American Flyer Repair and Maintenance
This page is my research and notes on maintaining and repairing American Flyer Trains. It is by no means complete but gives basic instructions, pictures, and schematics along with repair advice. I am a novice at American Flyer Train repairs and put this page together so that I would have all my research in one place. See train videos here.
Cleaning the Track
Best recommendation is to use a sock with isopryl alcohol to clean the tracks. I think this is better than using an abrasive eraser except when absolutely necessary
Understanding the reversing unit in the tender or the engine.
As can be seen in the picture below … the reversing unit is a rotating drum driven by a solenoid. Each time you power the track the solenoid closes and the rotating drum moves to a new position. The solenoid remains engaged while power is applied. Depending on what position the drum moves to... the train will either move forward … be idle … move in reverse ...or … be idle. This is the ongoing sequence. This drum is needed because the power to the track is AC, so to reverse the direction of the train motor either the armature or field coil of the motor needs to have its wires reversed. This is accomplished by the rotating drum. Keep in mind that there are more contacts then can be seen in this picture. The other set of two contacts is to the right and below what is pictured
Cleaning the Track
Best recommendation is to use a sock with isopryl alcohol to clean the tracks. I think this is better than using an abrasive eraser except when absolutely necessary
Understanding the reversing unit in the tender or the engine.
As can be seen in the picture below … the reversing unit is a rotating drum driven by a solenoid. Each time you power the track the solenoid closes and the rotating drum moves to a new position. The solenoid remains engaged while power is applied. Depending on what position the drum moves to... the train will either move forward … be idle … move in reverse ...or … be idle. This is the ongoing sequence. This drum is needed because the power to the track is AC, so to reverse the direction of the train motor either the armature or field coil of the motor needs to have its wires reversed. This is accomplished by the rotating drum. Keep in mind that there are more contacts then can be seen in this picture. The other set of two contacts is to the right and below what is pictured
Below is a video on the reversing unit.
The author takes a while to get going on what he has to say but he does explain how this works and he does show you which position is for forward.
The author takes a while to get going on what he has to say but he does explain how this works and he does show you which position is for forward.
Wiring diagram ......image is courtesy of this website)
Troubleshooting problems … ( includes maintenance instructions)
(Such as… train not running .. reversing unit getting stuck and/or no smoke from smoke stack)
1. First of all … try to ensure that the motor /gears are not seized up … else you might burn up the motor while troubleshooting. The motor is typically open and accessible right below the cab and it is relatively easy to turn the armature with one’s finger..
2. If you have no lights and no clicking sound and no motion check to make sure the wheels are clean and the contacts on the tender are making good contact with the axles. Clean this area.
3. If your train still refuses to move you may want to check or wiggle the connector in the cab section of the locomotive where the wires from the tender connect to the main train and see if your train springs to life even for a moment. Make sure your reversing unit is not in neutral for this by clicking the power off and on several times. If it does spring to life (and even if it doesn't then carefully disconnect this (typically 4 pin) connector.and clean the pins with alcohol. If the connection was loose the female contacts on the train part can be gently pinched slightly with needle nose pliers for a snug fit when you reconnect them. Don’t overdo this … be gentle and pinch just enough for a good fit.
4. If this doesn't work then clean the reversing unit…. for how to do that see instructions below. Or... you can jump down to the section that talks about isolating the problem by bypassing the reversing unit.
Cleaning the Reversing Unit
This video does a good job of showing how to clean the reversing unit and how to adjust it. Contrary to what the video says: Do not adjust the unit without cleaning it first…
(Such as… train not running .. reversing unit getting stuck and/or no smoke from smoke stack)
1. First of all … try to ensure that the motor /gears are not seized up … else you might burn up the motor while troubleshooting. The motor is typically open and accessible right below the cab and it is relatively easy to turn the armature with one’s finger..
2. If you have no lights and no clicking sound and no motion check to make sure the wheels are clean and the contacts on the tender are making good contact with the axles. Clean this area.
3. If your train still refuses to move you may want to check or wiggle the connector in the cab section of the locomotive where the wires from the tender connect to the main train and see if your train springs to life even for a moment. Make sure your reversing unit is not in neutral for this by clicking the power off and on several times. If it does spring to life (and even if it doesn't then carefully disconnect this (typically 4 pin) connector.and clean the pins with alcohol. If the connection was loose the female contacts on the train part can be gently pinched slightly with needle nose pliers for a snug fit when you reconnect them. Don’t overdo this … be gentle and pinch just enough for a good fit.
4. If this doesn't work then clean the reversing unit…. for how to do that see instructions below. Or... you can jump down to the section that talks about isolating the problem by bypassing the reversing unit.
Cleaning the Reversing Unit
This video does a good job of showing how to clean the reversing unit and how to adjust it. Contrary to what the video says: Do not adjust the unit without cleaning it first…
Important notes on cleaning the reversing unit.
1. I do not disassemble anything unless I absolutely have to. I don’t want to create more problems than the train already has..
