Awesome video! I appreciate the knowledge I’ve been running trains many years never got into repairing them. I just bought a 290 that looks like it’s in great shape, but it does nothing at all no buzzing no nothing. Watching this video do you think the reverse unit is the main culprit
Thanks Tony. 290's are a great engine! I do repairs for others if you are interested. It could be a broken wire, bad soldier connection, reverse unit...hard to know.
Great video. Perfectly said. I'm a post war Lionel guy and also serviced a few American Flyer steamers. A little oil. A little solder (melting lead). Lots of small tools. Electricity. What can be better then that?
AUSTIN, Thanks for sharing your ideas and your enjoyment of American Flyer Trains. I've spent the past 2 hours (3am-5am) watching your videos. As many other AF fans I got hooked as a kid when I was about 7 years old when I got a AF Atlantic set from one of my uncles as he lefted for milatary service in 1952. He had bought it in about 1948-49. (I do not remember the exact model number.) I passed it on to a younger cousin when I went to college with idea that he would give it back to me once I had children. Unfortunately he didnt take care of it and it got tossed by his parents before I knew about it. I've had HO trains but never lost my love or preference for American Flyer S-gauge. It's the perfect size to get your hands on and look realistic. (what prototype trains ran on 3 rails except some trolley lines?) I'm 76 now (born '44) and recently on eBay I purchased a #300 Atlantic and a few cars plus track and transformer. The #300 Atlantic has 2 brass spring loaded buttons on the the bottom of the chassis between the drivers. According to my reserarch these were only present on the orginal 1946/'47 S-guage 2rail production runs. Evidently they were a carry over from AF's 3rail engines or used to trip crossing gates or other accessories. Another indication that it is an early production run is that the metal tender only has the words "Reading" printed on the sides. My question is according to some listings the #300 wasn't produced till 1950. Do you have any information. BTW t;his engine does not have the 'AC' designation even though it operates on AC current which is another reason I believe it has an early production date. (2 rail pickup is from the tender and the e-unit in boiler , no Smoke or ChooChoo.) Keep I will be watching more of your videos. They inspirement to clean up a space for a small layout. EFB
Hello Ernie. Thank very, very much for your post. I love your story! And welcome back to the AF scale! My understanding is that there were a few years after the 300 first came out that it was not produced...hence the discrepancy and confusion. It was produced in 1946 and then again in 1950. You are correct that the one you have is a first generation! Congratulations! I also purchased one last year...it is waiting for me to go through it. Here is a link to that video...th-cam.com/video/bb5ZPfexxOY/w-d-xo.html Welcome aboard!
#5 is common for all modelers of all scales who use electrical pickup through the track. As a person who has a lot of experience in HO scale, wheels and track are looked at first for running issues. As for #1, I learned this through both O and S gauge experience of equipment acquired. I have a 300 series Atlantic in which one of the fingers broke while cleaning the reversing unit. Knowing that the fingers can be an issue allows for an area to look for during troubleshooting. I haven't replace the finger boards on the Atlantic, but it's on the list to do projects.
Austin's American Flyer trains I’ve actually dealt with this on several engines now. The textbook answer is you are supposed to remove the wheel from the axle and re apply the tire on a flat surface, this would require re-quartering the engine when you press the wheel back on the axle this is a little above my level of expertise so I’ve developed my own way of doing in that is much simpler and achieves the same result. What I do is lay the engine on its side and remove the side rods, I then coat the plastic insulator with super glue and use 3 small flathead screwdrivers to evenly press the tire up onto the insulator, I then use a paper towel and rubbing alcohol to wipe off any excess glue and let it sit overnight with the screwdrivers wedged under the tire while it cures
One other big issue with running American Flyer or any electric train over N gauge these days is an ever decreasing amount of available space to set up a layout. Anyone living in a townhouse or condo around here just isn't doing toy trains anymore, not that I know of at least. That could be the main reason why this hobby seems to attract only us older guys with bigger houses.
E unit contacts are the first thing I always suspect but I don't like to mess with those myself. The grab bars are too hard to put back on the northern tender.
