EASIEST Way EVER to Service Tyco MU-2 Drives!! 

Thank you for another fun video, Classic Model Trains! After RU-vid takes their cut, this will cover the jewelry cleaner from WalMart. (but not the beer or cigs...;-) )

Super. My railroad still has six MU-2 drives in daily operation, all bought new around 40 to 50 years ago. Two Plymouth CR-4 center cab switchers and one trolley equipped with RADIAL couplers, (Trolley freight, 4 3/4 inch radius curves on the street trackage. I also have an Athearn SW-7 with radial couplers.) one Plymouth MDT end cab switcher, one F7A, and matching F7B dummy, and one GP-20. (Skipped the Centuries, later on got a GP-20 body, made a dummy with Powertorque ALCO non powered trucks, and my Sharknose was a Powertorque. It survives also as a Twin Powertorque, six axle mini Baldwin BP-20. Long story.) All got extra weight, Regular and radial Kadee couplers, some details, full handrails, lighting, good servicing once a year. and windows, (Scotch tape on the GP-20.🙂) and look and run great. The F7 and the GP-20 got their grooves for traction tires filled in, (My railroad eats traction tires.) And the GP-20s got dynamic brake blisters and cooling fans from two Lionel GP-9s. Both will still pull a respectable train, inside or outside, and have a nice patina, from being used so much, that looks very realistic. Hello again from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N. Edit: All of these are American MU-2 drives, but some locomotives had an Austrian or Australian version of the MU-2 drive, which ran well but was quite different. 💙

Good Job! I love Reading, my Favorite Railroad. I am glad you now know how to pronounce it. I need that GP20.

Great video Ron. Those MU2’s can be a challenge to to do preventive maintenance on. This weeks beautiful model is none other than Susan Dey (Laurie Partridge). She was my first TV love back in the day when I was 8 years old. She was incredibly beautiful when she was young.

Susan Dey! Partridge Family. Always a pleasure to hear your voice and watch you fix or clean something. I really look forward to it.

Excellent demonstration with the jewelry cleaner. Definitely trying this technique. Thank you for passing along a successful solution to cleaning the riveted MU. Take care.

Your quickly becoming my favorite channel Ho related great instructions for newbies like me

I was waiting for you to say, look up….way up and let’s meet Casey & Finnigan 🤣. Great fun presentation.

I JUST LOVE your complete clear instructions on these engines and restorations ... and I love the classics ... I love them .. the old lines

I can watch these vids over and over,so much info and the commentary is awesome,Thanks Ron.

WOW ..... What a BRILLIANT Idea!!!! 👍

Ron! You're doin' a great job producin' these videos! I love the sad music parts while the train failure is realized. LOL!! And your talent as a mechanic is incredible. I learn so much from this channel Thanks! ✌

Set up my layout upon retiring. Not since 8th grade has it been in use. Took your advice on one of my locos that was DEAD, only the head light worked. It roared back to life! Thanks for the simple/useful video. Have viewed some of your others too. Stewart Goodson Blounts Creek NC

Your videos are so much fun. Entertainment education. Thanks!

Outstanding cleaning tip. I laughed hard when you were talking how dirty the body was! Lol🫵✌️

Nice job servicing that tyco mantua reading gp20 with the mu2 motor!

Perfect timing on this video Ron. I just picked up 2 of these (Burlington and a Santa Fe) in a lot recently. Definitely gonna give this a try and see if I can get them to run just a lil bit better! Thank You Sir!!

Ron C 430 next please!! U the man thank U!!

I think it's great that you have so many memories with your Train collection, I have around a dozen now and two that don't/won't work anymore no matter what I do ...and that's ok. I run most of the others at least once a month thanks for the updates on how to ?

I love this episode

I love those MU-2 motors. What I used to do is carefully drill out the ends of those rivets, pull the pins, and replace them with 2-56 screws and nuts. Otherwise, I'd clean and lube everything as you did on the newer ones.

Neat trick, I still drill them out and use small 2-56 screws after tapping a hole. For the window piece you can get the Novus 1-3 set and work through that and bring that clear look back. I use it on model car and plane kits and it works like a charm. Great video as always!!

