Vintage Tyco Chattanooga Diesel Restoration 

Thanks for giving me a flashback of my childhood in the 70's.....when I had mine!!! Lol love that loco!!!!!!

Very cool Harrison. I love watching you do these repair videos. -Rick

That was a good idea SMT to make that tool; to press the brushes & springs back into their wells! It certainly makes it easier to put the brush plate back on the motor block!

Thank you Harrison for showing us how to service and restore a tyco gp20. I might try to clean and lube my santa fe gp20 someday if i want. Also im getting a Tyco GG1 off ebay!

I got bored last night and made my junk complete Chattanooga steam engine run again. I have three of them and two tenders. I have been using a higher quality Mantua shell with the walshearts valve gear paired with an original tender mounted to a modified caboose chassis with sprung express trucks. Used a silver sharpie to "paint" the fire box and smoke box, fitted pilot truck from a Rivarossi Berkshire and painted striping on the running boards and repainted the tender. It went from being a $5 parts bin engine to a respectable looking model.

Love the looks of the old Tyco locomotives. Like the trick for installing the brushes!

Smt is definitely getting me tru quarantine

Hey I had this train as a kid.My mother brought for me Christmas.This set had a babyruth boxcar a Jello boxcar a Weston oil tank car and olddutch cleaner hopper car and caboose.This set also had a whistle bill board.But the better go train were bachmann.

"Serenity now!" A moment of silence for Jerry Stiller... he passed over to the great beyond on Monday, he was 92. Thank goodness it wasn't a "Chatty"nooga or you would have had another issue to deal with, Harrison. You know what I'm talking about - - the sharknose Canadiana is just starting to develop the high-pitch sqeal. Nice to see another Tyco back on the rails, and although you didn't show the step this time, I'm sure you oiled and greased all the proper parts. Thanks for sharing. 👍 👍 👍

If only my students put this much effort into their homework. Great job as always.

You amaze me Harrison, definitely the fix it man. Love seeing these classic locomotives running well again. Thanks for sharing 👍👍👍😎😎😎 Cary

I tried your tool for holding the brushes in place of my grandfather's Lima 0 4 0 steam locomotive it worked great in enjoy your repair videos they have helped big time on older locomotives.

Thanks for this video, i'm about to try to restore my old engine that hasn't seen action in probably 30 yrs! this video gives me a bit of confidence it isn't too hard to diagnose.

That was the 3rd train I got in my younger days ! I still have it. I just fixed that wire you were talking about but I never tested it. I am just starting on a new table for the grandkids and I hope it will run then!

Hey SMT! My grandfather has that exact same TYCO loco. It had a similar problem where it wouldn’t run at all, but that was combination of a dying motor, dirty contacts, and a weakening solder point. However, I did get it to run a while back, and I am glad you got yours running too! Serenity! Anyway, great video as always!

EMD 2000 hp GP20 of around 1960. One of the first diesels purchased to replace the oldest of the machines that had replaced steam.

Chattanooga is my favorite city and railfanning spot In the entire world. Love seeing these locomotives. Cheers

Great restoration of a notorious Power Torque motor from 40 years ago. Through your videos, I wonder how many of them have been saved from the junk pile. Nice job and congrats on 9K subscribers 👍

@Harrison thank you, who has never taken those brushes out IT SUCKS ! Ok going to make one of those shims, why I never thought about it before. Keep up the great work !

Nice dude! I got the same one! Minty 👌

One characteristic on these old Tyco GP20 shells I always found odd (and nice) was the enclosed pilots. Most of the Life-Like, Bachmann, and Model Power stuff from this era had open pilots, and in fact when Mantua re-tooled the shell for their use, they opened the pilots up as well. It does make removing the shell easy but the enclosed pilots do look much better

Hey SMT, love the video! I have never worked with TYCO locomotives before, (Team Athearn Blue Box) and this idea popped into my head. Try adding weight to one of your TYCOs. It would eliminate the need for traction tires and it could pull more cars.

SMT mainline AKA the healer of model trains

I don’t collect old locomotives since I like to save money for the bigger and more detailed stuff like MTH and BLI. But there’s something about these older units that just grab me. It’s so interesting to see how they made models back then compared to today.

Thanks for another restoration video. These are nice to see. I hope you keep doing this. I have a few older locomotives.

I have this type of diesel, I believe it has the same problem that’s fixed in this video. When I say type I mean I have the same engine, all it does is the lights turn on and the motor hums yet no movement.

Another fun rebuild!

I don’t know why but I really like this loco

At 2:20 when you were saying about tyco engines having a variety of problems. I was thinking as you said that a quote from the commercial. " it's from Tyco Of course!"