I was up all night marveling at your site! Thank you! Keep up the great work! Did the 0 8 0 switcher depicted have a tender? Mine didn't. There was a rail cleaning car too. Mine didn't. Looked great though. The steel rail cleaning car had that drop down center and pads which were supposed to maybe clean the rails a little. Periodically then though, there was sandpaper, and sanding by hand. I did.
The 0-8-0 switcher does have a tender. Glad your track cleaning car works. AF flyer track needs a lot of cleaning. I made a track cleaning train but have not been happy with the results...more adjustments are needed.
I have a 21085 4X6X2 steamer I have had since 1965. Recently I took it out of storage and it does not run. I have disassembled it and put in new brushes. I jumped the reversing unit and the armature does turn over. I am sure it is the 2 position reversing unit in the cab that is the problem. I have looked all over but I can not find a replacement. I guess I could solder a jumper in permanently and run it so it always go forward. Is there anywhere I can send the reversing unit for repair that you know of?
You might check with portline hobbies. I'm wondering if you tried a continuity test on the reverse unit? If it worked before you put it into storage I would encourage you to spend a bit more time with it.. unless of course you have run out of patience. Many times now I have run into a seemingly unfixable or unsolvable issue. Tenacity interspersed with breaks has over come each situation thus far. I guess this one if the HUGE things I love about flyer...their stuff is repairable.
That is very exciting! Does he have a lot of equipment? It would be a very good idea to add a little lubrication to the motor bushings if they have sat that long.
Your reasoning is sound, however the reversing unit and the excessive wiring it involves is a design problem not solved because it kept service stations busy. Just look at gilbert HO engines with dc motors. the are very reliable I think.
A.C. was ahead of his time, knowing full well that DC was the way to go. The problem as we now know is that it was very expensive at the time to make DC power from AC. Rectiformers had expensive components and an expensive accessory for families on a budget. Now with the advent of SS electronics, DC is cheap.
Oh god ! I have Lionel and American Flyer trains and have spent tons of time trying to keep my American Flyer trains running. I am currently trying to figure out what wrong with two American Flyer engines that have stopped running. I suspect it has to do with the tender wheels not being in contact with the track but I have been wrong before. Who knows ? Its a constant issue with American Flyer trains.
I wish you the best with your diagnosis. Have you checked the fingers on the reverse unit for holes? I've had some engines stop running when these fingers wear out.
I’m 77 years old and I have 2 engines I would like to get repaired can you do these for me.? I got the American Flyer Santa Fe diesel for a Christmas present in 1950, I got the Reading Steam engine as a gift from my cousins husband it was his when he was a boy I would guess it’s 1945 to 1950 model 304 it does nothing. Can you send me a email so we can talk? Thank you.
To secure car truck sides, use # 50 drill tap for 2-56 x ? 3/16 round head machine screw. High speed tap. Use cutting oil. The R&R of trucks usually is required but the results are worth it. Reriveting tools & supplies from Portlines or ttender.com if you don't have. RE
@@AustinsAmericanFlyertrains sometimes the engine will run slow with new brushes until they wear in...but I like that....BIG smoke at slow speeds...depends on what shape the commutator is in...once those wear out, it's over...I highly recommend the can motor conversions if you haven't tried it
Amen
Great sales effort. We need to attract new life to our hobby which is so loved by many of us. Thanks, Austin.
Thankyou Ron for the comment.
Awesome video! I appreciate the knowledge I’ve been running trains many years never got into repairing them. I just bought a 290 that looks like it’s in great shape, but it does nothing at all no buzzing no nothing. Watching this video do you think the reverse unit is the main culprit
Thanks Tony. 290's are a great engine! I do repairs for others if you are interested. It could be a broken wire, bad soldier connection, reverse unit...hard to know.
Great video. Perfectly said. I'm a post war Lionel guy and also serviced a few American Flyer steamers. A little oil. A little solder (melting lead). Lots of small tools. Electricity. What can be better then that?
Thanks Don....I agree.. not much!
Fingers in the reverser unit is definitely #1 for me.
Do you have issues with a reverse unit after you have serviced it? I do not seem to.
