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Locos - PK2 SD50 problem - Little help, Please? Locos and rolling stock
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New member 14 posts Chips88 New member 14 posts
Chips88

Guys & Gals -

I have a bit of a problem.  I picked up a new, in the box, Lifelike Proto 2000 D&RGW SD50 last week at a local (2 hours away) hobby shop.  We ran it on the test track and it did fine at slow speed.  We couldn't test it out good because his small layout was full of engines and cars for customers to check out.

I get the SD50 home and put it on my layout using DC and at slow (creep) and high speed (full on) it runs & sounds OK but at medium (car hauling speed) it shrieks and squeals in both directions.  I popped the wheel covers off and put a drop of Labelle 106 on the gears and retried it.  No-GO.  Still squeals.  Ran it for a while breaking it in back and forth.  Still squeals.  Sounded like it was coming from what we used to call the gear towers.  I took the shell off and put a drop of Labelle 102 on the end bearing of the rear truck.  It was the only one I could get to.  The engine’s weight covers up both towers and I can’t figure out how to get the weight off the frame to get to the towers.  I also put a drop of Labelle 108 on either end of the motor bearing but still no-go.  I’ve let it run on a 2’ test track with pads on either end for 15 minutes in one direction and 15 in the other back and forth all day yesterday while I was searching and reading on the internet looking for information on how to disassemble the SD50.   Today, it still squeals like a stuck pig.  I’ve checked out the inside of the shell – no marks and it does it without the shell on anyway.

Any ideas on how I can remove the weight and get to the gear towers?  I’ve got 20+ Atlas, Atlas/Kato, Atlas/Roco, a couple of Katos, and several Athearns that I put Protopower West chassis under but none have ever given me a problem like this.

Thanks for all suggestions besides tossing it out the window.

Kimball
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Milt Spanton mspanton Super User 979 posts
Milt Spanton mspanton

It is the gear tower

...or more specifically, the end bearings.

There are four, 2 on each tower, and you could only reach and thus oil one.  Murphy would tell us that the one you could get as was fine, it is the others that are dry.  I have had to re-oil about 20 or so P2K locos with similar noises. 

Unfortunately, I can't tell you how to get at an SD50, but there are likely holes in the frame for screws facing up into the weights, or on the top of the weights facing down into the frame.  In one case, I had to remove the board, too.

Hope that helps.

Milt

- Milt
The Duluth MISSABE and Iron Range Railway in the 50's - 1:87
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ajcaptain Regular poster 300 posts
ajcaptain

Remove the fuel tank

I'm not sure if your SD50 is like my SD60.  If it is, the fuel tank has to be removed.  It's held on with double sided tape on the SD60.  Then, there are two screws underneath the fuel tank that can now removed.  The SD60 has one additional screw under each truck.  That's four screws that hold on the weight.  The SD60 has a circuit board on top, and the wires need to be removed from at least one side so it can be moved out of the way of the weight.  Then, the weight can come out and you can get to the motor and gears.  The wires on the SD60 are not soldered on the board.  Each is held on by a tiny black clip that pulls off.  Just be sure to keep track of what went where.

It actually sounds worse than it is.

Good luck!

John

 

John C
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ajcaptain Regular poster 300 posts
ajcaptain

One more thing

When I stripped down my SD60, I removed the pinion and pulled the driveshafts from the motor.  The driveshafts had some nasty, thick, sticky lubricant of some sort in them that can actually interfere with the smooth sliding of the drive shafts.  I suppose that can create a source of squeal as it could put pressure on the pinion that shouldn't be there.   I cleaned mine out with Q-tips and alcohol and reassembled with a proper grease.

John

John C
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Chips88 New member 14 posts
Chips88

Locos - PK2 SD50

Thanks, guys.  Rather than screw it up.  I called the Hobby Shop and then sent it to him for a check out and repair.  The shop owner said he has a guy that specializes in fixing up engines for him.

Still, I will print out what you guys suggested and hang on to it for future use.

John, I had it apart and did not notice any of the black gunk you were talking about.  Wish I could have gotten into those gear towers.

Thanks again!

 

Kimball

 

 
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