2. You can clean the drum by putting your alcohol or contact solution saturated cue tip between the solenoid and the rotating drum and rubbing it back and forth. This avoids it getting tangled in the fingers and possibly misadjusting them. Be sure to clean all parts of the drum by manually operating the solenoid and making sure you get the entire drum.
3. Contact cleaner that is plastic safe or this cleaner that you can obtain from this ebay store is good to use. I have just used alcohol but I have found that some units stick and need lubricant. As of this date I have not tried the item mentioned … I may just put a drop or two of light oil on the solenoid plate pivot point and see how that works..
4. If the train still won't move .. push gently on each contact finger (remember there are 4 of them). with a toothpick while the cam is set for forward motion and see if the motor starts.
If your train still refuses to run after clicking through the various cam positions then the next step is to isolate the problem by bypassing the reversing unit. See below...
1. I do not disassemble anything unless I absolutely have to. I don’t want to create more problems than the train already has..
2. You can clean the drum by putting your alcohol or contact solution saturated cue tip between the solenoid and the rotating drum and rubbing it back and forth. This avoids it getting tangled in the fingers and possibly misadjusting them. Be sure to clean all parts of the drum by manually operating the solenoid and making sure you get the entire drum.
3. Contact cleaner that is plastic safe or this cleaner that you can obtain from this ebay store is good to use. I have just used alcohol but I have found that some units stick and need lubricant. As of this date I have not tried the item mentioned … I may just put a drop or two of light oil on the solenoid plate pivot point and see how that works..
4. If the train still won't move .. push gently on each contact finger (remember there are 4 of them). with a toothpick while the cam is set for forward motion and see if the motor starts.
If your train still refuses to run after clicking through the various cam positions then the next step is to isolate the problem by bypassing the reversing unit. See below...
How to isolate the problem by bypass the reversing unit
Unplug the tender from the engine (there may be an extra 5th wire) … if so just park the tender near the engine. Note … you may want to prop the train up off of your work surface so that it can run without driving off the bench. Two small magic markers or highlighters can work well for this. See the wiring diagram for how to run the train without the reversing assembly. Pictured is the connector under the cab on the train. This is simpler than it may look. You simply jump the two center connections together. Alligator clip jumper wires could be used. You then hook the power transformer 7-15 volt ac output directly to the two outer connectors … using jumper wires or some other means. ... turn on the power and see if your train runs. If it does run then there is a problem with the reversing unit. (double check this connector when you hook the tender back up). You also may want to use an ohmmeter to verify that the fingers are making contact .... unplug the connector when checking this.
Unplug the tender from the engine (there may be an extra 5th wire) … if so just park the tender near the engine. Note … you may want to prop the train up off of your work surface so that it can run without driving off the bench. Two small magic markers or highlighters can work well for this. See the wiring diagram for how to run the train without the reversing assembly. Pictured is the connector under the cab on the train. This is simpler than it may look. You simply jump the two center connections together. Alligator clip jumper wires could be used. You then hook the power transformer 7-15 volt ac output directly to the two outer connectors … using jumper wires or some other means. ... turn on the power and see if your train runs. If it does run then there is a problem with the reversing unit. (double check this connector when you hook the tender back up). You also may want to use an ohmmeter to verify that the fingers are making contact .... unplug the connector when checking this.
However if the train still won’t run with the reverse unit bypassed then its time to check the field windings ... motor windings and brushes. You can use an ohmmeter to check the field winding continuity between the second connector from the left and the far right pin. You can also check the armature /brush continuity by using an ohmmeter connected to the first and third connectors (see above wiring diagram) . You may need an extra set of hands for this second test as you should rotate the motor to ensure all its windings are good. Be aware that brushes can stick or wear out. For exact instructions on the values for these windings and how to disassemble and even rewind the armature see the video I shared earlier. Again … my motto is, if its not broken don’t try to fix it … If things ohm out correctly than something else is going on. Here is the video again for your convenience. See also the book by the author of this video referenced further down the page.
Problem with smoking unit?
Again …see above video and the book mentioned below..
Again …see above video and the book mentioned below..
Lubrication of moving parts
There are various products out there that claim to be compatible with American Flyer trains. I have not researched this yet. Here is one such product.
There are various products out there that claim to be compatible with American Flyer trains. I have not researched this yet. Here is one such product.
Gilbert American Flyer S Guage Operating Guide. by Thomas B. Barker
I would also recommend his book …available at Amazon at this link. Its written by the same person who authored the above video.
Multiple references
American flyer repair manuals http://myflyertrains.org/gallery/GilbertFactoryManual
Operating tips http://www.ebay.com/gds/OPERATING-TIPS-for-AMERICAN-FLYER-TRAINS-/10000000000941186/g.html
American flyer parts store ebay includes contact cleaner and oil http://stores.ebay.com/americanflyertrainsparts
American flyer repair manuals http://myflyertrains.org/gallery/GilbertFactoryManual
Operating tips http://www.ebay.com/gds/OPERATING-TIPS-for-AMERICAN-FLYER-TRAINS-/10000000000941186/g.html
American flyer parts store ebay includes contact cleaner and oil http://stores.ebay.com/americanflyertrainsparts