Bowser HO New Orleans Style Trolley

 Motor replacement

by Charles R. Hentz

We had a motor fail by using one ampere of current and smoking.  A replacement was found on Amazon.com for $3 and $10 shipping.  Look for Mabuchi FK-130SH RC MOTOR sold by AnaTek Instruments. This is a 7200 rpm 12vdc at .30 amp motor that is the same size and slightly slower than the original.  The original body was 25 mm long, 20.5 mm wide and 15.3 mm high.

Remove the motor by unscrewing the two bottom center screws that hold the motor in plastic brackets.  Remove the flywheel by hanging the motor by two large washers slipped between the motor and the flywheel.  Grind the tip off a small (less than 2 mm wide)  finishing nail to use as a pin driver on the shaft end.  A few sharp taps with a hammer should force the flywheel from the shaft.  Be careful not to damage the plastic support brackets that hold the motor near the shaft.

Press the flywheel onto the new motor making sure you have the correct plastic bracket in place first.  The other bracket has some reinforcement and is intended to be at the end away from the flywheel.  A vise is handy for this press fit.  Protect the terminals at one end using some metal shims.

When installing the new motor, be sure to have the correct rotation so the trolley moves forward with a positive right rail.