I am not an expert but the rod are shifted 1/4 of a round. they are not at the same time 0 or 180 degrees, just 0 degrees and 90 degrees.
Andre.

 

Correct, at least for all the ones I just looked at.

 

Interesting.. Thank you Andre!

 

That engine did not come with magnatraction right?

Take a look at the gears, inspect them carefully.
A piece of solder or something may have been picked up jamming them.
It happened to someone here.

Check for a gear missing a tooth also.

All the rod screws tight, and the spacers are there?

 

224 doesn't have magnetraction.
nickel rims only
AG.

 

I'm going to inspect my gears carefully. I'll let you guys know.

 

If a wheel slips, the rods can be "out of quarter" and they'll bind. You can slowly turn it over manually and see if the rods ever get tight and bind, that's a sure sign that you have some sort of issue.

 

That's funny John, It's been slipping lately. Bummer.

 

I think he meant if a wheel slips on an axle, not the track

 

Well, note that I'm not talking about slipping on the rails, but rather a wheel slipping on the axle. Slipping on the rails is normal.

 

Oh, Ok John. I looked at all my gears and as I was turning it it locked up. Looks like the repair shop for it!

 

Did you see anything wrong with the gears?
A missing or bent tooth will do that.
More likely something is in one making it jam.

Are you sure the rods aren't causing it to jam?
Edit,
Look close at the crosshead too.

 

Before you ship it out, make SURE nothing is stuck in a gear, that happens quite often and is easy to remove. If the rods suddenly get tight at one point, then it may have a quartering problem.

 

Ed & John, I see nothing that would stop the drive wheels in the gears. Ed I checked the gears but she locked up & I didn't finish my looking! That's what I'm thinking that it's the rods are out of order some how?

 

Here is a picture link, I think.

http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/locos%5Cloc224p3.pdf

If the valve rod is broken or bent where it goes into the crosshead, it will jam the motor also.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Before sending it out, remove one set side rods. Check it again, if problem goes away, the quartering is wrong. If it persists, there is another issue.

Carl

 

agreed.

 

Sorry gents I don't think that is correct - there is a chance that taking one set of rods off will let the 'slack' in the axles/rods make the side with rods lock up. Personally I would disengage the motor and turn the wheels and motion by hand feeling for the binding spot that way, it should be possible to see what is catching then.

 

Interesting. Man, this is quite an operation. It's getting easy to hit the binding spot. She locking up all the time now. I can't get a good view of the binding spot though. This will be interesting to track down. Thanks again fellas.

 

This is the greatest board. Thank you for your ideas. Interesting too, I was just running my trains & looking at old 224 it's a bummer. I'll get her fixed with the help of all you good men. Thanks so much.

 

And think of the satisfaction of fixing it yourself. You'll also have more train money to buy new stuff with.

 

I wish I knew how to fix it John. I could try. Don't know where to start.

 

the start would be with a good diagnosis. the first step is knowing the problem which is. which is the wheels are locked up. than from there use it like a flow chart. the motor is the power source. check the operation of the motor. does the motor itself spin freely. if so check the gears. check gears for any missing teeth cracks or even see if they are out of line. sometimes with these old locos the grease becomes concrete. also there could be something in the gears bindng them up. if the gears check out than i would look into the axles. its all about the flow. start with the basics first than move down.

 

I noticed the whole gear assembly and wheels are loose. Quite a bit of play in them. That's one thing nj!

 

Did you try removing rods one at a time to see if that stops the binding?

 

The drivers are,as stated above,quartered.Check all of the side rod and valve gear screws to see if they are tight.Also check to see that they are not bent.Also if a wheel is loose on its axle binding can happen and cause various problems.

 

I've removed part of one side now I begin to worry. Can I get this back together? Everything seems tight. I'm beginning to think the binding are the gears because there is so much play in that assembly.

 

There will be a little play but not much.
Many locos have the motors mounted so they can be adjusted.
Sometimes a shim may be needed.

Do you still have binding with the rods off?
Most locos like this will run without the rods.You should be able to narrow this down.

 

Chores around the house, cutting grass.. have kept me from removing the drive rods to see if it's still binding. Should have them tonight!

 

The worst thing that can happen is that you end up with a pile of spare parts.

The rods are easy to get back on just take the screws out and lay them down so you know which side is which, some engines it matters.
Keep the screws and spacers in the rods after you take it off so you know where they go.
Make a diagram if it will make you feel better.
Take a picture of their positions too, for reference.

With the rods off see what happens when you put it on the track and apply power to the motor.

If it is still binding then it is not the rods.

Then we will go to step two.