this page has photos of a vintage tomy standard engine, a merry go engine and a push down tip truck. it will show how to clean and repair them.
in the case of the standard engine, repair was unsucessful due to a crack in the cog on the rear axle.
i havent yet worked how to safely remove the wheels and replace the cog. there are two tight metal nut things on the axles, and forcing their removal cracks the wheels, making them unusable. i have heard of people gluing the cracked cog, but i havent tried it yet.
the fun thing about the vintage trains is you never know what color gears you will find. while most are white, some are pink, orange, red or green. ive ever found one that reminded me of the vegetable pasta you can buy, a mixture of greens and yellows.
the motors need lubrication every so often. before i packed away my vintage engines, i gave each a quick battery test. this ensured they were working and had been put together correctly after a clean. i went looking for 2 today to do a repair job and most of them either dont work or the engine is squealing. i will be checking every loco i have, tomy, thomas and trackmaster alike.
to lube the motor [NOT the gears], on the front is a small slit. i have a pot of ATLAS lube. i dip a corner of paper or similar into the pot, not too much, and slip it through the slit, scraping it off as i pull it back out. turn the engine on and you should notice an immediate difference in noise. the last photo in this section shows the slit, which can be accessed without dismantling the chassis. when lubing the motor or gears, dont use too much. like a car engine, too much can be more harmful than not enough. just use enough to put a nice coating, dont drown them.
i recently had an email from sarah in the uk who found my guide hard to see, so i have taken a series of photos showing the order each gear goes in. hopefully they will enhance the existing photos and make things easier.
click the photos for a larger view and a caption with more details.
in the case of the standard engine, repair was unsucessful due to a crack in the cog on the rear axle.
i havent yet worked how to safely remove the wheels and replace the cog. there are two tight metal nut things on the axles, and forcing their removal cracks the wheels, making them unusable. i have heard of people gluing the cracked cog, but i havent tried it yet.
the fun thing about the vintage trains is you never know what color gears you will find. while most are white, some are pink, orange, red or green. ive ever found one that reminded me of the vegetable pasta you can buy, a mixture of greens and yellows.
the motors need lubrication every so often. before i packed away my vintage engines, i gave each a quick battery test. this ensured they were working and had been put together correctly after a clean. i went looking for 2 today to do a repair job and most of them either dont work or the engine is squealing. i will be checking every loco i have, tomy, thomas and trackmaster alike.
to lube the motor [NOT the gears], on the front is a small slit. i have a pot of ATLAS lube. i dip a corner of paper or similar into the pot, not too much, and slip it through the slit, scraping it off as i pull it back out. turn the engine on and you should notice an immediate difference in noise. the last photo in this section shows the slit, which can be accessed without dismantling the chassis. when lubing the motor or gears, dont use too much. like a car engine, too much can be more harmful than not enough. just use enough to put a nice coating, dont drown them.
i recently had an email from sarah in the uk who found my guide hard to see, so i have taken a series of photos showing the order each gear goes in. hopefully they will enhance the existing photos and make things easier.
click the photos for a larger view and a caption with more details.
vintage tomy cleaning and repair guide
MERRY-GO REPAIR GUIDE
tomy push down vehicles: bus and tip truck
i have seen two different kinds of push down vehicles. there is the tip truck pictured and also a bus which has room for passengers as well as the driver. there are pictures of both on the tomy accessories page.
i have encountered push down vehicles which, when pushed down, did nothing. when i opened them, they were empty and the rear axle was the same as the front, with no cog or rubber tyres. i dont know if they came like that from the factory or what. worth noting though.
i have encountered push down vehicles which, when pushed down, did nothing. when i opened them, they were empty and the rear axle was the same as the front, with no cog or rubber tyres. i dont know if they came like that from the factory or what. worth noting though.