese made motors for Yugoslav made locos and
others. Any one in need send me a PM and I'll provide his
phone number. Nice guy. I got one of his motors. Fit
perfectly in an old SW 1.

Don


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## mkj1955 (Jan 25, 2015)

*Ho DCC/DC*

What is the danger in running Dcc setup besides a DC set up?


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*DCC & dc on the same layout?*

From what I read from my research on this question.
1.)when the paths eventually cross, and some/most say they will .Several components in the 
DCC system will be affected Either ruining the component on the spot, and/or greatly reducing it's life expectancy. 
Some people suggest adding a double pole double throw toggle switch rated for the current expected while operating.
Good luck with your choice. Be careful, and pay attention. Sounds very stressful. 
Regards,tr1


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

An engine with a DCC decoder will run on classic DC. The decoder realizes the signal is DC and responds appropriately. 

An engine without a decoder will burn up the motor on a track with a DCC signal. The peak voltage amplitude is approximately 30 volts. That combined with the stall current leads to a power that is too high for the motor. The motor is in stall because of the reversing polarity of the DCC signal. 

The wiring for the two types can be the same. The toggle switch allows you to control the signal type on the track, so when you have the DC engines out they are properly powered. On complex set ups, it becomes hard the make it wort perfectly. 

Larry
www.lxlocomotives.com


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

ggnlars said:


> The motor is in stall because of the reversing polarity of the DCC signal.


DCC does not reverse polarity. DCC is square wave DC meaning the voltage fluctuates form zero volts to the upper limit, in other words it does not reverse polarity. AC current like o gauge guys use is where the polarity reverses. A good example being your household electricity where voltage fluctuates from 120 to -120 volts following a sine wave and the reversing happens 60 times a second. Fun fact, the alternator in your car does the same thing.


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## mkj1955 (Jan 25, 2015)

*Bachmann track*

ok, thanks for the information. Another question, Running Dcc motor on Bachmann track and it goes around track just find, but when I change the motor onto a turnout it stops as soon as it leaves the turnout. What am I doing wrong


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Sounds like the there is a break in conductivity from the
turnout to the diverting track. Check the joiners. Or, if
the turnout is 'power routing' such as Peco Insulfrog, there
may be a problem with point contact to the static rails.

You can find the problem with your multi meter set to AC.
Put one probe the long static rail. Touch the other probe
to all sections of the frog rails. Flip the points and do it
again. If you get a reading each time the turnout is good.
So there must be a failure of the joiners.

Don


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## mkj1955 (Jan 25, 2015)

*Bachman track*

The turnout was black, traded it with a gray turnout. It's working great now.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

I was surprised when taking my Stewart Hobbies Baldwin apart to install a tsunami that the motor was made by Canon, the printer, camera etc company, it does a fine job.

Is your turnout an isolated spur by itself or a passing loop? If a spur the continuing track may have poor conductivity caused by the track joiners failing to pass the current or the turnout switching rail is not making contact with the stock rail. Put a small screwdriver point between the two and see if that solves the problem. Also try cleaning that area.

Sorry didn't see your later post.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

mkj1955 said:


> The turnout was black, traded it with a gray turnout. It's working great now.


Of course....greys work so much better than blacks.......:laugh:


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*bachman track*

When you have no electrical power on the track the engine stops. You should add some more
drop wires to power the rails from the power supply.good luck,tr1


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

I have a few old, and I mean old Athearn locomotives that I remotored over 25 years ago with NWSL can motors and they are still running great. I stopped buying Athearn locomotives as soon as Atlas came out with their Alco units. The remotored Athearn units ran as well as the Atlas (nickel silver wheels were also installed) and they are still running as good as they did 25 years ago.


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## higgsbosonman (Nov 17, 2014)

Matt, DCC is AC power, not pulsed DC. The motors in non-decoder equipped engines work because the AC wave is skewed when it needs to run a DC motor (from 16v or so AC to a wave that peaks at 20v and drops to 12v). In this example, this gives a net voltage of 4 volts or so, so the train would start moving. It can push this waveform surprisingly far to get the train really moving.

Don't quote me on this, because I'm not an electrical engineer, but I'm pretty sure that there is a big MOSFET (power transistor) that just overlays DC power onto the AC waveform. That's why DC motors overheat: they may be getting a lot more than the 12v or 16v they are rated for in continuous bursts (maybe over 24v) because the AC is being pushed into the motor, along with the DC power it needs. I don't know how the Decoders handle this DC overlay, but they seem to do it very well.

If need be, I'll lug my O-scope to the train club and clip it to the tracks, but I'm pretty sure that's how it works.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There are two or three possibilities:

The turnout is not passing track power to the divert track.
It maybe a 'power routing' turnout, or if not, has a defect
in the 'wiring'. 

Or the joiners are not making good electrical contact.

If you have a multi meter, set it to AC Volts, if you use the DCC system,
DC volts, if you use that. Put one probe on the stationary rail. Put the other probe on the
divert rail after the frog and after the points have moved. If you don't get a reading
the turnout is one of the above. 

(If you don't have a meter substitute a car tail light bulb)

You can remedy that but running a jumper from the rail opposite the stationary
to the divert rail.

Don


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