AUSTIN, Thanks for sharing your ideas and your enjoyment of American Flyer Trains. I've spent the past 2 hours (3am-5am) watching your videos. As many other AF fans I got hooked as a kid when I was about 7 years old when I got a AF Atlantic set from one of my uncles as he lefted for milatary service in 1952. He had bought it in about 1948-49. (I do not remember the exact model number.) I passed it on to a younger cousin when I went to college with idea that he would give it back to me once I had children. Unfortunately he didnt take care of it and it got tossed by his parents before I knew about it.
I've had HO trains but never lost my love or preference for American Flyer S-gauge. It's the perfect size to get your hands on and look realistic. (what prototype trains ran on 3 rails except some trolley lines?) I'm 76 now (born '44) and recently on eBay I purchased a #300 Atlantic and a few cars plus track and transformer. The #300 Atlantic has 2 brass spring loaded buttons on the the bottom of the chassis between the drivers. According to my reserarch these were only present on the orginal 1946/'47 S-guage 2rail production runs. Evidently they were a carry over from AF's 3rail engines or used to trip crossing gates or other accessories. Another indication that it is an early production run is that the metal tender only has the words "Reading" printed on the sides.
My question is according to some listings the #300 wasn't produced till 1950. Do you have any information. BTW t;his engine does not have the 'AC' designation even though it operates on AC current which is another reason I believe it has an early production date. (2 rail pickup is from the tender and the e-unit in boiler , no Smoke or ChooChoo.)
Keep I will be watching more of your videos. They inspirement to clean up a space for a small layout. EFB
Hello Ernie. Thank very, very much for your post. I love your story! And welcome back to the AF scale! My understanding is that there were a few years after the 300 first came out that it was not produced...hence the discrepancy and confusion. It was produced in 1946 and then again in 1950. You are correct that the one you have is a first generation! Congratulations! I also purchased one last year...it is waiting for me to go through it. Here is a link to that video...th-cam.com/video/bb5ZPfexxOY/w-d-xo.html
Welcome aboard!
#5 is common for all modelers of all scales who use electrical pickup through the track. As a person who has a lot of experience in HO scale, wheels and track are looked at first for running issues. As for #1, I learned this through both O and S gauge experience of equipment acquired. I have a 300 series Atlantic in which one of the fingers broke while cleaning the reversing unit. Knowing that the fingers can be an issue allows for an area to look for during troubleshooting. I haven't replace the finger boards on the Atlantic, but it's on the list to do projects.
Another good one is the metal tires coming loose from the plastic insulators on the hub of the drivers
Fortunately that is one issue have not had to deal with. Have you had this happen? How did you effect a repair?
Austin's American Flyer trains I’ve actually dealt with this on several engines now. The textbook answer is you are supposed to remove the wheel from the axle and re apply the tire on a flat surface, this would require re-quartering the engine when you press the wheel back on the axle this is a little above my level of expertise so I’ve developed my own way of doing in that is much simpler and achieves the same result. What I do is lay the engine on its side and remove the side rods, I then coat the plastic insulator with super glue and use 3 small flathead screwdrivers to evenly press the tire up onto the insulator, I then use a paper towel and rubbing alcohol to wipe off any excess glue and let it sit overnight with the screwdrivers wedged under the tire while it cures
@@kevin2472 that sounds like a very interesting solution...you should do a video of the process. 🙂
I've fixed this with a tiny bit of super glue
One other big issue with running American Flyer or any electric train over N gauge these days is an ever decreasing amount of available space to set up a layout. Anyone living in a townhouse or condo around here just isn't doing toy trains anymore, not that I know of at least. That could be the main reason why this hobby seems to attract only us older guys with bigger houses.
Wait...who you calling old?!? Lol...it certainly could.
Out West, people do not have basements to set up layouts. I'm single so my Master bedroom has the layout and spare bed for guests.
E unit contacts are the first thing I always suspect but I don't like to mess with those myself. The grab bars are too hard to put back on the northern tender.
I have had problems with e-units sticking. The ones I can't fix, I convert to solid state e-units.
What do you do with the ones you remove?
@@AustinsAmericanFlyertrains I have kept them in case anyone would be interested in them.
@@kenkemzura903 do you have any two step units?
@@AustinsAmericanFlyertrains I have one for sure.
Does anyone know a chain store that carries ohm resistors? Need a 27 ohm resistor for my AF smoke unit replacement...
