Running a Stainz afer 35+ years...

Henri said:
My extremely old 'Growler' Stainz hasn't run for at least 40 years. It was in storage in it's original 'starter set' box all the time.

Would you open it up and oil/crease here and there, or run it straight away?
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To be honest, I would treat it like the real thing.

Investigate to see if there is anything wrong
Clean it up
Prep it such as what you said above
Run it in & take note of anything that goes wrong.
 
Henri said:
My extremely old 'Growler' Stainz hasn't run for at least 40 years. It was in storage in it's original 'starter set' box all the time.

Would you open it up and oil/crease here and there, or run it straight away?
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I wouldn't dismantle it unless there is any sign of damage.
I assume that its box has kept it clean. If so I'd lightly oil the axles where they enter the motor block and the joints and other moving parts of the rods.
I'd then I'd give it a gentle test run.
They aren't called growlers for nothing so noisy gears aren't automatically a sign of trouble.
 
Unless the motions stuck or sluggish, I wouldn't do anything apart from a light oiling to the rods and the axels, the Growler mech is completely different than any other LGB mechs, it will squeal, it will drive you crazy, It has straight cut gears, hence why there called growlers. I've got growlers, early clamshells, all of similar age to you, all in perfect working order, the only one i've ever had to completely strip, had bent rods, Later clamshells i've had to replace axles on, but never on a really old one.
 
I would just put it on the track, gradually apply power and see what happens..... If it doesn't move immediately, give it a gentle push; my betting is that it will run just fine, apart from the noise...... ;)

Jon.
 
I would be very tempted to pull the Chassis apart and clean up the grease inside before applying new. Your Growler would then probably give you another 40 Years happy service. Trouble is for a newbie that is quite a task on these old babies.
JonD
 
I would turn it upside down, and see if the wheels will turn when pushed round firmly.. Forwards a couple of revolutions, then back..

Then a spot of oil if really dry / dusty..

Then run it.. Gently, to start with. Stop after couple of minutes, and see if anything seems overly warm.

Unless it has been somewhere damp, or in a baking hot loft, it should be fine.
 
PhilP said:
I would turn it upside down, and see if the wheels will turn when pushed round firmly.. Forwards a couple of revolutions, then back..

..........
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Good advice from Phil, but just one word of caution (Sparky might know the definitive answer to this?) - can you turn the wheels on a "growler" mechanism by hand, or do the straight-cut gears make this difficult? I always thought that it was the helical gearing on clamshell and later gearboxes that made it possible to turn the wheels manually.....?

Please note that though i have several very old LGB locos myself, I've never owned one with a growler gearbox - so I'm only going here by things I have read/heard over the years.

Jon.
 
Good point..

Though with all the stuff I have had for repair, only a very few have not allowed me to turn the wheels by hand..
 
Zerogee said:
Good advice from Phil, but just one word of caution (Sparky might know the definitive answer to this?) - can you turn the wheels on a "growler" mechanism by hand, or do the straight-cut gears make this difficult? I always thought that it was the helical gearing on clamshell and later gearboxes that made it possible to turn the wheels manually.....?

Please note that though i have several very old LGB locos myself, I've never owned one with a growler gearbox - so I'm only going here by things I have read/heard over the years.

Jon.
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Yes you can, but will be stiffer than a clamshell or split box, and you will hear the meshing of the gears
 
Has anyone got one of these to run smoothly? They seem fine on a very clean indoor line, although horibly noisy, but on an outdoor line they really do stutter and scream.

I had one in the late 70s which was given a good clean, checked over and picking up correctly, but still running badly. I tried adding sockets so that the loco could benefit from the pick ups on the brake van, but it still ran really badly.

Locos on my lines have to be ready for action and able earn thier keep. This loco never could, so I no longer own it!

James
 
I would never try running a growler on my line outside, far too painfull on the ears, have done it once, I have several that sit on the living room shelves,
 
Pretty sure that one of my Steam Trams is a Growler. Pretty sure that I ran it fine on my old Garden Line in Leagrave. But I do not think that it had had a very hard life before I got it.
JonD
 
As far as I know Growlers were only ever made as the Stainz, the Schoema Diesel and the Steam Tram. By the time any other locos were introduced that had gone over to the layshaft motor clamshell mech with skates.

Given the issues and obvious short comings of the growler mech, I have always found it incredible that the range became so popular so quickly. The size and sheer presecence of the range was and still is undeniable of course, but the noise was truly awful.

My Dad used to take me to model railway shows in London and I can recall seeing LGB demonstrated at one of these - probably at the Westminster Central Hall in 1969 or 1970. I remember thinking how amazing the models were, but at a large show, we had no idea of the noise. Indeed my first shocking experience of the raw noise of a growler was only after I had bought one!

Oops! You live and learn!

James
 
So I have never seen a growler up close and personal as it was running. Just how load are these beasts ?

Wait, I just found this on Youtube. A video of a growler at Watts Train Shop. OOUCH !!

 
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I always thought of them as screamers rather than growlers. On the bright side, that one in the video was running on an indoor layout and enjoyed good current collection on both straights and curves. On an outdoor layout they tend to pick up well on curves, but hunt on the straights, causing a rather fetching 'Police Siren' type noise as the motor repeatedly gets power and then loses it again!

The only solution would be track that was impeccably clean on both top and inside rail surfaces

As I said earlier, how the system caught on so fast when this was the only loco mech in town beats me. Shades of the situation in the early 1960s with the Playcraft/Aurora Vibrator motor in their HO slot cars. The system itself was attractive and fundamentally good, but the mechanism was terrible. Within two years - new mechanisms are introduced and the rest is history!

James
 
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It is probably quite telling that in German they are known as "Heuler" gearboxes, which literally translates as "Howler"...... ;)

Jon.
 
Madman said:
So I have never seen a growler up close and personal as it was running. Just how load are these beasts ?

Wait, I just found this on Youtube. A video of a growler at Watts Train Shop. OOUCH !!

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Trains do not get any better than that, just iconic.
JonD
 
Henri said:
Oops... More a squeaker than a growler...

I think mine will see a lot of shelve time... Maybe sell the set to someone who really appreciates it...
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As said before I'd trade you a later stainz with a clamshell mech for your growler
 
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