Modern good quality train controllers really gives a life to these old motors that the train set type didn't. Another fab video thanks.

Love Your Videos Ron Keep up the Good work👍👍👍👍.

Another great video. Actually used to race RC cars and would dip the motors in water while they were running to clean them and help them break in. Great tip for the old TYCO motors.

Awesome Video Ron. Thank you.

Awesome repair buddy.

Absolutely brilliant idea thank you brother

Cindy Crawford. 😂 Wow that cleaner is life changing!

I just bought a Mantue GP-20 in Burlington markings. this will help! Thank you!

The old tyco's are the best

I really love your videos. You have a lot of excellent knowledge on Tyco products. In this episode you adlib Derek Bieri quite a bit, and I think it takes away from your content. Just be you! We like you!

GREAT video nice job love the videos

Thats was amazing 🧼 🚂🇨🇦🇺🇸 im getting some of that!! Thanks Ron

I think I'd just drill out the rivets and use some small screws for reassembly. Thanks for the tip using jewelry cleaner. Cheers from eastern TN

Another great video.

Thanks i order some today alone with lebell oil thank Ron

Susan Dey I think. Let’s see if I am right! 😊. Yep. Remember her braces caught radio signals in the Partridge Family. Thanks will get some of that cleaner as I have committed sacrilege by breaking off the truck covers to access the commutator and brushes for cleaning then just adding some more grease after using a lot of Isopropyl Alcohol try clean off as much old grease as can. Super glued the truck covers back on and good to go. Have had good luck with this method on a fair number of C430s and GP20s.

Susan Dey. - Cheers - TN

My trick for the MU-2s is to do the scary thing and drill the rivets. The only problem is that the rivets are drilled, so you can't assemble it back together! Or can you? My trick is to get a nice bead of solder on the end of the rivet- reassemble, and then carefully peen the solder blob into a "head" that keeps the bottom of the truck nice and snugly assembled. It works quite well! If you don't feel comfortable drilling rivets though, the shown method seems like a great trick to clean up an MU-2!

As a kid I remember watching The Partridge Family on TV after school. I have the recalled version of the Spirit of '76 Tyco loco with the MU-2 drive. I will clean that up. The recalled version has the seal on the side that says "President of the United States" which Tyco was later told they could not use. They then came out with the version you have on your shelf.

Thank you for sharing.👍

Another very nice work Ron! Why the hell Tyco started using rivets instead of screws? Just to save some pennies? Very bad decision (at least for us). But your trick solved the cleaning problem! Kudos!

Great video.😊😊

You can get in there. Dremel the rivets and pull the pins. Drill out the holes to take M3 bolts. Good tip on the jewelry cleaner.

Ron, I have a taco reading GP20.Identical to the one you're working on.Thanks for the video

Loved this one Ron I just picked up ones of those type engines was wondering how to lube it mine is the spirit of 76 U B

Crackin me up, another great / fun / informative video Ron, I've also had a lot of the same troubles with those dang little screws until I bought my "Mini spring loaded parts grabber". Awesome little device to hold them screws and get them started in there little holes in places that, most of the times, are tough to reach. Police? 14 year old? Factory and pink slips? I've had them both happen to me, a couple of times I think, not necessarily in that order. I think I just heard you say "Thrust Washer".

"..until the end of time" 🤣

That is an amazing way to clean and saves so much time... I like these MUs more than pancake motors ..seem stronger ..IDK

When you were pointing at all your engines on the shelf at the beginning, it sounded like you were saying bear turds, bear turds, bear turds. I tried closed-captions and it had no idea either. Is that what you were saying? And Susan Dey was pretty stunning in that photo! Thanks for sharing that one.

I think when you oiled the axle ends that's migrating over to the axle pickup, so she is sluggish at low voltage. I am just going to re-lube the pinion gear and leave it at that.

That's Susan day from the partridge family

Hiya Ron, for future reference it might do some good to let the sun bleach thay window piece back to white

Great video Ron!!! Im hoping you'll take this in the good natured way in which it is intended ........ I think all of your viewers should start a drinking game every time you say, "Thrust Washer" , ... we have to drink. What do you think? Could be fun.

