THE GILBERT HALL American Flyer, Operating And Assembly Instructions Manual

Page: 56 / 66

To have your train in perfect working order
you must have a regular system of maintenance.
I t is necessary to see that the track is level and
all track joints are tight. After the track has
been taken apart a few times, the openings in
the rails become enlarged, causing the pins to
fit loosely.
To insure tight connections and
proper electrical contacts, reduce the rail open-
ings by slightly pinching the rail ends with
pliers as shown in Fig. 40, and adjusting track
pins as shown in Fig. 8.
REPAIRING SHORTS
You will find sometimes, due to rough handling or excessive use, the
insulation between the rails and ties has shifted or been cut through, causing
a short circuit. This can be remedied by loosening the clamp with a sharp
screwdriver, and adjusting insulation to remove the short.
Position of insulation is shown in Fig. 41.
After testing your layout as described on page
14,
and you find it
shorted, but are unable to locate just where the trouble lies, each piece
of
track must be tested individually; following the same procedure, crossovers
and switches can also be tested the same as track.
KEEP TRACK FREE
FROM OIL
I t is important to keep track clean and free of oil. Clean the running
surface regularly with a fine sandpaper, then clean rails with a rag dampened
with NON-INFLAMMABLE
No.
2
7
American Flyer Track Cleaning Fluid.
This will insure a good electrical contact to the pick-up wheels on the tender
at all times, Always make sure transformer is turned off before cleaning track
with cleaning fluid.
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