# Buddy L 2-6-2 CIRCUS LOCO repair



## Festus (Jun 28, 2010)

This is actually part two of my original Buddy L Circus loco repair. I bought a used Buddy L Circus 2-6-2 loco and tender knowing it didn't work so as instructed in my original post, I took it apart and found the pieces shown in a photo here:

http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/D...amp;page=1

The first two photos show the motor and the two plastic mounting pieces that were jammed in on top of the brass gear shown in the photo. I hope this explains why it doesn't run.

So, now what?

I plan to take apart one of my parts locos and see what the motor looks like when it's secured in place, but if someone can post a photo of a Buddy L loco motor secured in place, it would help. This is when I need my parts locos, right? Or can I use duct tape and bubble gum? In other words, can I make this one work without replacing the bottom body piece?

Bottom line: What should I do to fix it right the first time?

I have several Buddy L 2-6-2 parts locos so I ought to me able to find the right piece in prime condition.

Any advice will be welcome. I know these are cheapo locos but I'm stuck with them. FESTUS


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I have the same engine stored away. I'd like to know how to bypass all the stuff in the tender and wire the engine direct to the pickups. I want to build the engine as a 2-6-2T.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I am sure there is a way to fabricate some kind of mount to keep the motor in place and the worm properly meshed with the gear. But not having one of those models in front of me, its hard for me to build up a mental picture of how I would do this. Mike


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Festus, 

That is exactly what they do. The screw boss breaks off then the cover plate wont hold the motor down to mesh the gears properly. 
You have both screw boss broken off the frame. That is what the two small pieces are in your photo. They should sit either side of the motor shaft. I have one with only one boss broken. I haven't tackled it yet. 
Try some 2 pack adhesive that is compatible with that plastic and glue the boss back in with some built up around it for strength then drill deeper and use a longer screw. Maybe glue from a hot glue gun would be better. There is not much room next to the gears. Don't over tighten. 

A quick fix idea is to use a small cable tie over the entire block at that point and pull tight. Perhaps some masking tape on motor shaft boss where the cover presses against motor to pack out any looseness.
A bit rough, but you could even just use hot glue or squirt builders adhesive between the motor and the frame sides. Leave a space to get a hacksaw blade in to replace later if need be. While you are in there make sure the worm gear meshes properly otherwise they strip the gears. If not you can sand down where it seats with sand paper around a piece of dowel. They are hardly something worth investing too much time on. POS!


















Andrew


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Posted By vsmith on 14 May 2013 07:45 PM 
I have the same engine stored away. I'd like to know how to bypass all the stuff in the tender and wire the engine direct to the pickups. I want to build the engine as a 2-6-2T. 
Vic, what about the sound in the tender? and the chuff chuff sensor? Do you need that to work?

Andrew


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Its a shame as its a cute 2-6-2 and fills a void in small steamers in G scale. I still wish Piko would do thiers in a 2-6-2 and with proper walscherts valve gear. That would take it to the next level. Good luck on patching up the old engine. If I find one cheap at a show, I plan to pick one up to mess around with myself. Mike


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd agree on the 2 part glue, try some JB weld, or their 2 part putty... 

Greg


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Posted By Mike Toney on 26 May 2013 07:57 PM 
Its a shame as its a cute 2-6-2 and fills a void in small steamers in G scale. I still wish Piko would do thiers in a 2-6-2 and with proper walscherts valve gear. That would take it to the next level. Good luck on patching up the old engine. If I find one cheap at a show, I plan to pick one up to mess around with myself. Mike They actually don't look too bad, with a reasonable amount of detail. My ones have the copper coated boilers that need a paint. The pizza cutter flanges are a bit of a shocker though! They are big enough to be considered 1:20.3 at least to my eyes. 

Andrew


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## Dansgscale (Jan 9, 2010)

I have one like this that I purchased a month ago from EvilBay. The guy had it listed as a bachmann engine and only found out that it was a Buddy L when It arrived. It was missing a number of parts and the wheels did not turn, which turned out to be a severly worn brass worm. I pulled the motor and had to grind the brass worm off the motor shaft and my gear puller would not budge it. I heated the new worm up with a butane torch to make it expand some and then used my drill press to press it onto the motor shaft.. After replacing the motor, the wheels now turn. 