Thanks

Hy Ron, never seen this before. Must be constructed by a guy who never ever serviced a loko or never ever had anything to do with it ( lokos..... or model rails....) is this brand still alive? can' t believe it😂😂😂. Regards from Germany Rainer

I have cleaned these with spray electric contact cleaner from the automotive store with great success,

hey Ron! Can you do a video on how to improve the power on a tyco 4-6-0? The tender wheels don’t get good power. I love your videos and you teach me so much!

These drives take a lot of power to get going.

Dang it! This would've saved me having to drill out the rivets on a Tyco F7 mu2 only to find that the armature bearings were riveted in as well. Left THAT well enough alone. Did hose it down with contact cleaner. Reattached the cover plate with 2-56 screws and nuts.

Guess it's a good thing you put the windshield in first, Right? Guess I also learned something today. I had thought, up till now, that everything on your wall there was already rebuilt and/or restored. Go figure...

I like the cleaning method, but there are two spots on the armature that really need lubrication. These are journal/strap bearings that hold the armature to the frame body of the truck. The best way to get to them is to drill out the rivets which everyone hates. I don't know the exact size of the screws, washers, and nuts, but my guess would be #2-56 1" screw with matching nut and washer. The screw/washer combo would be mounted on the topside for the pivot plate and the washer at the bottom for the truck cover plate. I would like to add that someone on RU-vid a long time ago actually drilled out the rivets, but never showed the reassembly process. The video does show a good deal of the inside of the motor assembly. I will leave the information to this video for reference. Channel Name: watchnu2 Title: MANTUA MU MOTOR BREAKDOWN_WMV V9.wmv Video Link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KGfIyZ_OrNk.html

I only have one with the MU motor. It runs great. It's in a c430 soo engine. I need a rear coupler and pocket for it. I can't find one anywhere.

You can do this procedure using Isopropyl Alchohol (IPA) at a pinch, and with any hard to dismantle drive units. Keep IPA well away from painted parts though. NOTE: IPA fumes can be flammable so this is at your own risk, but so long as the motor is submerged completely it does not spark and I have not had any problems over many years.

I just stuck a Q-tip with knockoff wD-40 in the cimmutator of mine and poked at it with the wet and then the dry end until it decided to run, sparks a lot but it stops sparking once it gets going, derails on 18 radius though 😞

Great episode! Any issues rinsing the motor with water after soaking it in the jewelry cleaner? I’m worried about corrosion.

I have an old F unit that has the MU power truck in the back. Is that right?

Nice Any way you get around the rivets if you need to replace a traction tire on these?

were did get the black grease for wheel bearing

Should Note No Engineers were drown or Injured during this process..bahahah 😂

If you are going to use jewelry cleaner, you might as well go on and use a ultrasonic jewelry cleaner.

Susan Dey!

Can you fit two mu-2 drives into a 430 model? ...I built a golden eagle with two power torque motors .. added alittle extra weigh..and it pulls 30 cars with ease...I want to build a 430 with dual mu-2 moters ...I was wandering if you knew if its possible with the narrower rear end 🙂

I’ll definitely keep this method in my mind. But this locomotive isn’t the rarest I’ve seen quite a few. Rare Tyco MU-2 driven GP20’s are the CNW and Red and silver ones. The CNW one I own! Nice revival:)

What you can do is drill out the bolts and then replace them with nylon nuts and bolts. That is howvI refurbished Tyco motors like that.

Susan Dey

That motor runs a lot quieter than the Tyco power torque motors.

Do you have Lionel HO GP30?

Wax on the end of the screwdriver

What is the name of the electric grease

Sharon day

Susan Daye

"Toy" Trains do not creep!

Susan Day.

Tiene poca fuerza el motor y se quebró cremallera del costado lo quiero nuevo donde se compra

Necesitó el motor de locomotora tyco

Susan Dey òr Laura Partridge

Susan dey? Or day?

Uh, Susan Dey

Suzanne day

Susan Dee

man something about the women from back in the day!!! they dont make em like that anymore!!!!

Atlas Locomotives creep .

Susan Dey!

Susan Dey

Susan Dey

Susan Dey