A box containing lots of nicely sorted bags with various parts arrived recently, this was supposed to assemble into an Egger Bahn 101 Diesel locomotive.

In the picture I have removed the anchor from the motor as there was some binding inside.

If you need to remove the worm, the best approach is to remove the top from the motor and then push the axle thru the worm with a small screwdriver or something similar. Do not try to remove the plastic worm with pliers as it will damage it. If the brass cover is still in place on the gearbox it can be removed by carefully jacking it up a bit in the rear end with some sharp tweezers and sliding it backwards

Make sure that the upper supports of the motor are straight to ensure no binding.

I also cleaned the collectors with a small “wiper” cut from a non abrasive eraser and removed dirt between the collectors with a dull needle.

Installing the brushes and springs can be a bit tricky, but luckily I had disassembled a Microperm motor some years ago and finally remembered how it went together. Make sure you have a good grip on the springs as they have a tendency to fly into the air – never to be seen again..

Another view of the spring:

I polished the pickups before assembly, then cleaned the brushes and wheels with alcohol. From my experience the pickups should be straightened and given a small angle downwards before assembly.

Assembly is straightforward from now on, but be careful with the pickups and make sure the motor is properly aligned with the chassis.

The socket for the body screw is very brittle and often suffers from small cracks, so I added some thin CA glue here and let it dry before continuing.

Make sure the glue is completely dry before assembly or the screw will sit there forever. Also use care when tightening the screw or the socket may break. If the socket is gone, a nut can be glued on, but this requires some careful positioning.

The noise reducing coils going down on the sides of the motor can be tricky to place properly, they should be put on the outer “corners” of the motor. If they are misplaced you can risk cracking the brittle cab.

Now time for a break…