Will Overloading an Engine Cause Motor Damage?

[FatherMcD]

I recently allowed a couple of grandchildren to run my trains around a small loop while unsupervised. I returned to find that they were "testing" to see how much the two engines (individually) could pull by increasing the load in the wagons until the engine would barely crawl. I made a point of stopping that and warning against it in the future. Models, not toys, etc. Now, I have observed that the engines, my first Stainz and an LGB "Daisy" Porter now seem to run much more slowly and the headlights seem dim. I seem to recall posts about melted insulation in the motors caused by overloading but haven't been able to find anything with searches. Am I looking at replacing the motors? Thanks for your input.

 

[PhilP]

In theory, they should have slipped their wheels, rather than stall to a standstill. - Which would cause rapid heating of the armature..

I would check that one wheel / axle, has not moved out of quarter. - Perhaps jumped one tooth, in the gearbox?

PhilP

 

[dunnyrail]

Slipped wheels as Philip says can easily be caused by overloading. Check the wheels carefully by looking at the spokes, look for a vertical one on one wheel - is the other wheel at the same angle? If not then the gear has likely slipped and can be fixed by removing the bottom plate and moving one set of wheels till corrected. However this is a trickier task in the older 3 pin and growler type motors, here you need to pull the complete chassis apart.

 

[FatherMcD]

Slipped wheels as Philip says can easily be caused by overloading. Check the wheels carefully by looking at the spokes, look for a vertical one on one wheel - is the other wheel at the same angle? If not then the gear has likely slipped and can be fixed by removing the bottom plate and moving one set of wheels till corrected. However this is a trickier task in the older 3 pin and growler type motors, here you need to pull the complete chassis apart.

I'm waiting for a meter I ordered to arrive to test current draw. There is some slack in the siderods and the wheels appear to be properly quartered. I have noticed that the maximum speed increases as the engines are run for a few minutes, so I'm suspecting the gear grease may be old and hardened then softening with use. Won't hurt to clean the gears and replace the grease.

 

[stevedenver]

lights now dim….dunno….check the backs of the wheels, plunger pick up cases in the chassis, maybe melted?

probably…dim because motors are drawing much more? Or , causing a slight short due to armature damage?

ive never had an out of quarter loco that resulted in dim lights….‘pulsed’ /lurching movement, yes..

ive never had an lgb loco that ‘warms up’ , ie runs better after a few laps….




If the motors were at voltage, but couldnt turn, or barely, then likely they heated up. Possibly a lot.

im guessing that perhaps weight was added to the locos too to prevent slippage.
i dont know exactly what this does, perhaps armature damage, windings or solder point being damaged.
not sure, technically. But since i was very young, i know that holding a motor still while voltage is applied will soon damage the motor.
if they are now running slowly, they are damaged.

you may choose to use until complete failure, or replace.
i suspect new motors are in order.
and, you might want to see if the gears on the axels were dug out/grooved..if so replace….

just amazing what kids come up with.
i let a friends kid operate my rack loco…he decided running at full speed and repeat rapid reversal , ie mambo, was entertaining….luckily i caught this right away…lucky me and my rack loco…couldnt have imagined this behavior….

 

[PhilP]

It is not theirs, so it doesn't matter if they break it..


Also, technically ignorant, of basic mechanics..

PhilP

 

[dunnyrail]

It is not theirs, so it doesn't matter if they break it..


Also, technically ignorant, of basic mechanics..

PhilP

It is also the fact that many children cannot see the difference between our trains and their toys that they can chuck around, destroy and generally abuse. This is why it is best to have some Playmobil (PM) for kids to use as it is near indestructible. Though sadly PM trains are not so easily obtained these days.

 

[FatherMcD]

It is also the fact that many children cannot see the difference between our trains and their toys that they can chuck around, destroy and generally abuse. This is why it is best to have some Playmobil (PM) for kids to use as it is near indestructible. Though sadly PM trains are not so easily obtained these days.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've a few things to check out. Kids do like to push things to the limit; it's one way to learn. And that's why I have some PM as well. But, that's another thread.

 

[stevedenver]

Absolutely. Kids experiment. It’s admirable. It’s understandable. Simple instructions on how to handle, operate, etc can be helpful…..sorta….temptation is tempting, lol. Hard for many adults to remember trains aren’t slot cars.

Agree about playmobil. Or, in my case, I have bought my son certain cars and locos, as his. He was 5-6 at the the time. Play,o loco, lgb cars,. He liked the book, The Box Car children. Worked pretty nicely. They’re still in great shape.He doesnt share dads train lust…probably a good thing…nice normal lad he is…lol

 

[LGB333]

I'm waiting for a meter I ordered to arrive to test current draw. There is some slack in the siderods and the wheels appear to be properly quartered. I have noticed that the maximum speed increases as the engines are run for a few minutes, so I'm suspecting the gear grease may be old and hardened then softening with use. Won't hurt to clean the gears and replace the grease.

You can check the drive rods tension by turning the wheels a little each time to see if there's slack on each side of the drive rods.......if you can't wiggle the drive rods on each side back and forth a little, then the tension is too tight and you'll need to open up the bottom of the motor blocks (if D type) and readjust the wheels sets' axle gears' placement. Otherwise, the motors will likely need to be replaced.