# New to Slot Cars - Tyco US1



## WahooUVA2 (Nov 17, 2017)

My son, 4, and I have just rediscovered my Tyco US1 Electric Trucking track from when I was a kid. We have a great time playing with this but I'm having some issues with getting the track and cars/trucks to work properly. Any help or suggestions for the questions below would be appreciated. 

1) A few of the cars won't work. They seem to be making connection on the track. One of them has the motor/magnet turn but the wheels don't move. Is there anything to do there to try and get the wheels to move. 
2) The tracks have gotten a little corrosion built up on it and I have been using some light steel wool to try and clean the track. Any other suggestions there?
3) Can you buy new replacement parts for the chassis? I see where you can buy tires on eBay. 
4) I have two dual control boxes that I have been using on one track. What's the best way to use this, obviously, I get a little more juice. 

Thank y'all for your help. Really want to get everything working for my son and continue to enjoy it.

Thanks!


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Tyco was bought by Mattel who milked the brand for a number of years before they discontinued the line. Some dealers, like JAG Hobbies or Lucky Bob's, may still have parts for the cars. Some parts from other makes, such as Slottech and Wizzard will also work.
First test your cars by touching the pickup shoes to the terminals of a 9 volt battery. If both the motor and rear wheels turn the car should be OK. If the motor turns but the rear wheels don't make sure that the rear axle is fully seated in the chassis, the gears may be damaged and need to be replaced. 
Corroded track can be a pain to deal with. If there is only a small amount of corrosion the best way that I have found to shine the rails is to get some fingernail buffing blocks from the cosmetic section of a supermarket or drug store. Those have a different grit on each side, start with a coarse grit and finish off with a finer one. If the track is very corroded you might be better off dumping it. Besides the tops of the rails you will also probably have to work on the joints, those are more difficult to get at. You might spray the joints with CRC contact cleaner from a hardware store or automotive supply place. If you keep making and breaking the joints with another shot of cleaner every now and again you may be able to clean up the joints.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome to the boards!

Stop using the steel wool. It sheds fibers which are magnetic.

You may also check a train shop if you have one locally. The have some track cleaning kits that will work for you as well. (May or may not be as expensive as the beauty supplies or hardware stores, but a bit better designed over all for the application.

You can search our archives for track tips and such and then search yahoo videos for newer tips and tricks - read/watch them here first so you can get a feel for which ones are the better ones on yahoo


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

*stripped axle gear*

US1 trucking chassis have a worm gear drive.
the gear on the axle often gets stripped of it's teeth and then the motor will not drive the axle.
there are no replacement axle gears available anywhere.
you might just want to use that one to scavenge for parts.

there are later TYCO design chassis that those truck bodies might fit on.

:surprise:


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

I was not even aware that those existed. There is more info on those trucks here: Identifications: HO Scale Slot Car Chassis: Tyco US1 Electric Trucking Semi Cab
The older Tyco "S" cars were also worm gear drive, the parts for those are probaly not easy to find either.
Identifications: HO Scale Slot Car Chassis: Tyco "S"


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## NuAlpha94 (Oct 7, 2021)

WahooUVA2 said:


> My son, 4, and I have just rediscovered my Tyco US1 Electric Trucking track from when I was a kid. We have a great time playing with this but I'm having some issues with getting the track and cars/trucks to work properly. Any help or suggestions for the questions below would be appreciated.
> 
> 1) A few of the cars won't work. They seem to be making connection on the track. One of them has the motor/magnet turn but the wheels don't move. Is there anything to do there to try and get the wheels to move.
> 2) The tracks have gotten a little corrosion built up on it and I have been using some light steel wool to try and clean the track. Any other suggestions there?
> ...


Hi.
THE TRUCKS & CARS
1) First, Test the chassis by placing they pick ups on to the terminals of a 9 V battery, like suggested earlier.
2) Clean the pick ups using one of the following: pencil eraser, Brite-Boy eraser track cleaner commonly found at train hobby stores, 300-400 grit drywall sponge or Dremel Finishing Abrasive Buff #512E (works fastest).
3) Replacement US1 pick ups are available on eBay.
4) Replacement US1 gears are now available for “Buy It Now” purchase on eBay. Search for ‘Repro Tyco US1 - Worm Gear Set - Drive Gears Truck.’ These replacements work great.

THE TRACK
5) To clean the track rails I use drywall sanding sponges found at the hardware store. I buy the 300-400 grit 8-pack for about $4. They easily clean the rails with little effort. 
6) Clean the rail tips/joints using a Dremel with needle-nose filing bit to remove buildup and rust.

TRACK POWER
If you want or need more track power you can replace the US1 controllers with HO scale Train Controllers. Old TYCO train controllers are available on eBay for very cheap. Or newer controllers like Athearn, Atlas or Bachman are available at any train hobby store.
—>For the 2 Red Separate Wired US1 Controller Terminal:
Cut the wires of the US1 controllers at the base of the red controller housings. Connect the red and yellow wires to the positive and negative terminals of the HO scale train controllers.
—> For the Connected Controllers Adjacent to the Track Terminal:
Remove the red housing of the controllers by removing the screws on the underside. Solder wires from the positive and negative track power connectors and connect them to the positive and negative terminals of the HO scale train power controllers.

I hope these recommendations help.


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