Have you looked on amazon? they have pretty much everything.
I was up all night marveling at your site! Thank you! Keep up the great work! Did the 0 8 0 switcher depicted have a tender? Mine didn't.
There was a rail cleaning car too. Mine didn't. Looked great though. The steel rail cleaning car had that drop down center and pads which were supposed to maybe clean the rails a little. Periodically then though, there was sandpaper, and sanding by hand. I did.
The 0-8-0 switcher does have a tender. Glad your track cleaning car works. AF flyer track needs a lot of cleaning. I made a track cleaning train but have not been happy with the results...more adjustments are needed.
I have a 21085 4X6X2 steamer I have had since 1965. Recently I took it out of storage and it does not run. I have disassembled it and put in new brushes. I jumped the reversing unit and the armature does turn over. I am sure it is the 2 position reversing unit in the cab that is the problem. I have looked all over but I can not find a replacement. I guess I could solder a jumper in permanently and run it so it always go forward. Is there anywhere I can send the reversing unit for repair that you know of?
You might check with portline hobbies. I'm wondering if you tried a continuity test on the reverse unit? If it worked before you put it into storage I would encourage you to spend a bit more time with it.. unless of course you have run out of patience. Many times now I have run into a seemingly unfixable or unsolvable issue. Tenacity interspersed with breaks has over come each situation thus far. I guess this one if the HUGE things I love about flyer...their stuff is repairable.
There is nothing handier than am ohm meter .
So true.
BTW I was to give these to my 7 year old grandson in working order so can enjoy these as I did. Thanks my name is Rich.
Afttrainfun@gmail.com...drop me a note. Thanks for your comments.
Me and my dad are bringing out his american flyers that haven't run in 60+ years
That is very exciting! Does he have a lot of equipment? It would be a very good idea to add a little lubrication to the motor bushings if they have sat that long.
It's now two years later. Hope it all went well bringing the engine(s) back to life.
Your reasoning is sound, however the reversing unit and the excessive wiring it involves is a design problem not solved because it kept service stations busy. Just look at gilbert HO engines with dc motors. the are very reliable I think.
Or it was the best solution available for permitting a reverse of direction with ac current.
A.C. was ahead of his time, knowing full well that DC was the way to go. The problem as we now know is that it was very expensive at the time to make DC power from AC. Rectiformers had expensive components and an expensive accessory for families on a budget. Now with the advent of SS electronics, DC is cheap.
@@seeburgm100a very true...thankyou for your comments.
Oh god ! I have Lionel and American Flyer trains and have spent tons of time trying to keep my American Flyer trains running. I am currently trying to figure out what wrong with two American Flyer engines that have stopped running. I suspect it has to do with the tender wheels not being in contact with the track but I have been wrong before. Who knows ? Its a constant issue with American Flyer trains.
I wish you the best with your diagnosis. Have you checked the fingers on the reverse unit for holes? I've had some engines stop running when these fingers wear out.
Check the motor commutator and brushes. They need to be cleaned from time to time as well.
I’m 77 years old and I have 2 engines I would like to get repaired can you do these for me.? I got the American Flyer Santa Fe diesel for a Christmas present in 1950, I got the Reading Steam engine as a gift from my cousins husband it was his when he was a boy I would guess it’s 1945 to 1950 model 304 it does nothing. Can you send me a email so we can talk? Thank you.
Thanks for your comments Richard. Please connect with me further at this email... AFtrainfun@gmail.com
To secure car truck sides, use # 50 drill tap for 2-56 x ? 3/16 round head machine screw. High speed tap. Use cutting oil.
The R&R of trucks usually is required but the results are worth it.
Reriveting tools & supplies from Portlines or ttender.com if you don't have.
RE
brushes
After you replace them are they still an issue?
@@AustinsAmericanFlyertrains sometimes the engine will run slow with new brushes until they wear in...but I like that....BIG smoke at slow speeds...depends on what shape the commutator is in...once those wear out, it's over...I highly recommend the can motor conversions if you haven't tried it
once the commutators wear out, i mean
Fixed one today, the brushes were ok but the springs were weak. Stretching them out a bit cured it.