# 300,302,312 problems



## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

I just picked up 4 engines 
I should have known better to trust a ebay seller that is selling tons of s scale stuff that then states he has no way to test due to not having any s scale track 

I got them in and all of them have motors that will not spin 


even when applying power directly to the motor 

they just hum 

I have 2 300 ac engines
a 302 and a 312

I bought the lot pretty much just for the 312 

can someone link me to the disassembly instructions for the 312 
and give me any pointers


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

dicgolfer72 said:


> I just picked up 4 engines
> I should have known better to trust a ebay seller that is selling tons of s scale stuff that then states he has no way to test due to not having any s scale track
> 
> I got them in and all of them have motors that will not spin
> ...


That's the way I like to buy engines, not running,lol..Sorry you had a bad experience on ebay.. Whenever someone says they can't test it, I assume they don't run... Enough preaching.....You're not going to get them running by applying power directly to the motor; they weren't made to do it...HOWEVER...If you have the 4 pin jack panel in the back of the cab, you can make the engine run on the bench.. Stick a wire coming from the tranny into the first hole on the jack panel. Use a jumper wire from the second hole to the third hole. Place another wire from the tranny to the fourth hole.. This should get the engine running. You can make the motor "spin" by turning the armature under the cab with your finger before adding power.. You can not make the wheels turn simply by turning them. They're not like Lionel, flyers are worm-gear driven.. Before dis- assembly, take pictures of the linkage, both sides.. It must go back on the same way or you'll have a bind. To start dis-assembly, separate the tender from the engine. Remove the smoke stack tube from inside the smoke stack. Remove all the linkages. Unscrew the 2 screws from the jack panel in the back of the cab. Un screw the cow-catcher, and then the steam chest. Remove the 2 chassis screws, and slide the chassis a little backwards to dis-connect the chassis from the chassis bracket.. It should now be out of the shell. This is for the 312. The dis-assembly is very similar for the 300 and 302. That should get you started. Any other questions, please post, with pictures if possible.. And if you get fed up with them, send them out to me, one at a time, and I'll get them running for you, for parts and shipping costs. No labor costs. Can't beat that right?? Check out my re-fubs on a 322 and a 300 I did a few months backs. The 312 is one of my favorites, as well as the Atlantics.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

The above pictures are of my 3 312's...All great runners, pullers, and smokers. On the dis-assembly once you separate the chassis from the shell, remove the 2 screws from the smoke unit. Take that off the chassis. You can them remove the shoulder screw holding the smoke unit lever.. Remove the 2 brush caps, being careful to not launch the springs across the room,lol. They are under pressure.. Remove the 2 screws holding the brush bracket assembly. Turn out the armature by rotating it counter-clockwise, being care not to lose the small copper shim on the end of it. Remove the screw holding the grease pan cover.. DON"T REMOVE THE WHEELS!!! They will need to be re-quartered if you do remove them...Do a thorough clean-up on everything.. While you're cleaning it up, make sure the white insulators on the rims are tight. If they're loose, you'll have a short.. If they're loose, use some super glue and glue them back on, being sure you get all the oil off the insulator and rim first...Oil the axles, and put in new grease, after, of course, removing all the old grease.I clean everything with rubbing alcohol. On the brush bracket assembly, I roll up a piece of 400 grit or so of sand paper and run it through the brush tubes. The brushes should slide right through without sticking. I usually use new brushes and springs, they're cheap... Have to run for awhile but I'll be back...


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## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

well with no schematics or ever tearing into a ac motor before (lots of experience with dc motors in rc cars and coils in pinball machines)

I decided to try my hand at one of the 300 ac engines (since I really don't care to much that they broke or not )

got it tore down 
cleansed the com 
sanded the brushes a bit (ps are the brushes on these guys supposed to be so soft one swipe on 2000 grit sand paper and ot took of 1/4 of the brush )

hosed the e unit down with rs electronics cleaner 
and now she is purring like a kitten 

the e unit is a bit dodgy still but as long as its locked in forward its running great


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## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

hey what light bulb works for the headlight 
wanting to buy from radio shack
there is a rs by my store so I can close for 10 min to run there

also wire and plugs so I can rewire from tender to jack plate


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

14 volts will work. I think they are a screw base? 12 volts will be brighter . Never clean brushes, if you, must rub on a piece of cardstock but just a few times. The result is you wear away the brush and it may not work well being so short. WIping clean with oil also helps if they are gumed up.

