Wheel slippage

[jimim]

OK train pro's.  you have helped my son and myself out alot over the past few weeks with his train setup.

I have a new issue.  on his blue heavy hauler train, his red train (current one), and the old xmas train I'm getting wheel slippage.

The xmas train has the RC motor in the wood tender car.  it pushes the engine  the battery pack and sensor for IR is in the passenger car.  it also is pulling the other 2 cars for the set.  slippage.  lots.  to gt it doing and once it hits a turn i get more slippage.

 

Same goes for the other engines.

My batteries are new.  The wheels are the current RC motor bodies with wheels.  the clear rubber around  the wheels.

I'm sitting on carpet.  I didn't have slippage with the new trains till recent.  can the rubber be wearing out?  is there better rubber i can get for the wheels?  i saw that in another thread.  didn't know if it was lego brand or other?

Do i need to be weighing down the motor more? will the carpet if fluffy hinder?  didn't before.  it's like a higher softer nap carpet.

I don't know any other  info you all need to help.

thanks again!

jim

 

PS on a lighter note.  got our track from amazon. spirit world. matches perfect.  look exactly the same as the lego branded one.  for 1 dollar a piece can't beat it.  i'm picky with things all matching also.  very pleased.

 

[jtlan]

Almost certainly it's a weight issue, unless looking at the tires you see wear. I'm not familiar with off-brand track, so it's possible  that the track itself is wearing, leaving dust on the wheels and reducing friction. If you don't see any dust looking at the tires, put something moderately heavy (the battery box) on top of the car that has the motor, and see the motor continues to slip.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

An image would probably help, the weight certainly has its role, but I have one question? Is the track in line on the floor or is it uneven on the carpet?

[dr_spock]

Watch out for loose bit of carpet fibers getting on the tracks, they can get between the rubber tire and track.  They could also get into the motor and axles. 

Most likely you need more weight over the train motor. 

[Trekkie99]

Make sure your train motor wheels are clean and your track is dusted before usage if you leave it out.

[HoMa]

It might help if you replace the original thin rubber ring in the wheels which are attached to the motor with slightly thicker ones. A good resource is your local DIY store, search in the sanitary department for sealing rings.

[Capparezza]

All the previous remarks might be valid, but it could also be the tracks themselves, like @jtlan mentioned. I don't know those "Spirit World" tracks. Could be a small difference in shape which is causing this. When you say "I didn't have slippage with the new trains till recent", is that "recent" the point in time when you switched over to that new track parts from Spirit World?

[jimim]

hi guys.  i'm sorry some points to clear up.

 

i'm running on only lego track. i didn't put out the off brand track yet.  so the track and trains are all lego brand.

60052 is the one engine i'm talkign about. the other is 60098.

they are both slipping too.  and they are built according to lego.  when i just have the engine on the track i'm ok.  as soon as i try and pull more than 2 cars i get slippage.

the track is flat i assume without taking a level to it.  so i mean visually ya flat, not up and down like i think you guys are talking about.

track is clean.  

 

the biggest issue train is  the old xmas train. the wheel motor is the second car of the set.  i just removed the base of the stock car and replaced it with the motor base.  so does it have alot of weight.  no.  same as if it was a push train.  again.  it is pushing the engine which is stock. the battery box and sensor is in next car which is the passanger car. so that is heavier.

i can snap some pics tonight. i'm at wok now.

 

does this info help?

 

jim

[zephyr1934]

22 hours ago, HoMa said:

It might help if you replace the original thin rubber ring in the wheels which are attached to the motor with slightly thicker ones. A good resource is your local DIY store, search in the sanitary department for sealing rings.

When lego introduced the RC motor it replicated the form factor of the 9v motor, but the wheels were no longer integrated. Then the PF motor replicated the shape of the RC motor. When you look at the plastic wheels you will see that they have rubber bands on them. The first two generations of bands were loose and wheel slippage was VERY common. If the bands are gray they are almost certainly the first generation. Quick test, pull off all of the wheels from the RC motor set them aside such that you don't mix them up, and replace with the wheels from your best running train. Is the problem gone? Then you know the source. Call lego customer service and you'll have a good shot at getting free replacement wheels, or failing that, they would likely sell you some (they might be in the online PAB too)

Off the top of my head I do not remember what the second generation of bands looked like. I believe the current wheels are the third generation and have clear bands. Those should not slip.

Back in 2011 Cale found a solution using faucet o-rings from a hardware store, that is another option (bring a wheel with you to the store and find the best match)

[jimim]

I’m going to Home Depot today. I have the wheels with me. All wheels have the clear bands cause all the wheels I have bought were. Ought through LEGO in the past few months and the other wheels r with the 2 current trains. 

 

I didnt get get a chance to play last night and test. My kids transformer for his Lionel train is leaking I found out so that too is down for the count. I’m heading to the train shop now for that also. 

 

Poor or kid has no Lionel train now. Hopefully they have a spare transformer for him to use. Train is only up for holiday. And he is frustrated with the LEGO ones now. Lol. As am I.