Since it was missing the rear wheels under the cab, I had planned on converting it to a 2-6-0. I was surprised to find the boilder was cast metal as it is has the factory black coloring with a sliver smoke box and silver stack. This is presenting a problem as I wanted to move the domes around to be more like a D&RGW style engine. But the bases of the domes are part of the boiler casting, so I would have to grind them off along with all the piping and the cover the boiler with styrene and make new dome bases. I might end up scraping the boiler and cab completely and scratch build a new boiler and wood cab. The cab on mine is brown in color, and has the A.T & S.F lettering. The Stack I was going to replace as I don't like this style and was going to use a straight stack. This one has a smoke unit in it and does not look like it has ever been used.

The cab is overly large even next to my 1:20.3 scale Bachmann Spectrum 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 engines, but since I wanted to replace it with a wood one, I won't be using it. 

I am back searching evilbay to see if I can find the missing parts I need to start the rebuild. The main parts I need are the Pilot, Cylindars and saddle along with the slide valve assembly and the rods connecting to the center driver. With those parts I can get this engine back running, or at least the frame, until I scratch build the new boiler and Cab. 

So I will be back on evilbay looking for those parts or another engine that doesn't work I can take the parts off of. 

Dan S.


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## Dansgscale (Jan 9, 2010)

VSmith: are you planning on converting it to battery operation or still use track power? I noticed that when I took mine apart to fix the motor problem, that there are wires going from the circuit board to both the front and rear trucks as well as to the brass wipers on the drivers. All you need to do it locate the orange and purple wires and unsolder them from the circuit board and connect all the orange wires together and all the purple wires together and you sould be able to to use track power. If you are going to use battery power, then connect the orange and purple wires to your motor controller. The rest of the wires on the circuit board are to operate the smoke unit and the sound system. There is a second circuit board that has a optical interruptor that is used to sync the chiff with the rotation of the drivers. I plan on using these circuit to act as the wipers for a chuff sound system I am working on so I won't have to add wipers to the axles. 

Dan S.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I am planning track power, no sound, 

so orange to orange and purple to purple, Thanks I'll try that.


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## Dansgscale (Jan 9, 2010)

VSmith> That should work. At least that is the color of the wires used on mine. You might want to turn yours upside down and remove the bottom cover plate and check to see what color of wires are soldered to the brass wheel contacts is you can not see the color of the wires going to the front and rear trucks. 

If your not going to use the sound system, then you could just remove the circuit boards to prevent confusion. I plan on using sound and battery operation and will put the battery and motor controller and sound system in the tender when I get one built so I will be keeping the optical sensor in my engine and then run a 6 pin connector out the back of the engine. I will use two wires going to the motor, two to the optial chuff unit and two for the headlight and cab light. 

Dan S.


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## MadMike1024 (Apr 10, 2017)

vsmith said:


> I have the same engine stored away. I'd like to know how to bypass all the stuff in the tender and wire the engine direct to the pickups. I want to build the engine as a 2-6-2T.


Here's the secret; take the connector from the loco in hand, turn it with the metal side up and the pin sockets facing you. Count in three holes, and put a jumper made of a desktop stapler staple between 3 and 4. The loco will run fine. Near as I can figure out, the setup was originally a RC with the batteries in the tender, thus the line out to the engine. IMHO, the sound system is not all that great.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

If you ever have problems with the drive (don't over tighten the bottom cover screws and bust the screw bosses) and get sick of the ginormous flanges you can put a Bachmann Anniversary chassis under it, modified to a 2-6-0 / 2-6-2. There is some fiddling with removal of plastic and re-pinning the rods but the components do mate up reasonably well. I intend to post details and measurement of how to go about it which should make things fairly simple for others to do without hacking things up unnecessarily to mesh it all together.

Andrew


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