My two important rules on old flyers, watch for the driver wheels separating from the plastic inserts( I use super glue to keep it in place) if you don't the fram will short out. Two, that tender frame needs to be isolated from the trucks. If the engine does not run smooth there is a good chance one or both of these are your problem. Good Luck


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## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

tore into the second 300 ac
same deal cleaned the com 
and brushes 
sprayed out the eunit 
and bam its working to 

the e unit on this one works flawless 

this one is a lot more detailed 
than the other one it has nice metal accents and the metal wheel slides are more detailed 

anyone got any info on why this one is more detailed 
is it a later run or a higher priced se version


think this one is going to be one of my keepers from the lot


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

dicgolfer72 said:


> tore into the second 300 ac
> same deal cleaned the com
> and brushes
> sprayed out the eunit
> ...


The one with the handrails was a later run.. Nicely detailed. Try and find a 302 with the wire handrails.. They're nice too...


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## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

ok well the 2 300 ac engines are in acceptable running condition for now 
I still need to know what size plugs to buy from radio shack so I can rewire the tenders since both the tenders wires are broken and now to short to repair 


as far as the ebay purchase I always expect the worse and pretty much knew it was a crap shoot 
but ive been on a pretty good lucky streak with buying untested arcade parts (for my store ) and it just sucked these didn't just work ootb





on to the next 2 I just tore down the 302 ac its missing the red smoke stack 
anyone have a link to the replacement 

and the guy I bought the stuff from sent them with the tenders not attached 
so what tender goes to what steamer 



and is there a way to bench test the smoke unit (I may just swap the smoke from this 302 to the one I already had that has a weak smoke unit )

ps guys thanks for all the help


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

All of the parts you need are available at PortLines Hobby Supply.. He's a great guy....
The heavy cast tender with the brass wheels goes to the 312. Atlantic engines used the Reading logo on the tender....
You can bench test the smoke unit.. Make sure you have at least 10 drops of fluid in there, and let it soak for a few minutes to make sure the wick gets nice and wet. Using the 2 wires from the tranny, put 1 wire to one of the solder lugs and put the other wire from the tranny to the other solder lug. The solder lugs are the silver "eye's' sticking up from the smoke unit top plate. Add some power and blow through the piston chamber.. You should see smoke coming out of the hole in the top plate.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

The pins you need are on ebay, #331728813733


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## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

thanks


the 302 has a bad e unit (one of the carbon strips that holds the contacts to the drum is cracked in half)
so I'm just going to box it up and save it for parts for my working 302 


the 312 is chugging and smoking like a champ now
I had to polish the wheels 
and contacts under the tender
clean com and reseat the brushes (also had to stretch out the springs a bit to make better contact 

but here is a vid of it in action on my impromptu test bed I setup up 
its funny how many customers' today wanted to buy one of them lol 

https://youtu.be/N1faVeniSjc


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

dicgolfer72 said:


> thanks
> 
> 
> the 302 has a bad e unit (one of the carbon strips that holds the contacts to the drum is cracked in half)
> ...


The fingers are readily available through ebay or PortLines...That engine runs great and smokes great too. You did a nice job.. In the video, I see you're logged on to the forum, and I see my avatar on the screen,lol....Nice job...:appl:


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## dicgolfer72 (Dec 4, 2015)

sorry by the end of the day I had come down with the death flu lol 
still feeling sick as a dog but I did feel good enough to track test the 312 and one of the 300's


youtube vid of them in action 
https://youtu.be/wBExxRBCpHo


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## 400E Blue Comet (Jul 11, 2014)

Darn, it's always disappointing to put a new train on the track then find it doesn't run. Try spinning the motor manually and see if it keeps going. Also try lubricating it and cleaning it.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Excellent!!


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## Tallaman (Oct 23, 2012)

Excellent thread. Thanks for sharing your conversation and information guys!


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## Aflyer (Nov 10, 2010)

dicgolfer72,
Nice job getting those old steamers brought back to life, its a great feeling of accomplishment. 

You have also done a great job sharing your progress, love the videos, and you are running those two locomotives like scalded dogs!!

Aflyer


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