# 307 rebuild



## chrisallen21 (Sep 1, 2016)

Starting working on a 307 (1955 is stamped on the inside of the plastic engine shell). I started to disassemble and it felt like there were some parts missing but I am starting to wonder if the engine shell matches the engine chassis itself. I have included a few pictures and would appreciate any comments on (sorry, I haven't cleaned it up yet:

1. Is this truly a 307 chassis? If not, what is it? 
Here are some pics to help
























It seems odd that there isn't anything on top of the armature assembly. What is to prevent it from moving around? At least in the 302s I have rebuilt, the armature is fully encased in the chassis.

2. Can I salvage any parts from a 1953 302?
For example, it sure looks like you could put a smoke unit on this chassis (even though according to the specs, the 307 doesn't have a smoke unit - http://myflyertrains.org/gallery/album209/307_2) 

If one could put a smoke unit on it, how do you go about removing the worm gear and stud that is attached to the old 302 I have shown below?


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

It looks ok to me.. You already know the 307 has no choo choo and smoke.. You can add the smoke unit/choo choo to the engine if wanted, or buy a complete chassis with the unit on it and substitute it.Any 302 or Atlantic chassis will work. I've done this several times.. To remove that smoke gear, simply get a punch and drive it out. You must be careful as you can break the die-cast chassis where the smoke gear is located. Don't ask....just support it correctly when you attempt to drive it out. If you don't want to attempt it, I think I have a few extra gears with the pin lying around here. I can send it out if needed. I don't quite understand what you mean by the armature moving around because there's nothings on top??? Post a picture of the entire unit...front to rear, and include everything...I just checked one of my 307's, and it's exactly like the one you have, so I would say you have the correct chassis for the shell.


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## chrisallen21 (Sep 1, 2016)

I have included a few more pictures as requested. I indicated the area I am referring to with the red rectangle. I guess maybe I never noticed this before on the 302 since it has a smoke unit on it. It felt like something was missing when I looked at this one without a smoke unit.

Hopefully this helps clarify my question.


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

Besides being "the correct one" why not just use the chassis that already has the gear? Atlantic is Atlantic IMO. 

Besides, so many things can go awry whilst swinging a hammer.


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## chrisallen21 (Sep 1, 2016)

I would except the wheels have a massive wobble. I figured it was easier to move the smoke unit to the 307 chassis than to add new bushings to the 302 wheels (which I don't have the right tools for) and then re-quarter the wheels after. 

Sort of the 'lesser of two evils' if you will.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Good pictures, and everything looks correct for a 307. The reason it looks bare is there is no smoke gear in the way. As we know, the armature worm gear fits between the smoke gear and drive gear on the rear axle.The armature spins the drive gear as well as the smoke gear...If there's a wobble,there's 2 things that could be wrong; bent axle of course, and/or a wheel that is not centered on the axle. I just did some maintenance on a 302 with a wobble, and found that the wheel was not fully seated on the axle, causing the wobble. I seated the wheel a little better, and the wobble was eliminated to the point that I liked it, and it does run good.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

chrisallen21 said:


> I would except the wheels have a massive wobble. I figured it was easier to move the smoke unit to the 307 chassis than to add new bushings to the 302 wheels (which I don't have the right tools for) and then re-quarter the wheels after.
> 
> Sort of the 'lesser of two evils' if you will.


For what it's worth, there's a complete 302 chassis on ebay for a buy it now of $8.95, and I have purchased from this seller and he/she is great...


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## chrisallen21 (Sep 1, 2016)

I am still very new to this but thought the worst that could happen is to end up buying a new chassis which as flyernut indicates, is pretty cheap, so I ended up giving it a try. I must admit I was pretty shocked at the force needed to drive the pin in. I did support the casting on the opposite side as suggested to avoid cracking/breaking it (and trust me, it would have with the pounding via the punch I was using). I even sprayed in some WD-40 prior to driving it in with the hopes of helping it out a little bit.

Here are some after pictures. Of course, the real test will be when I get fully assembled (waiting on a wiring harness part order to attach the tender).


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Looks good...Now, let me ask about the wiring harness you're waiting for.. From who did you buy it, and I hope you didn't spend the silly money some sellers are asking for a pre-made harness... I buy the cloth-covered, 4-conductor, stranded wire from a seller called yoderr. It costs $3 bucks a foot, and it's a copy of the original wiring. A 6" harness will cost you $1.50. I bought 6 feet the last time, and the total was $19 bucks. That's enough for 12 engines, give or take..


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## chrisallen21 (Sep 1, 2016)

I sourced it from Jeff Kane at the Train Tender. It is a pre-made 4 wire harness PVC 6" (cloth cover) and is $4. It looks like going forward I might be better off to look at the vendor you suggest and make up my own. I usually wait until I have at least 10 items before I place an order to save on shipping costs since I am shipping to the Great White North (Canada).

Thanks for the suggestion. I always like hearing about vendor recommendations from the veterans who have been doing this for a long time.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

chrisallen21 said:


> I sourced it from Jeff Kane at the Train Tender. It is a pre-made 4 wire harness PVC 6" (cloth cover) and is $4. It looks like going forward I might be better off to look at the vendor you suggest and make up my own. I usually wait until I have at least 10 items before I place an order to save on shipping costs since I am shipping to the Great White North (Canada).
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion. I always like hearing about vendor recommendations from the veterans who have been doing this for a long time.


Don't get me wrong, Jeff is a great guy. I just try to save a buck here and there, and for me, buying in bulk works. I tend to do a few engines so bulk is better.


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## Nuttin But Flyer (Dec 19, 2011)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201741556662?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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