November is one of those months when life gets in the way of model railroading around here. Even though the weather is perfect for modelling, little gets done on the trains in this month.
I had hoped to get 622 running in October, but when I first installed the motor, I found that the idler gear was not meshing properly with the output gear on the axle. I was dumbfounded as Northwest Short Line gearboxes have an excellent reputation.
I put everything away while I contacted the new owner of NWSL via Facebook. I was delighted to find them so responsive and willing to help with a product I purchased two years before they bought the business. Their initial recommendation was to send the whole shebang back to them, but agreed that they didn’t want to risk shipping the drivers any more than I did.
NWSL ultimately suggested that I gently deepen the axle slot in the bottom of the gearbox, effectively moving the two gears closer together. They would be happy to replace the gearbox sides if I made a shmozzle of it, they said. Luckily I was careful and seem to have kept everything parallel enough. After the bottom of the gearbox received a matching adjustment, the gears seemed to mesh nicely, and I could stall the motor by holding onto the driver.
Now I’ve put the wheels back into the frame, and captured the rear axle with the bottom plate of the gearbox. I must confess I dislike NWSL’s choice of screws. I barely tolerate big Phillips head screws around the house; these little ones are a hazard! Because the screwdriver doesn’t hold onto them properly, they make it very difficult to find the holes to drive them into the gearbox. I will likely replace them with some hex head bolts soon.
So, we’re making slow and steady progress. I am thankful to the new NWSL owners for their support with the gearbox. It is so wonderful to know that they had my back.
Pembroke:87 
Well done Renee! I had a friend who had problems with a gearbox to the pint he ended up making a new case out of brass. His figuring was that either the molds were wearing out or not enough material was injected into them.
Thanks Jim. For the most part, I find NWSL parts to be excellent. In this case the idler is actually slightly undersize. However, it’s all good now, it seems.