Thurs 11-28-2024 8:36 a.m.
Some time ago, I picked up several Gandy Dancer Handcars at a train show. Last night I was tinkering with them and got each one running.
The items were rather dusty, and I started by removing the dust. Then I used a straight pin to turn the brass worm on the bottom of the handcar to make sure the armature was not jammed. Next, used the leads on my 12 volt DC transformer leads and held the handcar by hand (not on the track) to energize each side of the handcar (insulating plastic strip in between the two halves of the handcar). I energized and ran the handcar in both directions. That was enough to get most of them running.
The last handcar I work on, the legs of one Gandy Dancer had come out of the rectangular slots in the plastic insulating strip. Initially, I tried using super glue to hold the legs of the Gandy Dancer in place. That was a mistake, because the ankles on the Grandy Dancers need to move. Then I tried expanding the legs of the Gandy Dancers using a pair of pliers. That was also a mistake. The legs of the Grandy Dancers are made of zamac (zinc alloy) and the metal shorted out the two halves of the handcar. Then I hit on the idea of wrapping sewing thread around the ankles of the Gandy Dancers. I also inserted the thread through
rectangular slot in the insulating piece of plastic in the middle of the handcar. Finally, I tied several knots in the thread and trimmed off the excess thread. Fixed. Done.
Previously, I worked on some other discarded Gandy Dancer handcars and was less successful. The plastic motor frames warped due to excessive heating. To avoid the warping problem, it is best to operate the Gandy Dancers for about 15 minutes at a time and then let them cool off for 15 minutes before continuing operation. The old story - An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
In fiddling around with the motor on the Gand Dancer handcars, I discovered that the graphite brushes are relatively small in both diameter and length. Using some discarded pencil lead (graphite), new brushes may be fabricated using a jeweler's file. Perhaps graphite from a mechanical pencil might work too. Motor springs can easily get lost and Kadee coupler springs might prove a good substitute. Home-made graphite brushes and the Kadee coupler springs can probably me used on other train items such as the Bachmann DeWitt Clinton or N-scale locomotives.
Finally, the motors may squeak a little. The top bushing on the motor is visible between the Gandy Dancers and a light oil may be applied. The bottom bushing is not accessible due to the presence of the large brass worm. It helps to have an oil container with a small diameter tube about 2-inches long. The tube can be inserted between the brass worm and the Gandy Dancer chassis. Squirt a drop or two of oil near the bottom of the gear (close to the chassis). The oil will wick its way over to the armature shaft. Turning the handcar upside down or to the side will help the oil flow on to the armature shaft. Try to avoid using excessive amounts of oil because it is a dust magnet.
Have fun.
Regards,
ag01
