Fixing Jupiter

 

Derek at Footplate knows how to make a sale. Early in our chat last week, he mentioned this old Airfix GMR loco, that he would be taking to a swapmeet and flogging for a tenner. He said it didn't work, but that wouldn't matter. Someone would buy it. 

An hour later, that someone was me. I've often fancied one of these. In fact I fancy the whole Wild West Adventure set, but those things are rarer than Unicorn poop. I don't think I've seen more than two ever. The coaches do appear, they were sold seperatly, and I've nearly bought them in the past, to sit in the Tri-ang operating models collection. 

Back home, I took the loco out of its box, and spotted this wire. Could this be the problem? 

Logically, this model should pick up electricity using the American system - one side on the tender, the other on the loco. Sadly, not. The tender can do both sides, the loco is just extra pickups. I replaced the wire anyway with something thinner, and the model ran. And then stopped, all locked up. 

The model was too small, back in the day, to cram a motor into the firebox. Drive is from the tender via a cardan shaft that plugs into a white nylon worm gear that drives the wheels. 

After a big of dismantling (Hint, there is a bolt under the chimney which you access by pushing the pony to one side. The body can then be lifted off) I worked out this had worn. Driving forward it's OK. In reverse, it jumps the gear, and needs to be recentred by poking some tweezers in there. 

I'm assuming that this gear will be made of unobtainium, but that won't stop me keeping an eye out for one. The loco still happily trots forward, so I'm not unhappy. I have a cheap loco, and enjoyed fiddling around trying to fix it. The only trouble is, it will be harder to resist buying the coaches in the future!