Howdy Harrison, not that I want to start a public “debate right now” but, the real Chattanooga choo-choo Train Set From Tyco was a 2-8-0 steam locomotive that was in the set originally called the (“The Chattanooga Choo-Choo”), And somehow the marketer change the set to sell very well in the state of “Tennessee” because of “Chattanooga being in Tennessee” ! This set has something to do with a politician bringing work to support that state ! So they thought ! Now the caboose was not painted anywhere near these colors! Now the colors of the engine you’re holding on to is something I haven’t seen before and remember I’ve been selling in the hobby shop Business since 1976 ! I do remember a brief time that was sold for less than a year and you could be holding the one that was! Now I can tell you this much I know for a fact, Tyco not only invested into racing slot cars but they also invested into Trains at the same time ! Still, it Sounds like a mystery to me ? What say you my friend? Oh, before I forget, “thank you for teaching me with a pancake motor” was but I do have a question; if those pancake motors were the ones that worked in these Locomotive motors, are they going to be the same type of motor that was like in the Aurora, Aurora AFX, and Tyco Slot-cars ??? 🌊🐺

Chattanooga here!! Very cool

The GP20: TYCO made those for decades. The shell is very nicely detailed, though I don’t know why it doesn’t have dynamic brakes. I’m told a few rare models did, and are sought after by collectors. For such a good model, it’s a bummer it couldn’t be made with 8 wheel drive and a decent motor that can shed some heat.

I have so many dead tyco engines. If I ever get my stuff back out I am going to have to try some of your rebuild technics.

SMT - I have heard several modelers say that the locomotive could barely pull its train up & over the trestle. That made me think about what it would be like to double-head the Chattanooga diesel with the steamer. Since you have both locomotives, you could give it a try & see how it works. The train consisted of a covered hopper, three dome tank car, crane car, crane boom tender car, & caboose. You could also try it on your new layout & see how it works with the grades!

Love the livery on this one.

Another well done restoration awsome job SMT stay safe.

Mantua still makes these. Although I think they have a modernized drive system.

Shes a beauty!

I finally got a Spirit of 76 and me and my uncle are going to try to restore it

great video liked 🚄👍

Nice layout SMT. Keep up the good work

Good Job SMT Harrison-Saludos desde Argentina ))))))

congrats on 9K, can't wait when you hit 10K

I have THIS very loco too. It also doesn’t run and it’s because of the broken wire but the light works.

Today I got a old bachmann centennial in the mail it worked but it a bad ozone smell and when I opened it there was a lot of oil on the motor and I guess it was pretty new because I could wipe the oil off really easily(the front truck was a dummy because it did not have a motor for some reason)and now it's faster and runs better

Cool, I love the colors

I wouldnt call this a restoration, rather more of a tune-up. A restoration would involve fixing the traction tires, couplers, shell cleaning, etc.

As you say now lets take out the SPRINGS. Me oh no death trap

Yesterday i made my first conversion car

Hey SMT you should do a n scale locomotive giveaway. Maybe a few freight cars. Edit: like a bundle, a loco and a few freight cars. The SMT n scale package

You should do a video on your HO scale HO HO scale 40 CW

Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga choo choo?

I still have a BN GP20 made by Tyco. It’s about 45 years old.

Maybe make a livestream tomorrow night with you Bombardier Talent?

Please do the Blue Goose next

Dude that's fuckin awesome

I have the Burlington route GP-20 Cyclopes version of that one made by tyco

Well! I would have really liked to see the trick to putting the brushes on top of the springs and closing up. I looked at it 3 times but I didn't see it happen. Very disappointing as I am trying to figure out how to put it together..

Nice video! I think I have the same engine. I don’t believe mine works either.

Yay maybe you can fix the Durango next Also my silver streak does the same thing

I’m from Tennessee this looks familiar

What is the proper way to lubricate this Loco?

Smt, where do you get your parts. I can’t even find a good place to buy parts for newer locos much less vintage. Do you just salvage old engines?

smt what type of cuppler do you like the best

I have 3/4 of one of these.. The cab section was literally cut off

Hey smt! I have one of these locos it’s a Santa Fe one and it runs well, so I have one question how does these trains fail so easily

I have the same locomotive

SMT Can u restore the blue goose next plz

I’m probably the only person who noticed this, but…it makes no difference which road name you get. This engine is always numbered 5628.

what are the positive and negative ends of the motor? Like what wire connects to + and - (which brush does what?) also where are it's electrical contacts for getting power from the track?

Wow I have that one

I’m not sure what’s wrong with mine but I have an exact same type of train do you think I can send it to you so you can figure out what’s wrong with it please man I’m begging you please read this

Who won the contest

do you know quebec gatineau railway

What would you charge to fix a Tyco 4015?It is dead

I had the BN version...same 5628 number in the wrong location.....GP 20

Hey Harrison is Mahano a good ho scale trains

I just grabbed one of these it didn't work though other than lights them lit up

Hey SMT can I drop my trains of at your house. I told you on Instagram about the graham farish n gauge and that stuff

I have an SP 4449 that is not running at all. If you could be able to fix it. I’m willing to pay you.

Hey I have that loco except the roof is navy blue

Doesn't anyone make an actual gear puller?

Her I have one of those it is not In The best shape the rand rails are gone but hey at least it works

I subbed

I have seen worse in old tycos!

Hi I'm new

You never clean the wheels

What brand of oil and greese do you use for the locomotives

SMT restores a Tyco engine Me: don’t lose the springs

another sucsessfull surgery DR.Scrump

I have now made it 69 comments.......nice

I hit a cinder block or marble or sandstone cross on my big toe my mom said that I will lose my big toe's toenail 😱😱😱

2nd?

I uh... Vintage? Looks like it was made in the last 5 years.

ok dude please stop prying the gears off. thats why you keep breaking them

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